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ICREA Researcher Eduard Batlle (Photo: IRB Barcelona).
 08.06.2021

Dr. Eduard Batlle receives the Rei Jaume I Prize for Medical Research

On Tuesday 8 June, ICREA researcher Dr. Eduard Batlle, head of the Colorectal Cancer Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) in the Barcelona Science Park, and group leader at CIBERONC, received the Rei Jaume I Prize for Medical Research. The Rei Jaume I Prizes -which are given each year- acknowledge people who have carried out highly significant work which has mostly been undertaken in Spain, and awardees are presented with a gold medal and €100,000.

The Colorectal Cancer Lab, led by Dr. Eduard Batlle, studies cancer from two perspectives, namely the evolution of cancer stem cells, and the interaction of these cells with the environment during the progression of the disease. Specifically, it seeks to reveal how these aspects facilitate the development of metastases. This group recently discovered a mechanism involved in absence of the immune system at the centre of the tumour, which is responsible for the poor response to treatments aimed at enhancing the eradication of tumours through patients’ immune systems. Blocking this mechanism can dramatically increase the success rate of these therapies in many types of cancer.

“It is a great honour to receive this prize,” says Dr. Batlle. “Acknowledgements like this give impetus and visibility to cutting-edge projects, contributing to the promotion of research as a differential feature of this country,” he adds.

» More information: IRB Barcelona website [+]