VHIO: Working together to advance personalized and targeted therapies against cancer
Scientific activity at VHIO is structured across three major programs: Preclinical & Translational Research, Clinical Research and Core Technologies.
VHIO’s Preclinical and Translational Research, led by Co-Program Directors Joaquín Arribas and Joan Seoane, promote and accelerate the integration of preclinical and clinical research and focus on establishing how highly aggressive tumors affecting the breast, pancreas, colon, lung, or brain can be treated more precisely and potently. This program currently incorporate the following groups:
- Cellular Plasticity & Cancer, PI: Maria Abad
- Chromatin Dynamics & Cancer, PI: Sandra Peiró
- Experimental Therapeutics, PI: Violeta Serra
- Gene Expression & Cancer, PI: Joan Seoane
- Growth Factors, PI: Joaquín Arribas
- Mouse Models & Cancer Therapies, PI: Laura Soucek
- Stem Cells & Cancer, PI: Héctor G. Palmer
- Tumor Biomarkers, PI: Josep Villanueva
VHIO’s Clinical Research Program directed by Josep Tabernero, follows three guiding principles, namely, predictive, proven and precise. In collaboration with other VHIO Groups, this program spearheads cooperative preclinical, early phase studies aimed at developing novel therapeutics, as well as new or redefined prognostic/diagnostic tools to better detect disease, track progression, and more accurately predict response to anti-cancer therapies. It currently incorporates the following groups
- Breast Cancer & Melanoma, PI: Cristina Saura
- Early Clinical Drug Development, PI: Elena Garralda
- Experimental Hematology, PI: Francesc Bosch
- Gastrointestinal & Endocrine Tumors, Director: Josep Tabernero, PI: Teresa Macarulla
- Genitourinary, CNS Tumors, Sarcoma & Cancer of Unknown Primary Site, PI: Joan Carles
- Gynecological Malignancies, PI: Ana Oaknin
- Hereditary Cancer Genetics Group, PI: Judith Balmaña
- Oncology Data Science (ODysSey) Group, PI: Rodrigo Dienstmann
- Prostate Cancer Translational Research Group, PI: Joaquin Mateo
- Radiation Oncology, PI: Jordi Giralt
- Radiomics, PI: Raquel Perez-Lopez
- Sarcoma Translational Research Group. PI: César Serrano
- Thoracic Tumors & Head and Neck Cancer, PI: Enriqueta Felip
- Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy, PI: Alena Gros
As crucially, VHIO’s clinical research activity continues to be supported by essential transversal clinical trials core services and units including our Research Unit for Molecular Therapy of Cancer (UITM) – “la Caixa”, directed by Elena Garralda, Clinical Trials Office headed by Gemma Sala, Clinical Research Oncology Nurses Unit supervised by Nines Peñuelas, and Clincal Research Oncology Pharmacy Unit led by Maria-Josep Carreras Soler and Laura Soler Maños Pujol, as well as database and statistical management.
VHIO’s Core Technology Program incorporates three leading groups that are each responsible for the development of our suite of cutting-edge core technologies and platforms and also pursue, implement and develop their own independent research lines and projects:
- Cancer Genomics, PI: Ana Vivancos
- Molecular Oncology, PI: Paolo Nuciforo
- Proteomics: PI: Francesc Canals
Click here to view VHIO’s organizational chart
Executive Board
It includes the Director, the Preclinical and Translational Research Co-Program Directors, the Clinical Research Director; and the Managing Director.
- Josep Tabernero, MD, Director and Clinical Research Director
- Joaquín Arribas, PhD, ICREA, Preclinical & Tranlsational Research Co-Program Director
- Joan Seoane, PhD, ICREA, Preclinical & Translational Research Co-Program Director
- Andrés de Kelety, Managing Director
In general terms the Executive Board is responsible for all structural or scientific matters of general interest and executing the recommendations of other bodies.
Main functions:
- Coordination and strategic planning of research and knowledge transfer of the institute
- Driving the research programs
- Monitoring and coordination of the execution of scientific activity, the center’s strategic plan and the annual plan of activities
- Promotion and development of the scientific community and its constituent members
- Discussion and preparation of the proposals to be approved by other governing bodies
Research Support Services
The Research Support Services are organized into professionally specialized functional areas.
Research Commission
The Research Commission is made up of the Director and Clinical Research Director, the Preclinical and Translational Research Co-Program Directors. The Managing Director and the R&D Office Manager are present as non-voting advisors.