2024/12/09

CIC bioGUNE receives €2 million to advance cancer treatment

CIC bioGUNE has been selected to receive €2 million from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) for its PreMetaCan project, which focuses on the study of metabolism in cancer and the optimization of personalized therapies.

This award strengthens the position of CIC bioGUNE as a multidisciplinary scientific center of excellence, combining fundamental with applied research methodologies, with the goal of developing more effective treatments based on precision medicine.

In addition, several young investigators at the center have been recognized with distinctions and grants in various categories, consolidating CIC bioGUNE's track record in translational research and its contribution to the fight against cancer.

CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, has been selected in the Excellence Program Grants from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), receiving €2 million for the development of the PreMetaCan project: Precision Metabolism for Next-Generation Cancer Management. This recognition, awarded during the IV Research Grant Ceremony on Cancer, reinforces CIC bioGUNE’s position as a leading center in multidisciplinary biomedical research.

PreMetaCan, with Arkaitz Carracedo as leader of the program and Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, as program director, aims to unravel how metabolism influences cancer development and resistance, optimizing combination therapies and maximizing the effectiveness of precision medicine. To achieve this, it will rely on advanced technologies such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), with scientific focus on the development of groundbreaking initiatives in metabolomics, glycomics, and translational oncology. This comprehensive and synergic approach will allow for the development of treatments better tailored to the metabolic characteristics of each patient, improving both diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy.

CIC bioGUNE's Director, Prof. José M. Mato, emphasized that this funding is a recognition of two decades of effort in generating basic knowledge with social impact. He highlighted how the center has turned challenges into strengths, consolidating a scientific trajectory that now opens new opportunities for young leadership and multidisciplinary work. With projects like PreMetaCan, CIC bioGUNE aims to establish itself as an international reference in the study of metabolism related to cancer.

A trajectory of scientific excellence
Although CIC bioGUNE does not exclusively focus on cancer research, it has developed a strong line of work in oncology, supported by its expertise in metabolism, metabolomics, and glycomics. This recognition strengthens its position at the forefront of cancer research, backed by the AECC’s Scientific Foundation Centers Accreditation, and aligns with the AECC’s vision to promote translational projects that integrate basic excellent research with clinical applications.
 
More recognition for CIC bioGUNE in the grant ceremony
At the same event, the AECC in Bizkaia also recognized the work of several CIC bioGUNE researchers, awarding additional grants in different categories:

• Uxue Lazcano, predoctoral researcher at the Cancer Cell Signaling and Metabolism Lab, led by Arkaitz Carracedo, received a training grant to investigate the mechanisms of prostate cancer tumor spread.
• Dr. Lorena Pérez, postdoctoral researcher at the Cancer Glycoimmunology Lab, led by Asís Palazón and June Ereño-Orbea, was awarded a Talent grant to explore new therapeutic targets in cancer immunotherapy.
• Dr. Gabriel Ortega, Ikerbasque researcher and Emerging Scientist at the Precision Medicine and Metabolism Lab, received an “Ideas Semilla” grant to develop NanoLIT, an imaging probe to monitor immune responses in cancer treatments.
• Dr. Laura Bozal, from the Cancer Cell Signaling and Metabolism Lab, in the “Sinergias” category, will lead an innovative project on the role of cellular cilia in the aggressiveness and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Driving the future of cancer research
With these grants, amounting to over three million euros and distributed across 12 awards, the AECC reaffirms its commitment to fostering high-quality patient-centered research, promoting scientific culture, and supporting new generations of researchers.

“We must fight to turn results into tangible solutions that save lives,” stated Mila Gullón, president of AECC Bizkaia, who also called for continued investment in research to achieve the association's goal of a 70% cancer survival rate and reduce the disease's impact.

About CIC bioGUNE
The Cooperative Research Center in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organization conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, molecular, and cellular biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge about the molecular bases of diseases for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About Ikerbasque
Ikerbasque - The Basque Foundation for Science - is the result of an initiative by the Basque Government’s Department of Education aimed at strengthening the commitment to scientific research by attracting, recovering, and consolidating excellent researchers from around the world. It is currently a consolidated organization with 290 researchers working across all fields of knowledge.

About BRTA
BRTA is an alliance of four collaborative research centers (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE, and CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technological centers (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker, and Vicomtech), with the primary goal of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque business sector.

With support from the Basque Government, the SPRI Group, and the Provincial Councils of the three regions, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between research centers, strengthen conditions for generating and transferring knowledge to businesses, contributing to their competitiveness, and disseminating Basque scientific-technological capacity internationally.

BRTA employs 3,500 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country’s R&D investment, registers annual revenues of over €300 million, and generates 100 European and international patents every year.

Spanish version