The Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), based in the Barcelona Science Park, have strengthened their collaboration by signing an agreement that promotes basic research in the field of pediatric cancer, with a specific focus on translational science and the future commercial exploitation of the results obtained. Today, the director of IRSJD, Dr. Joan Comella, and the director of IRB Barcelona, Dr. Francesc Posas, formalised this agreement, which has an initial duration of four years, with the possibility of extension.

The main objective of this alliance is to drive research on the epigenetics of pediatric cancer by leveraging access to the state-of-the-art infrastructure at IRB Barcelona, ultimately aiming to translate this innovative knowledge into tangible improvements in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapies for patients treated at the Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona of Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and in other parts of the world.

This joint initiative will bring about the establishment of a shared laboratory in Pediatric Cancer Epigenetics, headed by researcher Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova. Affiliated to both IRSJD and IRB Barcelona.

Dr. Joan Comella, director of IRSJD, emphasises that this agreement is part of the scientific excellence strategy of IRSJD and Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, where alliances with prestigious research centres in their environment are established to enhance collaborative research on pediatric diseases, especially rare diseases, in a collaborative manner.

The initiative falls within the UNICAS-SJD strategy that the hospital drives to provide a comprehensive response to the medical and social challenge posed by rare diseases.

“The agreement we are signing today with IRB Barcelona is a clear example. Both institutions will work together to drive research in the field of pediatric cancer through the projects that Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova will develop in the two centres. On one hand, IRB Barcelona will provide the perspective of cutting-edge basic science, and on the other hand, IRSJD will contribute the more applied and clinical vision,” comments Dr. Comella.

Dr. Francesc Posas, director of IRB Barcelona, asserts, “The collaboration with IRSJD, which we are strengthening today, is a crucial step in our mission to translate research into tangible outcomes for patients. By joining forces with a leading pediatric hospital like IRSJD, we are creating a unique ecosystem in which cutting-edge science and excellent clinical care converge, thereby accelerating the path from the laboratory to the patient.”

The vulnerabilities of pediatric cancer

Childhood cancer is biologically different from cancer in adults. It is not characterised by high levels of mutations but by epigenetic dysregulation, meaning errors in gene regulation. In the absence of specific approaches, young patients are treated with standard therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova’s research team. Image / IRB Barcelona.

The Pediatric Cancer Epigenetics laboratory, led by Dr. Alexandra Avgustinova, will address developmental tumours to identify specific epigenetic vulnerabilities in childhood cancer and exploit them in the pursuit of personalised therapies to improve the well-being and prognosis of patients.

“Our goal is to develop personalised therapies (that can range from gene therapies, epigenetics or immunotherapy, among others) by leveraging the initiation and progression process of tumours in developmental cancers,” explains Dr. Avgustinova.

» For further information: IRB Barcelona website [+]