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16/10/2026 - Institutional news

The "la Caixa" Foundation selects four projects from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute

It is allocating €32.4 million to eighty biomedical and health projects led by research centres, universities and hospitals in Spain and Portugal, through three different calls.

Four projects led by professionals from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, together with a fifth project involving HMRIB, have been selected in the different funding calls launched by the "la Caixa" Foundation. These include the Health Research, CaixaImpulse Innovation and HealthCare Research calls.

These scientific projects address current healthcare challenges, ranging from the generation of scientific knowledge to the development of solutions with social impact. In total, funding has been awarded to eighty initiatives, amounting to €32.4 million.

From left to right: Óscar Pozo, Juan Pablo Horcajada, Pablo Villoslada and Xavier Castells.

Analysing the benefits of cancer screening in Catalonia

Dr Xavier Castells, a researcher with the Epidemiology and Evaluation Research Group at HMRIB and emeritus head of the Epidemiology and Evaluation Department at Hospital del Mar, leads the team, in consortium with IDIBAPS, that will analyse the impact of population-based colorectal cancer screening in Catalonia. The project will receive close to €150,000 through the Health Promotion Research call.

The project will analyse the benefits of the screening programme based on its impact on mortality and incidence associated with this type of cancer. The aim is to make the programme more effective and promote improvements in its organisation, communication and use of resources, as well as adapt it to different circumstances related to age, sex and socioeconomic differences.

A digital tool to reduce risk after a suicidal crisis

This project will assess whether a digital monitoring tool can help in the follow-up of people who have experienced a suicidal crisis. The team coordinated by Dr Matilde Elices, a researcher with the Mental Health Research Group at HMRIB, will assess the ability, acceptability and safety of an existing tool to detect changes in risk among these individuals and support them during the most difficult moments.

The project will receive €76,500 through the Health Promotion Research call. The aim is to develop a low-cost, scalable approach that can be used within the national healthcare system as a complement to regular appointments with mental health specialists.

A blood test to prevent cancer

The CaixaImpulse Health Innovation call has awarded €150,000 to an initiative led by Dr Óscar Pozo, a researcher at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona, to develop an innovative blood test capable of detecting cancer at an early stage and improving patient prognosis.

The approach uses minimally invasive techniques, such as a drop of blood, to identify specific biomarkers, known as metabolites. The platform is designed to simplify sample collection and transport while maintaining diagnostic capacity. At the same time, the aim is to keep costs low enough to enable large-scale implementation in screening programmes.

Focused ultrasound to repair the spinal cord

Dr Pablo Villoslada, director of the Neurosciences Programme at HMRIB and head of the Neurology Department at Hospital del Mar, leads a project that will explore whether a non-invasive focused ultrasound treatment can reduce inflammation and stimulate spinal cord repair in people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

With €150,000 in funding from the CaixaImpulse Health Innovation call, the project will evaluate the effects of the FUSpine device in preventing further spinal cord damage in patients with multiple sclerosis and slowing the loss of mobility in those with ALS.

Reducing the risk of pneumonia in patients with influenza

At the same time, the team from the Infectious Pathology and Antimicrobials Research Group at HMRIB, coordinated by Dr Juan Pablo Horcajada, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Hospital del Mar, is participating as a partner in a project led by Monica Bettencourt at the CRG. The project will explore a new approach to preventing pneumonia after influenza.

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