Scientific Report 2019
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2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Tick tock toward 2025 toward tock Tick 2019 REPORT SCIENTIFIC 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) CELLEX CENTER C/Natzaret, 115 – 117 08035 Barcelona, Spain Tel. +34 93 254 34 50 www.vhio.net Direction: Amanda Wren Photography: Katherin Wermke Design: Parra estudio Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) | 2020 VHIO’s Scientific Report 2019: tick tock toward 2025 1 VHIO’s CELLEX CENTER: translation toward precision oncology 2 VHIO Scientific Report 2019 VHIO’s Scientific Report 2019: tick tock toward 2025 Index VHIO Scientific Report 2019 INTRODUCING VHIO 6 Foreword by VHIO’s Director 16 VHIO in 2019: Tick tock toward 2025 42 Scientific Productivity: research articles 43 Selection of some of the most relevant articles by VHIO researchers published in 2019 FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS 52 Joaquín Arribas 54 Joan Seoane 56 Josep Tabernero PRECLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH 64 Cellular Plasticity & Cancer Group 66 Chromatin Dynamics in Cancer Group 68 Experimental Therapeutics Group 70 Gene Expression & Cancer Group 72 Growth Factors Group 74 Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group 76 Stem Cells & Cancer Group 78 Tumor Biomarkers Group CLINICAL RESEARCH 82 Breast Cancer & Melanoma Group 84 Early Clinical Drug Development Group 86 Experimental Hematology Group 88 Gastrointestinal & Endocrine Tumors Group 90 Genitourinary, CNS Tumors, Sarcoma & Cancer of Unknown Primary Site Group 92 Gynecological Malignancies Group 94 Hereditary Cancer Genetics Group 96 Oncology Data Science (ODysSey) Group 98 Prostate Cancer Translational Research Group 100 Radiation Oncology Group 102 Radiomics Group 104 Sarcoma Translational Research Group 106 Thoracic Tumors & Head and Neck Cancer Group 108 Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy Group CORE TECHNOLOGIES 112 Cancer Genomics Group 114 Molecular Oncology Group 116 Proteomics Group VHIO’s TRANSVERSAL CLINICAL TRIALS CORE SERVICES & UNITS 120 Clinical Trials Office 122 Research Unit for Molecular Therapy of Cancer (UITM) – ”la Caixa” 124 Clinical Research Oncology Nurses 126 Clinical Research Oncology Pharmacy Unit 128 VHIO's SCIENTIFIC COORDINATION AREA 130 Full listing of articles published by VHIO Investigators in 2019 148 Funding, Consortia & Accreditation 158 Extended version online: memorias.vhio.net/2019 PDF version: memorias.vhio.net/2019/SR-VHIO-2019.pdf JOSEP TABERNERO MARÍA ABAD JOAQUÍN ARRIBAS JUDITH BALMAÑA FRANCESC BOSCH VHIO'S Director FRANCESC CANALS JOAN CARLES RODRIGO DIENSTMANN ENRIQUETA FELIP ELENA GARRALDA JORDI GIRALT ALENA GROS TERESA MACARULLA JOAQUIN MATEO PAOLO G. NUCIFORO ANA OAKNIN HÉCTOR G. PALMER SANDRA PEIRÓ ÁNGELES PEÑUELAS RAQUEL PEREZ-LOPEZ MARÍA QUERALT GEMMA SALA CRISTINA SAURA JOAN SEOANE VIOLETA SERRA CÉSAR SERRANO LAURA SOUCEK JOSEP VILLANUEVA ANA VIVANCOS VHIO’s Scientific Report 2019: tick tock toward 2025 VHIO’s Scientific Report 2019: tick tock toward 2025 Championed by VHIO’s Director, Josep Tabernero, our Program Directors, Principal Investigators, and Heads of our Transversal Clinical Trials Core Services & Units, spearhead efforts aimed at solving cancer sooner. They lead their respective groups and teams to turn current obstacles in oncology into opportunities, and look ahead to the future to anticipate the challenges ahead. With the year 2025 rapidly approaching – the deadline to attain the World Health Organization’s 9 voluntary global targets for noncommunicable diseases – they continue to drive and accelerate research advancements that will ultimately contribute to meeting target 1 in cancer, namely, a 25% relative reduction in overall mortality from this disease. Introducing VHIO Foreword Organization’s (WHO) nine voluntary global targets for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health. Target 1 promises a 25% relative reduction in overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. Progress in implementing the NCD Global Action plan is tracked by WHO’s Global monitoring framework on NCDs in order to monitor and report on the attainment Josep Tabernero of its nine global targets for Director, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) NCDs by 2025. While COVID-19 is threatening our collective efforts to achieve this ambition in cancer, I believe that together VHIO in 2019: – along with the vital funding and necessary support networks tick tock toward 2025 firmly in place -- achieving this target might be within reach. One of the major European To mark the 25th anniversary this disease. As importantly, we funding programs, Horizon of Nature Medicine in 2019, the have learned from each other’s Europe, was announced in 2019 journal’s editorial team invited experiences, successes and failures and succeeds the European me and ten other experts in in order to avoid costly duplication Commission’s Horizon 2020 biomedicine to contribute to a and accelerate progress. funding program for research for special news feature by answering research and innovation. Within the question: What will shape the As this report goes to press, an (2) Horizon Europe’s framework, next 25 years of medical research? (1). article in The Lancet caught my attention. Sadly, the piece five key research and innovation As part of my response, I began by missions have been identified arguing that sweeping statements sheds a glaring light on the lack of collaboration and synergy to increase the effectiveness would be imprudent. Indeed, who of funding by pursuing clearly would have predicted that the between nations in tackling the COVID-19 catastrophe. Not only defined targets, ‘Missions’, future of biomedicine, research including cancer. The Cancer and the treatment and care of has this pandemic destroyed the foundations for protecting and Board, chaired by Walter Ricciardi patients suffering from serious (Rome, Italy), is flanked by its diseases such as cancer, would advancing health, but also it is threatening the aims set out in respective Assembly, on which I be compromised by the rapid and am truly honored to serve. The global explosion of COVID-19? the Millennium Development Goals and (since 2016) the Board and Assembly Members I strongly believe in joining Sustainable Development Goals. will collectively seek to deliver forces, nurturing and developing Simply put, the clock is ticking. on Mission’s goals. They are: partnerships, and exchanging data to ensure that more people live to overcome the many challenges This brings me back to the number without cancer, more cancer that hamper our efforts in solving 25. It is in fact the focus of this patients are diagnosed earlier, cancer sooner. Alongside like- year’s Scientific Report cover; a suffer less and have a better minded experts in oncology, VHIO time bar towards 2025. quality of life after treatment. we have forged numerous Here’s why: But it’s not just a matter of international consortia and multi- The year 2025 is the deadline strengthening and securing vital center studies that continue to to attain the World Health funding for cancer research of drive spectacular advances against 6 VHIO Scientific Report 2019 VHIO’s Scientific Report 2019: tick tock toward 2025 excellence. To deliver on these acknowledged by WHO’s Expert to highlight some of the many aforementioned ambitions, we Committee on Selection and important contributions must also seek to address many Use of Medicines in the 22nd made by our multidisciplinary other serious concerns. As an WHO Expert Committee on research teams in 2019, example, The European Society the 2019 Selection and Use of often in partnership with for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Medicines Report. Specifically, colleagues across the globe as -- for which I have had the the Committee stated that ‘all well as leading European and privilege to serve as President new EML cancer medicines, in international consortia. For an throughout the 2018-2019 term general, should have a score on additional pick of papers please -- has taken the lead in driving the ESMO-MCBS of A or B in the refer to From the Directors EU level action to tackle the curative setting and of 4 or 5 in the pages, 50-59. serious shortages of essential non-curative setting. These scores cancer medicines. These would support a medicine being Impactful cancer identified shortages obviously evaluated by the Expert Committee science and medicine have a direct impact on patient for inclusion in the EML through a at VHIO care across Europe. To ensure full application’. that this issue remains a top In 2019, VHIO researchers and priority on the EU policy agenda, The ESMO-MCBS major value- clinical scientists published ESMO collaborated with the based framework, launched an impressive 333 scientific European Parliament to organize in 2015, continues to undergo articles in leading journals as a cross-partisan event entitled finely-tuning in order to corresponding, senior, or co- Shortages of Inexpensive, Essential incorporate additional features authors (see full listing, pages Medicines: Calling for Tangible and criteria. Under constant 130-147). Many of these were Political Commitments in the EU, internal peer review, it has also published in the world’s most 09 April, Brussels (Belgium). recently been enriched with newly prestigious scientific and medical designed forms, a factsheet journals. During my ESMO Presidency, and booklet to facilitate the The Economist Intelligence Unit understanding of criteria, grading Here is just a small sample of and ESMO prepared a series of and