Cortés, Sabio, Fernández-Leiro and Llorca during the ceremony.
Sabio, with María José Alonso, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, will evaluate a new treatment for heart disease based on nanoparticles.
Cortés will test his hypothesis that detecting faults in the arrangement of the DNA molecule in the cell nucleus can become a diagnostic tool.
Fernández-Leiro will study how mitochondrial DNA is replicated. Errors in this process result in diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Llorca is taking part in the consortium led by Puri Fortes, from CIMA University of Navarra, which is investigating new strategies to tackle the development of resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Guadalupe Sabio, Felipe Cortés and Rafael Fernández, respectively, lead each of the three research projects at the Spanish Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) chosen to receive funding from the CaixaResearch Health Research Programme 2024, with which “la Caixa” Foundation recognises outstanding biomedical research.
Yesterday, CaixaForum Madrid hosted a ceremony to present grants to 29 projects selected from the 580 proposals on core, clinical and translational research presented at this year’s edition of the programme.
Nanoparticles to fight heart disease
Guadalupe Sabio, head of the Organ Interaction in Metabolic Diseases Group, is leading a team in collaboration with other centres to evaluate a new treatment for heart disease. These nanoparticles are specially designed to remove a protein involved in the process by which the heart’s muscle cells detect oxygen. Previous studies have shown that by modulating this oxygen detection, the heart could be protected from damage. Sabio will receive a grant of 999,920 euros for this initiative, which also involves Hesham Sadek, from the Carlos III National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC); Mónica Giménez Marqués, from the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) at the University of Valencia; and Maria José Alonso, from the Singular Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), University of Santiago de Compostela.
Untangling the DNA of tumour cells
If we arranged all the genes that form DNA in a straight line, we would have a string about two metres long. But they are “packaged” in a double helix and therefore fit into the nucleus of a cell. In this configuration, knots or tangles develop, and there are enzymes called topoisomerases responsible for untangling them.
Felipe Cortés, head of CNIO’s Topology and DNA Breaks Group, and his team will test their hypothesis that tumour cells become more tangled and that detecting these tangles could become a diagnostic tool. In addition, they will investigate new treatments that could modulate the action of topoisomerases in such a way that they prevent the proliferation of tumour cells.
The amount of funding received by this initiative is 499,000 euros.
How mitochondrial DNA replicates
Rafael Fernández Leiro, head of CNIO’s Genomic Integrity and Structural Biology Group, will lead a team focused on studying in detail how mitochondrial DNA replicates. This genetic material is inherited only from the mother and found outside the nucleus of cells, in the mitochondria. Errors in its replication result in diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or mitochondrial encephalopathies, rare but serious neurodegenerative disorders.
Fernández Leiro has received 900,300 euros for this project, which he will develop through a consortium with Borja Ibarra Urruela, from IMDEA Nanociencia, and Cristina Ugalde Bilbao, from the Margarita Salas Biological Research Centre (CIB-CSIC).
Molecules that help cancer resist treatments
In addition, Óscar Llorca, head of the Macromolecular Complexes in the Response to DNA Damage Group, is participating in the consortium led by Puri Fortes, from CIMA University of Navarra, who has received another of the grants. This project will look for RNA molecules that help tumour cells repair the damage caused to them by treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and help them resist these treatments and survive. Once identified, they will be able to design therapies that prevent this repair and kill tumour cells.
CaixaResearch Health Research 2024
The CaixaResearch Health Research Programme 2024 has been especially aimed at addressing health challenges within different areas: infectious diseases (with 7 projects selected), oncology (6), cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (5), and neurosciences (5). In addition, 6 other initiatives selected will develop enabling technologies in one of these areas.
The grants provide financial support of up to 500,000 euros for projects submitted by a single research organisation and up to one million euros for projects submitted by consortia of between 2 and 5 research organisations. All of them will have up to 3 years to carry out their investigations.
Fundación “la Caixa” awards these grants in collaboration with the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), part of Portugal’s Department of Science, Technology and Higher Education, which contributes 2.9 million euros to subsidise 3 of the 9 Portuguese projects selected in this edition. It is also supported by Fundación Luzón, which, together with Fundación “la Caixa” , is subsidising a project on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).