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Biomedical research in heart diseases Miguel Cainzos

The Cardiovascular Diseases Research Group (GREC) is an emerging research group affiliated with the Cardiology Department of Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute. The group is led by Dr. Miguel Cainzos-Achirica (Google Scholar) and includes a team of senior researchers: Drs. Beatriz Vaquerizo, Ermengol Valles, Sonia Ruiz, Helena Tizon, Nuria Ribas and Lluis Recasens.

GREC is a multidisciplinary group with extensive experience in clinical practice, teaching and research, reflected in its high scientific output and 12 active research lines in cardiovascular medicine. Its scientific activity ranges from investigating the prognostic impact of subclinical coronary artery disease and optimising risk factor management following acute coronary syndrome to the invasive treatment of severely calcified coronary lesions using innovative coronary plaque modification techniques and the application of novel cardiac pacing methods, among other areas of research.

The findings of these studies are regularly presented at local and international cardiology conferences, as well as at scientific meetings focusing on different subspecialties, including Interventional Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Acute Cardiovascular Care, Heart Failure, Cardiac Imaging and Clinical Cardiology, among others.

The group's researchers have been awarded competitive research training grants from various institutions, including the Spanish Society of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology/European Heart Academy and the CaixaBank Foundation. Over the past 15 years, they have also secured competitive funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, La Marató de TV3, the PERIS 2016-2020 programme, the Catalan Society of Cardiology and Hospital del Mar's Proyectos Estrella programme, among other organisations and initiatives. Currently, members of the group serve as principal investigators (PIs) on four active competitive FIS grants funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, as well as a grant from the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

The team leads investigator-initiated studies at local, national and international levels, including both observational and randomised studies. These include projects supported by the Spanish Society of Cardiology and research whose findings have had a direct impact on clinical practice guidelines. In addition, the group's researchers serve as local principal investigators for nearly 40 multicentre phase III clinical trials, providing patients with access to innovative cardiovascular therapies with excellent safety profiles.

The group actively collaborates with other research teams at Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and is affiliated with the CIBER-CV network through the REGICOR programme, led by principal investigator Jaume Marrugat.

Training the next generation of researchers is also a fundamental part of the group's activities. GREC contributes to the training of early-career researchers at different stages of their academic and scientific development by supervising undergraduate final-year projects in collaboration with Pompeu Fabra University and doctoral theses, with an average of two PhD theses successfully defended each year.