THE Clinical trials are a new opportunity for many cancer patients treatment, especially in cases where they have already been applied various previous therapies without success.
One of strategic objectives of the Vall d’Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO) is to develop a translational research model that allows transfer discoveries made in the laboratory as quickly as possible to practice clinical, through clinical trials.
It is within this horizon that it was born in 2010, thanks to support from the “la Caixa” Foundationthe UITM-CaixaResearch Molecular Cancer Therapy Research Unit (UITM-CaixaResearch) of the VHIO. Integrated into the Vall d’Hebron Campus, it coordinates and carries out all complex clinical trials with drugs early in development (Phase I and first Phase II trials), focused on innovative options for cancer treatment.
“By promoting a close link between cancer care and researchwe establish new therapeutic models for patients with highly selective drugs and We are making progress in understanding the types of tumors and how to treat them individuallyby obtaining the most appropriate treatment for each patient at the right time,” says Dr. Elena Garralda, Director of UITM-CaixaResearch and Head of the Early Clinical Drug Development Group at VHIO.
More than 9,200 patients included in early phase clinical trials
9,259 cancer patients without treatment options with commercial options available, participated in one of 2,821 early phase clinical trials (1,613 phase 1 or basket; 1,208 phase 2) which have been carried out at UITM-CaixaResearch since 2010, giving them new treatment opportunities. Eight of these trials correspond to therapies
developed within the VHIO itself, three of them are the first in humans. These are three drugs developed in the VHIO laboratories that have reached the clinical phase and are being tested on patients for the first time in early phase clinical trials.
Thanks to clinical trials carried out at UITM – CaixaResearch, the regulatory agencies, mainly the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and the EMA (European Medicines Agency), have approved 61 new drugs and indications to treat cancer. 19 of these received accelerated approval, which allows drugs from early-phase trials to be approved for patients for whom other treatments are not available or for whom available treatments are no longer effective.
These drugs are newly created drugs or drugs already approved and whose proven effectiveness has been detected in other types of tumors. “Thanks to the development of more effective drugs, the introduction of biomarkers and the current design of clinical trials that allow us evaluate both the safety and effectiveness of new drugs in the same trialwe will be able to shorten the overall development and approval times for new indications. In recent years we have gone from an average of 8 to 10 years to between 2 and 5 years,” explains Dr. Garralda.
“This means, on the one hand, a direct benefit for patients who participate in clinical trials and thus have access to new treatments to which they would not otherwise have access. And on the other hand, it means advancing clinical research with the aim of improving survival and quality of life for all. people with cancer», he concludes.
Expansion of UITM-CaixaResearch
With the aim of maintaining this growth and continuing to offer the best quality of care, the VHIO expanded and optimized in 2022 the UITM-CaixaResearch facilities, which currently occupy a total of more than 1,000 m2 and have 18 treatment places, plus two beds. treatment of more delicate patients or to carry out studies requiring an isolated area. These improvements are in addition to the 2019 expansion of the Oncology Pharmaceutical Care Unit to meet the needs generated by the high number of clinical trials. Spaces for processing patient samples have also increased.
A complete multidisciplinary team
THE excellence in treatment and patient careas well as pioneering research, are possible thanks to a multidisciplinary team which includes specialists in oncology, pathology, radiology and interventional radiology, oncology nursing staff and clinical oncology researchthe Pharmacy Unit for clinical research in oncology, the clinical trials office which includes data managers and coordinators. In short, a team of 237 professionals with the common objective of pursuing research in order to design and develop new clinical trials which become new opportunities for people with cancer.
World Cancer Research Day
This week, the World Cancer Research Day with the aim of raising awareness in society of the need for continued research to learn more about this disease and to be able to develop new strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. THE World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2050, 35 million people will be diagnosed new cases of cancer worldwidecompared to the 20 million cases estimated in 2022. Cancer remains the second cause of death in the world. Even though survival rates continue to improve through research, there are still many types of tumors without effective treatments Research therefore remains the key to advancing cancer treatment.
About VHIO
He Vall d’Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO)created in 2006 and integrated into the Vall d’Hebron Campus, is a reference center for personalized medicine in oncology. Our goal is to study to improve the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer through a pioneering model of translational research which consists of transforming the latest discoveries made in the laboratory into early phase clinical trials and therefore into the development of new more effective treatments that improve the quality of life of cancer patients.
The VHIO is a center that is part of the CERCA system and is accredited as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence. Any VHIO activity would not be possible without the support of our patrons – Generalitat de Catalunya, Cellex Foundation, “la Caixa” Foundation, FERO Foundation and BBVA Foundation – and the donations of different associations, entities and individuals who contribute with their generosity . we can move forward cancer research.
