Annual report 2020
Innovative, Quality Biomedical Research
Innovative, Quality Biomedical Research
“2020 was a very unusual year. We supported our researchers to allow them to adapt their areas of research to the pandemic, and many of them submitted projects that have been funded and try to find new solutions to this pandemic.”
Joaquín Arribas. Director of Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Research Director of Parc de Salut Mar
“All of us, health care personnel and scientists, reacted very quickly to adapt to the new reality and give of our best in response to society and to the scientific community.”
Olga Pané. Manager of Hospital del Mar-Parc de Salut Mar
Overview of the Year
Research Programs
Biomedical Informatics
Program Director: Ferran Sanz
5 groups
Computational methods to understand and predict biological phenomena related to human diseases, their diagnosis and pharmacological treatment.
“I am delighted to see an impressive program in biomedical informatics in IMIM. The program is implemented by a strong faculty with broad expertise and scientific interests covering a wide range of biomedical informatics. The success of IMIM in obtaining a substantial grant from the Innovative Medicines Initiative of the EU demonstrates their international recognition”.
Cancer
Program Director: Joan Albanell Mestres
16 groups
Our research aims to deliver innovative findings for precision medicine and immunotherapy in cancer patients.
“IMIM has invested major resources in oncology, and I am really pleased to see that the plan is to continue in that direction and expand the capability of the institute to develop new oncology drugs and new oncology programs. The close partnership and proximity with Hospital del Mar and the clinical leadership are greatly contributing to effectively merging clinical and translational science. I am sure that this will make IMIM a leading player in the international oncology arena.”
Epidemiology and Public Health
Program Director: Jordi Alonso
11 groups
We translate our research into public health and clinical practice, and we innovate in the preventive and health care assessment fields.
“The Epidemiology and Public Health Program supports an impressive portfolio of multi-disciplinary research on a range of clinical and environmental/occupational topics. Ongoing research projects bring together studies at all stages of the translational pathway, allowing increased understanding of the burden of disease in the population, identification of risk factors, and the generation of evidence to support prevention/treatment strategies. Researchers contribute to national and international networks, and the program is developing the next generation of researchers through its undergraduate and postgraduate training program.”
Neurosciences
Program Director: Rafael de la Torre
15 groups
We support clinical research that, which should ultimately give us a better understanding of mental and neurodegenerative diseases.
“The IMIM Neurosciences Program includes 15 research groups with 158 staff members and has performed very well both in terms of scientific output (219 publications) and also by financing ongoing projects with a total of almost 10 million euros, much of which comes from European grants (e.g., Horizon 2020 and ERC). Fifteen new clinical trials, including phase 1 trials, were signed in 2020, witnessing the reputation of the Neuroscience program among industrial partners. Considering the general societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers are particularly impressive and signal a high level of optimism for the future of the IMIM Neurosciences program.”
Translational Clinical Research
Program Director: Francesc Xavier Nogués
15 groups
We study the pathophysiology of a variety of disorders involving inflammatory processes in order to develop novel therapeutic approaches.
“The Clinical Translation Research Program gathers researchers and clinicians who provide their expertise to translational and clinical research projects to expand knowledge on pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment to improve patient care. The multidisciplinary nature of the Program teams combined with a strong background in immuno-inflammation allows us to address immune/inflammatory-related disorders affecting a large range of organs and systems, including heart, lung, muscle, kidney, skin, bone, but also neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.”
Relevant Projects
“Although the IMIM result in the Instituto de Salud Carlos III project call for projects was not as good as other years, IMIM has been able to obtain funding for COVID research projects to a large extent. This highlights the tendency of the institution to continue obtaining European projects and other notable funding, such as CRIS projects.”
Marta López Otero
Head of IMIM Research Department
Research Projects by Program
Neurosciences
9,569,519.46€
Cancer
8,623,366.95€
Biomedical Informatics
4,910,003.89€
Translational Clinical Research
4,736,691.15€
Epidemiology and Public Health
3,245,015.35€
Other
65,115.00€
| Neurosciences | 9,569,519.46€ |
|---|---|
| Cancer | 8,623,366.95€ |
| Biomedical Informatics | 4,910,003.89€ |
| Translational Clinical Research | 4,736,691.15€ |
| Epidemiology and Public Health | 3,245,015.35€ |
| Other | 65,115.00€ |
Outstanding Projects
Development of a Therapy for Fragile X Syndrome
Principal investigator
Rafael de la Torre
The public-private consortium formed by the biotech company Connecta Therapeutics, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) has received a grant from the Spanish National Innovation Agency to develop an innovative treatment for fragile X syndrome, the most common form of hereditary intellectual disability. In the first phase, CRG will conduct complementary pharmacology studies on the Connecta Therapeutics CTH120 molecule, which preclinical studies found to be a good neuroplasticity modulator. IMIM will then start a Phase I clinical trial.
Tailoring anti-EGFR Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Clonal Dynamics and the Immune System
Principal investigator
Clara Montagut
The project is funded by CRIS Cancer Foundation and the main objective is to better understand the mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR treatments in metastatic colorectal tumors. The study aims to characterize the role of immunity and clonal dynamics using liquid biopsy. The project integrates three clinical trials, notably the CITRIC clinical trial that we have recently opened, as well as a preclinical part with in vitro and in vivo models.
eTRANSAFE: Enhancing Translational Safety Assessment through Integrative Knowledge Management
Principal investigator
Ferran Sanz
The five-year project coordinated by IMIM aims to develop an advanced data integration infrastructure together with innovative computational methods to improve the security in drug development process. The project is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI2) together with the pharmaceutical industry.
Immune Checkpoints in the Regulation of Natural Killer Cell Responses in Multiple Sclerosis
Principal investigator
José Enrique Martínez
The project is led by IMIM researchers and funded by Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. Its main objective is to study the clinical and immunological implications of NK cell regulatory mechanisms based on immune checkpoint inhibitors in multiple sclerosis (PD-1, CTLA-4, TIGIT, Tim-3, NKG2A, Lag3).
MIND/COVID: Mental Health Impact and Needs Associated With COVID-19: A Comprehensive National Evaluation in Spain
Principal investigator
Jordi Alonso
The project is led by IMIM researchers and has a team of experts from more than 20 Spanish institutions. Its objective is to study the mental health of healthcare professionals and other vulnerable groups, as well as in patients with COVID-19 and in a sample of the general Spanish adult population. It is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. (FEDER COV20 / 00711)
Clinical Trials
“Despite the extraordinary impact that the pandemic has had on the activity of our institution, the number of ongoing clinical trials during 2020 has been higher than in previous years, and 150 other new trials have also been signed, demonstrating the tremendous effort made by our researchers.”
Miguel Pera
Medical Director of Hospital del Mar-Parc de Salut Mar
Clinical Trials Signed in 2020
| Translational Clinical Research | 65 |
|---|---|
| Cancer | 58 |
| Neurosciences | 15 |
| Other (Hospital and management) | 10 |
| Epidemiology and Public Health | 2 |
Total 150
Clinical Trials, 2016-2020
Relevant Clinical Trials
Fundamental phase-III multicenter, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to research the efficacy and safety of human recombinant alkaline phosphatase for the treatment of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.
Sepsis is the main cause of acute kidney injury and is one of the main causes of death. In fact, patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury have high mortality and morbidity and are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease. This trial is based on the administration of alkaline phosphatase in these patients. It is an enzyme present in many cells and organs and has detoxifying effects. The initial results of this clinical trial show that the use of human recombinant alkaline phosphatase increases survival in patients with acute sepsis.
Principal investigator
Clara Vilà Vilardell
Open phase Ia/Ib trial on increasing dosage to determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of MTIG7192A in single-drug therapy and in combination with atezolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic tumors.
Phase 1 clinical trial with a novel design to analyze the antitumor activity of a new immunotherapy drug (tiragolumab) in combination with an already approved immunotherapy (atezolizumab) in various solid tumors where immunotherapy is already a standard treatment, with the aim of minimizing the resistance that can appear with this treatment when it is administered in single-drug therapy.
Principal investigator
Alejo Rodríguez-Vida
PENSA Study
The PENSA Study is a clinical trial aiming at preventing cognitive decline in APOE-ɛ4 carriers with subjective cognitive decline. The proposed clinical trial design evaluates the efficacy of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in the context of a personalized medicine approach including a multimodal intervention looking at improving person-centered outcomes in this population.
Principal investigator
Rafa de la Torre
Study of costs associated with the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in two tertiary hospitals in Spain.
The study is part of a research agreement with Novartis that will make it possible to analyze the use of resources related to the diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) at Parc de Salut Mar. The study analyzes the number and cost of associated visits and tests and the pharmacologic cost of the treatment. It also links treatment intensity with maintaining visual ability during treatment in the study period: 2017-2018.
This research agreement also includes Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza.
Principal investigators
Francesc Cots Reguant
Pere Ortiz Sagristà
Publications
“IMIM research programs present major synergies and, above all, remarkable scientific quality. I believe that we are in a very good position so that, in the near future, IMIM will be an undisputed leader in cutting-edge areas of translational biomedical research, both nationally and internationally. I also believe that, because of its intrinsic value and because of the scientific and technological campus that surrounds it, IMIM will be a very powerful pole of attraction for young talent and businesses.”
Xosé R. Bustelo
CSIC Research Professor, Salamanca Cancer Research Center (CSIC-University of Salamanca). Vice-director, Salamanca Cancer Research Center. Coordinator, Mechanisms of Tumor Progression Program of the Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Cancer (CIBERONC)
Publications by Program
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Translational Clinical Research | 296 | 276 |
| Neurosciences | 126 | 175 |
| Epidemiology and Public Health | 225 | 210 |
| Cancer | 164 | 201 |
| Biomedical Informatics | 24 | 27 |
| Total indexed publications | 823 | 922 |
Bibliometric indicators
2019
Bibliometric indicators
2020
Relevant Publications
Magri G., Cerutti A.
IgA Summons IgG to Take a Hit at HIV-1. Cell Host Microbe 2020; 27(6): 854-856.
Guinart D, Moreno E, Galindo L, Cuenca-Royo A, Barrera-Conde M, Pérez EJ, Fernández-Avilés C, Correll CU, Canela EI, Casadó V, Cordomí A, Pardo L, de la Torre R, Pérez V, Robledo P.
Altered Signaling in CB1R-5-HT2AR Heteromers in Olfactory Neuroepithelium Cells of Schizophrenia Patients is Modulated by Cannabis Use. Schizophr Bull. 2020 Dec 1;46(6):1547-1557. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa038. PMID: 32249318; PMCID: PMC7846100.
Castañer O, Pintó X, Subirana I, Amor AJ, Ros E, Hernáez Á, Martínez-González MÁ, Corella D, Salas-Salvadó J, Estruch R, Lapetra J, Gómez-Gracia E, Alonso-Gómez AM, Fiol M, Serra-Majem L, Corbella E, Benaiges D, Sorli JV, Ruiz-Canela M, Babió N, Sierra LT, Ortega E, Fitó M.
Remnant Cholesterol, Not LDL Cholesterol, Is Associated With Incident Cardiovascular Disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Dec 8;76(23):2712-2724. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.10.008.
Sentís I, González S, Genescà E, Garcia V, Muiños F, González C, López-Arribillaga E, González J, Fernández-Ibarrondo L, Mularoni L, Espinosa L, Bellosillo B, Ribera JM*, Bigas A*, González-Pérez A, López-Bigas N*.
The evolution of relapse of adult T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Genome Biol 2020; 21(1): 284. *Co-correspondings.
Rodríguez-Espigares I, Torrens M, Tiemann JKS, Aranda D, Ramírez-Anguita JM, Stepniewski T, Worp N, Varela-Rial A, Morales A, Medel B, Pándy-Szekeres G, Mayol E, Giorgino T, Carlsson J, Deupi X, Filipek S, Filizola M, Gómez-Tamayo JC, González A, Gutiérrez-de-Terán H, Jiménez-Rosés M, Jespers W, Kapla J, Khelashvili G, Kolb P, Latek D, Martí-Solano M, Matricon P, Matsoukas MT, Miszta P, Olivella M, Pérez-Benito L, Provasi D, Ríos S, R Torrecilla, Sallander J, Sztyler A, Vasile S, Weinstein H, Zachariae U, Hildebrand PW, De Fabritiis, Sanz F, Gloriam DE, Cordomí A, Guixà-González R, Selent J.
GPCRmd uncovers the dynamics of the 3D-GPCRome. Nat Meth 2020; 17(8): 777-787.
Core Facilities
“2020 was like an earthquake, forcing us to adapt rapidly to the new research needs: new sample circuits, new biosafety protocols for transport and for processing COVID-19 patient samples. All of this was done to allow COVID-19 research to proceed without blocking other research requirements. This was a real challenge that has shown us our own capabilities as a core facility.”
Núria Somoza i Abelló
Coordination of IMIM Scientific and Technological Platforms
BIOBANK MARBiobanc
A public non-profit organization that gathers various biological sample collections for biomedical research. MARBiobanc is organized as a technical unit with standards of quality, order, and purpose.
-
137
requests
(30 clinical trials and 107 research projects)
- 42 other services
- 3,174 samples approved
- 1 funding
-
11
publications
with samples from MARBiobank
IMIM Internal Facilities
Histology
Radioactive Facilities
Bioluminescence/Fluorescence Facility (IVIS)
Other PRBB Shared Facilities
-
MARGenomics Lab Unit and Data Analysis Unit (IMIM)
-
Clinical Research Unit (IMIM)
-
Drug Research Ethical Committee (CEIm-PSMar)
-
Molecular Cytogenetics (IMIM)
-
Quality-of-Life Questionnaires (IMIM)
-
Bioinformatics (CRG)
-
National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG-CRG)
-
Flow Cytometry (CRG-UPF)
https://www.crg.eu/en/core/programmes-groups/crgupf-facs-unit
-
PRBB Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (CEEA- PRBB)
-
Biosafety Committee (CBS-PRBB)
-
Biomolecular Screening and Protein Technologies (CRG)
https://www.crg.eu/en/programmes-groups/biomolecular-screening-protein-technologies-unit
-
European Genome-Phenom Archives (CRG)
-
Genomics (CRG)
-
Tissue Engineering (CRG)
https://www.crg.eu/en/programmes-groups/tissue-engineering-unit-0
-
Mesoscopic Microscopy (EMBL)
-
Advanced Optical Microscopy (CRG-UPF)
https://www.crg.eu/en/programmes-groups/advanced-light-microscopy-unit
-
Synthetic Peptides (UPF)
-
Proteomics (CRG-UPF)
https://www.crg.eu/en/programmes-groups/crgupf-proteomics-unit
-
Animal Facility
Funding
“Despite the major difficulties of 2020, fundraising was particularly good. This is mainly due to two aspects: the success of the proposals submitted to the national calls for projects in 2019 and the tremendous ability of our researchers to design and submit proposals of major translational interest to the unexpected COVID-19 calls.”
Vanesa Nogales
Deputy Director, IMIM
Sources of Funding
Competitive 2019
8,294,729.58€
Competitive 2020
11,130,216.95€
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| National grants | 5,513,696.45€ | 7,561,066.09€ |
| Public bodies of the Generalitat | 1,038,441.86€ | 1,505,355.87€ |
| European Union | 727,126.16€ | 1,086,738.44€ |
| Other International Grants | 1,013,446.11€ | 975,035.95€ |
| Total | 8,294,729.58€ | 11,130,216.95€ |
Non competitive 2019
9,810,602.17€
Non competitive 2020
8,486,958.92€
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Trials | 4,169,116.70€ | 4,304,540.46€ |
| Research contracts | 2,813,634.07€ | 2,341,533.71€ |
| Analytics and Quality Control | 1,386,412.32€ | 916,298.07€ |
| Donations | 854,593.24€ | 719,466.72€ |
| Others | 275,844.34€ | 116,937.92€ |
| Technology transfer | 269,142.25€ | 82,938.90€ |
| Courses and congresses | 39,840.25€ | 3,223.14€ |
| Total | 9,810,602.17€ | 8,486,958.92€ |
Trustees contribution (Generalitat de Catalunya)
2019
3,100,000.00€
2020
3,133,333.84€
Total 2020
22,750,509.71€
Competitive
11,130,216.95€
Non competitive
8,486,958.92€
Trustees contribution (Generalitat de Catalunya)
3,133,333.84€
| Competitive | 11,130,216.95€ |
|---|---|
| Non Competitive | 8,486,958.92€ |
| Trustees contribution (Generalitat de Catalunya) | 3,133,333.84€ |
Outstanding Competitive Grants
Improving Cognitive Performance in Down Syndrome Patients (ICOD)
Principal investigator:
Rafael de la Torre
Budget:
6,000,000 €
Period:
2021-2025
Horizon 2020
Beyond Classical Conditioning: Hippocampal Circuits in Higher-Order Memory Processes (HighMemory)
Principal investigator:
Arnau Busquets
Budget:
1,500,000 €
Period:
2021-2025
European Research Council (ERC)
Personnel
“One of the priorities of IMIM in order to achieve scientific excellence is attracting talent. In 2020, several actions were taken in this direction: the call for an R4 post, which was open internationally, thorough assessments of candidatures for R3 research posts from public grants to ICREA grants, etc. This has resulted in IMIM taking on two researchers of excellence: Dr. Jana Selent and Dr. Patrick Welz. Furthermore, some very important appointments were made in 2020, such as that of Dr. Anna Bigas, Scientific Director of CIBERONC and Deputy Director of the IJC Preclinical Research Program, and that of Dr. Mar Albà, the new Director of the IMIM Biomedical Informatics Research Program.”
Joaquín Arribas
Director of IMIM and Research Director of PSMAR
Personnel
Total 754
Translational Clinical Research
213
Cancer
158
Epidemiology and Public Health
114
Biomedical Informatics
31
Neurosciences
158
Hospital
22
Core facilities
17
Management
41
| Translational Clinical Research | 213 |
|---|---|
| Cancer | 158 |
| Epidemiology and Public Health | 114 |
| Biomedical Informatics | 31 |
| Neurosciences | 158 |
| Hospital | 22 |
| Core facilities | 17 |
| Management | 41 |
Researchers by Gender
- Researcher
- Collaborating Researcher
- Postdoctoral
- Predoctoral
| Researcher | Collaborating Researcher | Postdoctoral | Predoctoral | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 74 | 81 | 63 | 42 |
| Men | 99 | 58 | 32 | 17 |
| Total | 173 | 139 | 95 | 59 |
Research Profile
- R4 Leading Researcher
- R3 Established Researcher
- R2 Recognized Researcher
- R1 First Stage Researcher
| R4 Leading Researcher | R3 Established Researcher | R2 Recognized Researcher | R1 First Stage Researcher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 21 | 40 | 132 | 67 |
| Men | 49 | 39 | 82 | 39 |
| Total | 70 | 79 | 214 | 103 |
Communication and Public Engagement
“The media and the general public see IMIM as a trustworthy partner. The quality of the institute's communication contents and activities paired with the commitment of its people are highly appreciated by the park and all audiences. For the PRBB, IMIM is an essential and valued ally."
Reimund Fickert
Communication & Business Development. Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB)
Media
2019
Press releases
28
News appereances
2,319
Web
1,836
Press
343
Radio
100
TV
30
| Web | 1,836 |
|---|---|
| Press | 343 |
| Radio | 100 |
| TV | 30 |
2020
Press releases
29
News appereances
1,860
Web
1,160
Press
593
Radio
75
TV
32
| Web | 1,160 |
|---|---|
| Press | 593 |
| Radio | 75 |
| TV | 32 |
Press Releases With the Greatest Impact
Website and Social Media
Outreach
For the general public
Our Brain, That Great Unknown Organ. Cycle of Talks in Public Libraries
- 20/01/2020: Getting to Know the Brain (Mara Dierssen and Jordi Peña)
- 27/01/2020: Stroke: Before, During, and After (Jaume Roquer and Esther Duarte)
- 03/02/2020: Eating and Living With the Brain in Mind (Anna Boronat, Thais Lorenzo and Natàlia Soldevila)
- 10/02/2020: Why Does the Brain Sleep? (Rodrigo Rocamora and Ion Álvarez)
- 17/02/2020: The Addicted Brain (Rafael Maldonado and Marta Torrens)
- 24/02/2020: Emotions and Cognition in the Brain (Joan Deus and Vicky Puig)
- 02/03/2020: Why do we get Headaches? (Elisa Cuadrado and Gloria Villalba)
- 09/03/2020: Tips for Good Mental Health (Víctor Pérez and Daniel Bergé)
Total: 1,500 attendees
26-31 October PRBB Virtual Open Day
Activities:
- Video: We are scientists
- Virtual lab tours
- Live sessions from the research centers
- Failed experiments
11 February International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Campaign to raise visibility of gender bias in science, promote scientific vocations, and eliminate stereotypes.
For students
Bringing Science Closer to Secondary Schools Project (ACCÉS)
- 3 in-person visits
- 4 virtual visits
- 5 participating labs
Total: 170 students
Fundraising
Support campaigns of Fundació Amics de l’Hospital del Mar for research.
Sempre Endavant (2020)
Crowdfunding campaign to support COVID-19 research
Marina Walktrail (2020)
Nordic walking sports event organized to support the TV3 Marathon on COVID-19 research.
Highlights
COVID-19
"The COVID-19 pandemic has put society, the health care system, and research centers to the test. The appearance of a new infectious disease with a high transmission rate and potential severity has forced many researchers to concentrate their efforts on this new entity. This reaction is understandable given the research centers’ mission to serve society. In the case of Hospital del Mar and IMIM, despite the tremendous pressure on patient care, many research initiatives were carried out by all the research programs. Several projects have obtained competitive grants and are beginning to show results and have laid the foundations for new areas of study for the coming years."
Juan Pablo Horcajada
Head of the Infectious Diseases Department
COVID-19 Competitive Projects by Program
Biomedical Informatics
3
Epidemiology and Public Health
7
Translational Clinical Research
5
Neurosciences
1
Other
2
| Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
|---|---|
| Epidemiology and Public Health | 7 |
| Translational Clinical Research | 5 |
| Neurosciences | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
Initiatives Carried Out
Organization:
- Follow-up committee
- Weekly meetings with the IRISCAT director and managers
- Unit for support for research on COVID-19
Adaptations of digital resources:
- More than 10 online tools to facilitate working from home
- Tool for managing in-person activity
Research initiatives:
- More than 50 proposals processed
- 7 grants awarded
Other initiatives:
- Constitution of a COVID-19 biobank in collaboration with LRC
- Collaboration with the ORFEU project
- IMIM online seminars
- Donation of material to the hospital and telephone call by volunteers
COVID-19 Projects
Project MIND/COVID To protect healthcare workers
Led by Dr. Jordi Alonso
More info "Project MIND/COVID To protect healthcare workers"
Applying artificial intelligence to improve COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment
Led by Dr. Max Hardy and Dr. Jordi Soriano
More info "Applying artificial intelligence to improve COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment"
Discovering the immunity footprint of the virus
Led by Dr. Ramon Gimeno
Improving pandemic control with remote monitoring
Led by Dr. Maria Grau
More info "Improving pandemic control with remote monitoring"
Immunotherapy for COVID-19 patients and as a preventive treatment for at-risk individuals
Led by Dr. Giuliana Magri
Looking for already available and effective therapeutic solutions
Led by Dr. Jana Selent
More info "Looking for already available and effective therapeutic solutions"
Tool for preventing respiratory complications in COVID-19 patients
Led by Dr. Robert Güerri
More info "Tool for preventing respiratory complications in COVID-19 patients"
Reducing mortality in COVID-19 patients with prior cardiovascular risk
Led by Dr. Jaume Marrugat
More info "Reducing mortality in COVID-19 patients with prior cardiovascular risk"
Effects of immunodepressive contaminants on COVID-19 patients
Led by Dr. Miquel Porta
More info "Effects of immunodepressive contaminants on COVID-19 patients"
Stem4COVID, innovative project providing hope for discovery of new treatments
Led by Juan Pablo Horcajada and Laura Batlle
More info "Stem4COVID, innovative project providing hope for discovery of new treatments"
About Us
Inaugurated in 1948 by Dr. Alexander Fleming, the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) is a center of excellence for biomedical and health research.
IMIM is part of the Parc de Salut Mar consortium, and it is made up of more than 700 professionals, with a mixed composition of IMIM researchers and clinical researchers from Hospital del MAR and other academic researchers from UPF and UAB.
IMIM has the recognition of CERCA as a Catalan Research Institute of Excellence, ISCIII as Health Research Institute and HRS4R with the HR Excellence in Research.
Its proximity to Hospital del Mar and the Campus Universitari Mar, and its location in a solid scientific ecosystem like PRBB, means that IMIM is in a privileged biomedical enclave in Barcelona.
IMIM’s translational research is carried out through five well-structured research programs: epidemiology and public health, neuroscience, cancer, biomedical informatics, and clinical translational research programs.
Our Mission
To conduct excellent translational research to be an international gold standard in biomedical research.
Future Challenges
- Excellence in scientific activity through internationalization and attracting talent
- Sustainable growth through cost-effective investment of resources and promotion of development
- Seamless linkage to society through highly translational research aligned with PSMAR's strengths
Board
Chair
Minister of Health
Alba Vergés Bosch
First Vice-president
Minister of Business and Knowledge
Ramon Tremosa Balcells
Second Vice-president
Vice-president of the Governing Council of Barcelona Mar Health Park Consortium
Davide Malmusi
Members
Rector of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Javier Lafuente Sancho
Rector of Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Jaume Casals Pons
General Director for Research Ministry of Business and Knowledge
Joan Gómez Pallarès
Appointed by the Ministry of Health
Robert Fabregat Fuentes
Appointed by the Barcelona Mar Health Park Consortium
Julio Pascual, Olga Pané Mena, Josep Aumatell, Narcís Pérez de Puig (acting Secretary)
Appointed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Armand Sánchez Bonastre
Appointed by Universitat Pompeu Fabra
José García Montalvo
Executive Committee
Chair
Robert Fabregat Fuentes
Members
General Research Director Ministry of Business and Knowledge
Joan Gómez Pallarès
Appointed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Armand Sánchez Bonastre
Appointed by Universitat Pompeu Fabra
José García Montalvo
Appointed by the Barcelona Mar Health Park Consortium
Olga Pané Mena, Narcís Pérez de Puig (acting Secretary)
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
President
Deputy Director of the Cancer Research Center (CIC), University of Salamanca-CSIC (Salamanca, Spain)
Xosé R Bustelo PhD
Members
DR1 Inserm Team leader III "Signaling and vascular and pulmonary pathophysiology", Deputy director of the UMR Inserm 1087 / Cnrs 6291 L'Institut du Thorax. Université de Nantes. France
Gervaise Loirand
Chair, Professor, MD, DMSc. Dept. Neurology and Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
Gitte Knudsen
Functional Genomics Senior Team Leader and Senior Scientist. EMBL-EBI, UK.
Alvis Brazma
Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology. Infection & Population Health, Institute for Global Health. Faculty of Pop Health Sciences. UCL Principal Supervisor, UCL Subsidiary Supervisor. University College London, UK.
Caroline Sabin
Milan, Italy. Director, Medical Oncology, Head of the New Drug Development Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology. Ospedale San Raffaele. President, Michelangelo Foundation.
Luca Gianni
