News

  • December, 2nd 2022 - Press notes

    First clinical trial of a new drug to improve the cognitive function of people with Down syndrome

    First clinical trial of a new drug to improve the cognitive function of people with Down syndrome The Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute is leading the study that will evaluate whether a new molecule can be used to improve the cognitive performance of people with Down syndrome. The study is part of the ICOD project for the improvement of cognition in Down syndrome, promoted by the European Union, which is funding a project of this type for the first time. The treatment has already passed the trial phase with volunteers without Down syndrome, which sought to certify the safety and tolerability of the medicine. In this new phase, the safety of the treatment in people with Down syndrome will be validated and the first indications of effectiveness will be obtained. It is estimated that results may be available by mid-2023.

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  • November 16th, 2022 - Press notes

    The validity of nine biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in daily clinical practice has been determined

    The validity of nine biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in daily clinical practice has been determined A study led by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Centre (BBRC), a research unit from the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, and the University of Gothenburg, has compared the validity of nine biomarkers for the day-to-day diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in hospital centres. The work involved a cohort of patients from Hospital del Mar with various neurological pathologies.  The researchers analysed the presence of nine variants of the Tau protein in blood samples from these people. Some of these blood markers are just as useful for detecting Alzheimer's as those measured in the reference test used, namely the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid obtained by lumbar puncture.  Less invasive plasma biomarker determinations than those performed after a lumbar puncture may provide a tool for improving the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and determining which individuals should undergo further testing to confirm the diagnosis. The work has been published in the leading journal in this field, Alzheimer's & Dementia.

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  • October 27th, 2022 - Press notes

    Some patients with HIV need individualised follow-up to ensure response to COVID-19 vaccination

    Some patients with HIV need individualised follow-up to ensure response to COVID-19 vaccination A study by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and Pompeu Fabra University has found that not all HIV patients respond adequately to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The work has been published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

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  • 5th October, 2022 - Press notes

    Researchers discover how to overcome a treatment resistance mechanism in one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer

    Researchers discover how to overcome a treatment resistance mechanism in one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) has determined the role that fibroblasts, the cells that contribute to tissue formation, play in a tumour's ability to generate resistance to the most common biological treatment for HER2. The paper, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrates the ability of a new therapy, currently undergoing clinical trials, to promote a potent immune response by binding to the fibroblasts, enabling it to overcome resistance to anti-HER2 therapy in tumours with this cancer cell protection mechanism. To demonstrate this, the researchers created a 3D tumour model in which they were able to check the relationships between all the factors involved. HER2+ breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and rapidly progressing cancers. HER2-targeted treatments have changed the outlook, but resistance continues to hinder the curative potential. Research into cancer treatment resistance is yielding very encouraging results thanks to projects led by researchers from the IMIM-Hospital del Mar cancer research programme. 

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  • October 3rd, 2022 - Press notes

    Hospital del Mar and Barcelona Health Hub will promote initiatives to improve the health of citizens

    Hospital del Mar and Barcelona Health Hub will promote initiatives to improve  the health of citizens

    Agreement between Hospital del Mar and Barcelona Health Hub

    Hospital del Mar and Barcelona Health Hub (BHH) have signed a collaboration agreement to promote activities and projects related to the health sector. Also, both organizations will share information to build a network of contacts at institutional level to promote this sector.

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  • September 9th, 2022 - Press notes

    A poorly balanced immune system increases the risk of dying from covid-19 almost five-fold

    A poorly balanced immune system increases the risk of dying from covid-19 almost five-fold Patients admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection with unbalanced levels of two immune system cells, CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocytes have a worse prognosis and a higher risk of dying. Having more than two times as many CD4 than CD8 lymphocytes increases the likelihood of dying from the infection by 4.6 times and doubles the likelihood of suffering from respiratory distress, according to a study by physicians and researchers from Hospital del Mar, Hospital del Mar Institute of Medical Research and Pompeu Fabra University, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. This leads the signatories of the study to recommend a more aggressive therapeutic approach in these patients upon admission. In addition, they consider that this situation may be seen in other viral infections.

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  • August, 11th - Press notes

    A new study identifies two biomarkers in the blood that better capture early signs of Alzheimer's

    A new study identifies two biomarkers in the blood that better capture early signs of Alzheimer's The research, led by the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), research center of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) and the University of Gothenburg, has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine. The study, which used data from almost 400 participants of the ALFA+ Study, which has the impetus of the "la Caixa" Foundation, determines that the biomarkers p-tau231 and p-tau217 measured in the blood are suitable for indicating brain changes related to the amyloid protein in people without cognitive symptoms. The results of this research make p-tau231 a very promising blood biomarker to detect early those middle-aged people who show the first brain changes associated with Alzheimer's and to conduct clinical trials aimed at this early stage of Alzheimer's.

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  • July, 4th 2022 - Press notes

    Vaccines against covid-19 with messenger RNA can be re-frozen without losing effectiveness

    Vaccines against covid-19 with messenger RNA can be re-frozen without losing effectiveness The possibility of re-freezing vials once they are prepared may enable the manipulation of vaccines in the country of origin, freezing the syringes, and sending them  to their destination for immediate use, without the need for a major infrastructure. The shelf life of the re-frozen vaccine is at least one month.

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  • May 16th May - Press notes

    In osteoarthritis of the knee, the same treatment does not work for everyone. How to know when to operate?

    In osteoarthritis of the knee, the same treatment does not work for everyone. How to know when to operate? Researchers from the UPF BCN MedTech research unit, the IMIM-Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar have studied the relationship between clinical treatment options for osteoarthritis of the knee and the functionality, speed and forces involved in each patient's stride. The results reveal that two patients with the same symptoms may need different treatment depending on their age and body mass index.

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  • May 12th 2022 - Press notes

    Catalan collaboration helps end ‘diagnostic odyssey’ for rare disease patients

    Catalan collaboration helps end ‘diagnostic odyssey’ for rare disease patients A platform developed by the Centre Nacional d'Anàlisi Genòmica (CNAG-CRG) allows doctors and researchers from Catalan hospitals to share data and otherwise scattered expertise and diagnose patients with neurologic rare diseases. During the pilot project, a diagnosis was provided to 67 out of 323 patients (20.7% of cases), just by reanalysing previously available data. The results constitute an important milestone for ending the 'diagnostic odyssey' faced by patients in Catalonia. The collaborative approach also resulted in the identification of six new genes linked to specific diseases, which will make it easier to diagnose certain diseases in the future. The results, published today in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, were possible thanks to the Undiagnosed Rare Disease Program of Catalonia (URD-Cat), funded by the Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya. The URD-Cat project was coordinated by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) and involved more than 140 professionals from 15 different research centres and hospitals.

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