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21/10/2026 - General information

Joaquim Bonal Grant awarded to a project led by the Pharmacy Department at Hospital del Mar

Awarded by the Societat Catalana de Farmàcia Clínica. The study aims to validate saliva samples as a non-invasive alternative for precision monitoring of the antibiotic linezolid, as well as to assess the impact of variants in genes involved in the distribution and metabolism of the drug on its exposure, response and toxicity.

The Societat Catalana de Farmàcia Clínica has awarded the Joaquim Bonal Grant to the project 'Estratègies innovadores per al monitoratge de precisió del linezolid mitjançant biomarcadors no invasius i farmacogenètica', led by Sònia Luque and Pau Riera, from the Pharmacy Department at Hospital del Mar and researchers at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute. This prestigious recognition in the field of clinical pharmacy will support a project aimed at validating non-invasive alternatives for monitoring the antibiotic linezolid and analysing the usefulness of pharmacogenetics to optimise its use.

Linezolid is used to treat severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. Its prolonged use may be limited by the onset of adverse effects, including haematological toxicity, the incidence of which increases significantly when treatment lasts more than two weeks and is particularly high in patients who require several weeks or months of therapy. In addition, recent years have highlighted substantial pharmacokinetic variability between patients, underlining the need to tailor the dose to each individual. Evidence suggests that pharmacogenetics may play an important role in this variability.

The Hospital del Mar study is a prospective, observational and multicentre study involving sixty patients with different conditions who are being treated with linezolid. The research team includes pharmacists, trauma surgeons, infectious disease specialists and biochemists. Saliva and blood plasma samples will be collected to measure drug concentrations in both types of samples. In this way, the researchers expect to demonstrate good agreement between the two sample types and validate saliva-based monitoring as a non-invasive and easy-to-obtain alternative. At the same time, the study aims to identify preliminary associations between genetic variants and drug exposure and toxicity, generating hypotheses for future studies. The study could lay the foundations for a non-invasive and personalised strategy to optimise linezolid dosing.

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