Images
- Dr. Ángel R. Nebreda has received one of the FERO Foundation grants for his work on triple-negative breast cancer.
- The awards gala took place on Monday 26 May at the Drassanes Reials in Barcelona.
- The FERO Foundation allocated over €400,000 to support cutting-edge cancer research projects.
The FERO Foundation has announced the recipients of its latest round of grants to support translational cancer research. Among the awarded projects is that of Dr. Ángel R. Nebreda, ICREA researcher and head of the Signalling and Cell Cycle lab at IRB Barcelona. His work focuses on one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer: triple-negative breast cancer.
The project aims to understand how tumours become resistant to current treatments and to uncover new therapeutic targets that could enhance the effect of existing drugs. “Our project aims to understand why some tumour cells in triple-negative breast cancer survive chemotherapy and are able to spread, causing metastasis. To do this, we use an innovative clonal tracking technique in animal models—each tumour cell is marked with a unique genetic barcode, allowing us to follow its evolution before and after treatment, and in the organs where metastases develop,” said Dr. Nebreda.
The official award ceremony was held at the Drassanes Reials in Barcelona during a fundraising gala on Monday. Over 800 attendees from across the scientific and social landscape gathered for the event, which was hosted by journalist Helena García Melero. The evening also included a tribute to Mango founder Isak Andic, in recognition of his longstanding support of cancer research.
Alongside the IRB Barcelona project, this year’s grants went to Dr. Renée Beekman (CRG) for her work on mantle cell lymphoma; Dr. Mafalda Oliveira (VHIO) for her study of immune biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer; Dr. Pablo Menéndez (Josep Carreras Institute) for CAR T therapies in paediatric sarcomas; and Dr. Raquel Pérez (VHIO), who is using artificial intelligence to improve treatment decisions in advanced prostate cancer.
Through its grants, the FERO Foundation continues to drive innovation in cancer research, helping to bring scientific advances closer to clinical application and patient benefit
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
