La Caixa Foundation has selected four projects involving researchers from the Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR) through its 2026 Health Research and CaixaImpulse Health Innovation calls. The initiatives tackle some of the main current challenges in biomedical research, with proposals ranging from the development of new therapies for childhood neurological diseases and Parkinson's to novel therapeutic approaches for mitochondrial DNA maintenance disorders and cancer.
Collectively, the four projects represent different approaches to biomedical research, from basic and translational research to the development of new therapeutic strategies with the potential to reach clinical practice.
One project, led by Assumpció Bosch from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), with participation from VHIR researcher Miguel Chillón, will receive €1,000,000 to develop advanced gene therapies for severe childhood brain disorders that currently lack treatment. The goal is to obtain two candidates ready for clinical development.
Another project, led by VHIR neurologist Jorge Hernández, will receive €957,827 to develop an intelligent system capable of personalizing Parkinson's treatment in real-time using wearable sensors and artificial intelligence, thereby improving patients' quality of life.
The CaixaImpulse Health Innovation 2026 call has selected a project led by Ramon Martí, head of the VHIR's Neuromuscular and Mitochondrial Pathology group, which will receive €50,000 to demonstrate the feasibility of a new metabolic strategy for treating mitochondrial DNA maintenance diseases, for which there are few therapeutic alternatives.
Finally, Josep Roma, principal investigator of the VHIR's Cancer and Childhood Hematological Diseases group, will also receive €50,000 from CaixaImpulse to develop a new molecule capable of inhibiting the Hedgehog pathway in cancer, with an initial focus on pediatric sarcomas.
In addition to financial support, CaixaImpulse Innovation offers selected teams an accompanying program that includes mentoring, specialized advice, and training in technology transfer, business development, and research valorization, aiming to facilitate the transformation of scientific results into new solutions for the healthcare system.
