News
-
July, 23rd 2023 - Press notes
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) affects over 14 million individuals in the US. Despite the urgent need, there are no FDA-approved medications to treat CUD; behavioral treatments have shown limited benefit.
AEF0117 is the first of a new pharmacologic class, type 1 cannabinoid receptor signaling-specific inhibitors (CB1-SSi), with a unique mechanism of action and greater safety and efficacy than prior generations of CB1 inhibitors. In a phase 2a clinical study in volunteers with CUD, AEF0117 produced statistically significant reductions in the positive subjective and reinforcing effects of smoked cannabis.
more information
-
June 21, 2023 - Press notes
The Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer and Stem Cell Research Group of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute is the only center in Spain to participate in an international study that validates the deficiency of a protein, IκBα, as a marker of poor prognosis in this type of tumor.
The work, published in Cell Reports Medicine, has analyzed data from more than 2,000 patients. In addition, the researchers have identified one of the pathways on which this protein acts, which makes it a possible therapeutic target.
The Hospital del Mar Research Institute group is already working on a model to search for possible treatments that modulate the function of this marker. It should be considered that at present there are very few therapeutic alternatives for glioma, which has a very high mortality rate.
more information
-
15th June, 2023 - Press notes
A study published in iScience, spearheaded by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Centre, part of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, validates these tools for monitoring potential sufferers.
Data was analysed from 56 volunteers who participated in the PENSA study, designed to determine whether it is possible to slow cognitive decline in stages prior to the onset of dementia through a combination of a lifestyle intervention programme and the consumption of a preparation based on a green tea component.
It was possible to monitor the evolution of the cognitive functions of these people much more closely and continuously than with standard tests. This paves the way for the adaptation, practically in real time, of treatments that can be adjusted to changes in cognitive decline.
more information
-
April 12th, 2023 - Press notes
The goal of the subject is to sensitize of future medical practitioners to achieve a more human physician-patient relationship, eschewing the distancing that the advancements of technology in the profession entail.
more information
-
30th March, 2023 - Press notes
Adding a peptide, a molecule made of several amino acids, to oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy drug used to treat colorectal cancer, avoids the side effects this treatment can have on normal cells, including potential chemotherapy resistance.
This is confirmed by an article published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, led by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). This work is the second part of a recent study that explored how platinum accumulation in normal cells promotes platinum resistance in colorectal cancer cells.
This new approach prevents healthy cells surrounding the tumour from accumulating platinum. This avoids the activation of certain genes linked to poor treatment response and tumour progression.
more information
-
1st March, 2023 - Press notes
Low levels of a particular protein in squamous cell carcinoma cells indicate that they are preparing to start migrating to other organs, thereby causing the tumour to spread to other areas of the body.
This is according to a study by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, which has just been published in the journal Life Science Alliance.
Tumour cells prepare to migrate by changing their metabolism so that they can consume lipids, in other words, cholesterol molecules. This raises the possibility of studying ways to block this process and prevent tumour metastasis.
more information
-
February 21st, 2023 - Press notes
A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute shows that the oxaliplatin administered in some cases of colorectal cancer accumulates in non-cancerous/healthy cells from the tumor environment.
This accumulation causes healthy cells to produce a protein that further activates them, triggering tumor resistance to treatment and assisting in tumor regeneration. The researchers discovered a marker that can identify these tumors unresponsive to chemotherapy.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, paves the way for new strategies enhancing the effects of chemotherapy on cancer cells while avoiding adverse side effects on non-cancerous cells.
more information
-
February 14th, 2023 - Press notes
This is the first prospective study worldwide on how chemical pollutants may influence the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease.
The findings, published in Environmental Research, may help explain the wide variation in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease.
The pollutants that most increased risks are DDT derivatives, lead, thallium, ruthenium, tantalum, manganese and benzofluoranthene.
The study is a joint collaboration between the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
more information
-
January, 18th 2023 - Press notes
The Integrated Pharmacology and Systems Neurosciences Research Group of the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute has just published a study in Neurobiology of Disease, in which it highlights the role of the CDK5 protein as a possible marker of early psychosis. Furthermore, this protein is modulated by cannabis use. This paves the way for possible future treatments based on CDK5 expression.
more information
-
11th January, 2023 - Press notes
A study led by researchers from the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute has revealed the key role a protein plays in identifying patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who will not respond to standard treatment. The study, published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, shows that combining chemotherapy with an inhibitor for this protein helps to eliminate treatment resistance in an animal model. This is a rare disease, which is diagnosed in around a hundred people each year in Spain, mainly paediatric patients.
more information