CIC bioGUNE receives 2 million euros in funding to advance cancer treatment

CIC bioGUNE has been selected to receive 2 million euros from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) for its PreMetaCan project, which focuses on the study of metabolism in cancer and the optimisation of personalised therapies.

This support reinforces its position as a centre of multidisciplinary scientific excellence, with the aim of developing more effective treatments based on precision medicine.

In addition, other researchers at the centre were recognised with grants in various categories, consolidating CIC bioGUNE’s track record in translational research and its contribution to the fight against cancer.

The CIC bioGUNE research centre, a member of BRTA, has been selected in the call for grants for Excellence Programmes of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), obtaining funding of 2 million euros for the development of the PreMetaCan project: Precision metabolism for a new generation of cancer management. This recognition, awarded during the IV Cancer Research Grants Award Ceremony, reinforces CIC bioGUNE’s position as a benchmark in multidisciplinary biomedical research.

The PreMetaCan project aims to unravel how metabolism influences the development and resistance of cancer, optimising combination therapies and maximising the effectiveness of precision medicine. It will rely on advanced technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), metabolomics, glycomics and translational oncology. This integrated approach will allow the development of treatments that are better tailored to the metabolic characteristics of each patient, improving both diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy.

The director general of CIC bioGUNE, Prof. José M. Mato, stressed that this grant represents recognition of two decades of effort dedicated to generating basic knowledge with social impact. He highlighted how the centre has managed to turn challenges into strengths, consolidating a scientific trajectory that now opens up new opportunities for young leadership and multidisciplinarity. With programmes such as PreMetaCan, CIC bioGUNE seeks to establish itself as an international benchmark in the study of cancer-related metabolism.

A track record of scientific excellence

Although CIC bioGUNE is not exclusively dedicated to oncology research, it has developed an outstanding line of work in cancer, supported by its expertise in metabolism, metabolomics and glycomics. This grant reinforces its position at the forefront of oncology research, backed by the AECC Scientific Foundation’s Accreditation of Centres, and is in line with the AECC’s vision of promoting translational projects that integrate basic excellence with clinical applications.

More recognition for CIC bioGUNE at the award ceremony

At the same event, the Bizkaia branch of the Spanish Association Against Cancer also recognised the work of several researchers at the centre, awarding other grants in different categories:

Uxue Lazcano, pre-doctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Signalling and Cancer Metabolism, led by Arkaitz Carracedo, received a training grant to investigate the mechanisms of dissemination of prostate tumours.
Dr. Lorena Pérez, postdoctoral researcher in the Cancer Glycoimmunology Laboratory, led by Asís Palazón and June Ereño-Orbea, was awarded a Talent grant to explore new therapeutic targets in cancer immunotherapy.
Dr Gabriel Ortega, Ikerbasque researcher and Emerging Scientist in the Precision Medicine and Metabolism Laboratory, was awarded an Ideas Semilla grant to develop NanoLIT, an imaging probe to monitor the immune response in cancer treatments.
Dr Laura Bozal, from the Cancer Cell Signalling and Metabolism Laboratory, in the Synergies category, will lead an innovative project on the role of cell cilia in the aggressiveness and metastasis of prostate cancer.
Boosting the future of cancer research

With the award of these grants, which total more than three million euros, divided into 12 grants, the AECC reaffirms its commitment to fostering quality patient-centred research, promoting scientific culture and supporting new generations of researchers.

‘It is up to us to fight for the results to materialise and become tangible solutions that save lives’, declared Mila Gullón, president of AECC Bizkaia, who also called for continued investment in research in order to achieve the association’s goal of achieving a 70% cancer survival rate and reducing the impact of the disease.