The BST advances research on cancer and solid tumours thanks to two grants funded by the 2025 La Marató de 3Cat

The Banc de Sang i Teixits (Blood and Tissue Bank, BST) is participating in 2 of the 38 cancer research projects chosen by the 2025 La Marató de 3Cat, the theme of which is cancer. One of the projects is in collaboration with the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) and the other with the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).

The first project is focused on paediatric oncology and addresses a new treatment with CAR-T cells for a very aggressive paediatric brain tumour, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). It is led by Dr Guillem Pascual-Pasto, principal investigator and head of the Advanced Immunotherapies for Paediatric Solid Tumours group at the IRSJD, and by Dr Laura Garcia-Gerique, PhD, from the BST, as co-principal investigator. This project is part of the strategy to develop next-generation immunotherapies to combat one of the most complex childhood cancers with the fewest current therapeutic options. The initiative, which seeks to overcome the barriers solid tumours represent in cancer treatments with CAR-T cells, combines the clinical and preclinical experience of the IRSJD with the manufacturing and development capacity of BST cell therapies.

The second project is coordinated by Dr Xavier Rovira Clave, leader of the IBEC Spatial Biotechnology group, and is being developed jointly with the iPSC-Derived Advanced Therapies group, led by Dr Belén Alvarez from the BST as co-principal investigator. The project focuses on studying natural killer (NK) cells and why these immune system cells have difficulty penetrating solid tumours. The aim of this study is to find potential predictive biomarkers and establish design criteria for future cellular immunotherapies against solid tumours.

The team will obtain these cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This is a standardised source that, in the future, could allow them to be produced on a large scale and made available to any patient; in contrast, current CAR-T therapies are manufactured individually from each person's cells.

The researchers will genetically modify these cells so that they recognise p95HER2, a variant of the HER2 protein that appears in a part of HER2-positive breast cancers and which is not found in healthy tissues. In addition, they will provide the cells with tools to make their way through the stroma, the layer of dense tissue that protects the tumour. They will also prepare them to remain active in an environment that tends to deactivate the body's defences. The use of high-resolution spatial imaging techniques, such as multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI), will allow them to map cell by cell where NK cells are located within the tumour. This will enable them to identify which tumour organisation characteristics are associated with an effective response. 

7 projects funded by La Marató de 3Cat in 15 years

The BST has a long history of research projects funded thanks to donations from the La Marató de 3Cat (formerly La Marató de TV3).

La Marató 2010, focused on spinal cord and brain injuries:

• Treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head with advanced cell therapy and biomaterials in an experimental model, a research project led by Dr Màrius Aguirre Canyadell (Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, VHIR) and Dr Maria Pau Ginebra Molins (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, UPC), with the collaboration of researchers such as Joaquim Vives and Arnau Pla from the BST.
• Prospective study of a single intrathecal injection to evaluate its safety and to obtain preliminary efficacy results of an umbilical cord stem cell transplant in patients with complete and chronic traumatic spinal cord injury. The project was developed collaboratively between the Guttmann Institute (with researchers such as Sergiu Albu, Hatice Kumru, Raymond Coll, Margarita Valles and John Vidal) and the BST, with Joaquim Vives and his advanced cell therapies team.

La Marató 2012, focused on the fight against cancer:

• Multi-centre foresight strategy to help cure  high-risk acute leukaemia by promoting a platform for timely allogeneic therapy in patients without an HLA-identical donor. The aim was to better cure leukaemia in patients who could not find an identical donor, with the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Dr Sergi Querol from the BST cell therapy team.

La Marató 2016, focused on stroke and traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries:

• Combinatorial treatment of neural precursor cells and a novel Fasudil nanoconjugate for clinical application in acute spinal cord injury. The teams carrying out the research were led by Dr Ferran Pellisé Urquiza (VHIR) and Dr Victòria Moreno Manzano (Príncipe Felipe Research Centre, CIPF), with Joaquim Vives and his BST advanced cell therapies team.

La Marató 2022, focused on cardiovascular health:

• Regulatory molecules as therapeutic targets for resolving inflammation caused by cardiac damage, a joint project developed between the BST, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and Fundación Centro de Cirugía de Mínima Invasión Jesús Usón (CCMIJU) in Cáceres. The project, led by researchers Sergi Querol (BST), Ángel Raya Chamorro (IDIBELL) and Francisco Miguel Sánchez Margallo (CCMIJU), is aimed at the clinical translation of cell therapies based on iPSCs for heart failure. These stem cells are created from adult cells and have great therapeutic and regenerative potential.

La Marató 2025, focused on cancer:

• New CAR-T cell treatment for a very aggressive paediatric brain tumour, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). It is led by Dr Guillem Pascual-Pasto, principal researcher and head of the Advanced Immunotherapies for Paediatric Solid Tumours group at the IRSJD, and by Dr Laura Garcia-Gerique, PhD, from the BST, as co-principal investigator
• Research on natural killer (NK) cells and why these immune system cells have difficulty penetrating solid tumours. It is coordinated by Dr Xavier Rovira Clave, leader of the IBEC Spatial Biotechnology group, and is being developed jointly with the iPSC-Derived Advanced Therapies group, led by Dr Belén Alvarez from the BST as co-principal investigator.