We Award the First Miquel Rutllant Research Grants to Pioneering Cancer Projects
- Two grants of €100,000 each have been awarded to boost research into advanced therapies by emerging groups.
- The funded projects aim to develop new therapies for malignant blood diseases, especially acute myeloid leukemia.
- The awarded researchers are part of the Blood and Tissue Bank and the Sant Pau Research Institute.
We have granted the first Miquel Rutllant Research Grants during a ceremony held at CosmoCaixa.
The scientific committee, led by Dr. Anna Sureda, president of the Evaluation Committee and head of Clinical Hematology at ICO, has chosen to fund two biomedical research projects seeking innovative solutions for oncohematological diseases, which continue to pose significant medical challenges.
The first project, led by principal investigator Miquel de Homdedeu Cortés from the Blood and Tissue Bank, focuses on an immunotherapy based on NK cells derived from umbilical cord stem cells. This approach aims to offer a faster, safer, and more affordable alternative to current CAR-T therapies, effectively combating various types of malignant hemopathies.
The second project, led by principal investigator Ugutz Unzueta Elorza from the Sant Pau Research Institute, centers on precision nanoinmunotherapy to eliminate leukemic stem cells associated with acute myeloid leukemia. This technology uses highly specific nanoconjugates to target cancer cells without affecting healthy tissue, paving the way for future personalized therapies.
The grants provide €50,000 annually for two years to each project. Through these grants, the FISP Foundation reaffirms its commitment to biomedical research, maintaining the spirit of its founder, Dr. Miquel Rutllant, a pioneer in the search for new therapies to address blood diseases.