IGTP drives collaborative science in health after three years of cooperation in biotechnology

Thursday, 4 December 2025 - Campus Can Ruti, Conferences, Innovation, Projects

The Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has taken part with three projects in the Complementary Plan for Biotechnology Applied to Health, which closes its first edition by highlighting scientific cooperation between institutions.

The closing event of the Complementary Plan for Biotechnology Applied to Health took place on 17 November, bringing together institutional representatives, researchers and key stakeholders from across the Spanish biomedical ecosystem to showcase more than three years of joint work aimed at advancing personalised and precision medicine in Spain.

Throughout this period, the Plan has promoted collaborative research projects, the development of scientific and technological infrastructures and knowledge transfer actions, consolidating new interterritorial synergies to strengthen public health. The event provided an opportunity to share the achievements made, reflect on future challenges and highlight the impact of this shared strategic commitment.

The scientific relevance of the Plan has been notable: more than 100 participants have carried out 84 projects and actions, 45 of which were collaborative across different autonomous communities. The initiative has generated 150 contracts and 206 impact outcomes, including scientific publications, patents, transfer agreements, spin-offs and licences.

In Catalonia, 16 collaborative projects, two actions and eight Screentech projects have been promoted. Three of these have involved IGTP: IA4T2D, InMaM and DATOS-CAT.

IA4T2D: artificial intelligence as a key tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk

The IA4T2D project applies advanced artificial intelligence models to improve the prediction of type 2 diabetes risk. Researchers from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) -the coordinating institution-, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and IGTP have collaborated to integrate clinical, epigenetic, and environmental data, building more comprehensive models than those based solely on genetics.

The BSC team has leveraged data from cohorts such as the UK Biobank and GCAT to develop a new analytical framework that integrates GWAS studies with machine learning techniques and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). This approach, complementary to IGTP's epigenetic analysis, has made it possible to characterise different subtypes of type 2 diabetes, identify loci that define the genomic landscape of the disease, and expand the analysis of the factors that influence T2D risk and progression. In parallel, the GCAT|Genomes for Life project at IGTP, led by researcher Rafael de Cid, has contributed by integrating the epigenetic analysis of a GCAT subcohort. Using methylation profiles, the team has worked to uncover the epigenetic mechanisms involved in key risk factors, such as diet, including the analysis of adherence to the Mediterranean diet in our population.

The combination of both approaches has provided a comprehensive view of the molecular and genomic mechanisms involved in the disease.

InMaM: innovative immunotherapies to treat breast cancer

InMaM has sought new immunotherapy-based strategies to treat metastatic breast cancer. Coordinated by IrsiCaixa, the project has involved Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biocruces Bizkaia - Hospital Universitario de Basurto and IGTP. Participating scientists have studied the immunomodulatory effect of CDK4/6 inhibitors, drugs that have represented a significant advance in treatment yet do not show uniform effectiveness across all patients. Their work has explored potential applications in the development of biomarkers and more personalised therapies.

At the IGTP, the research has been led by Dr Mireia Margelí, medical oncologist at Institut Català d'Oncologia, clinical research director of the Translational Program in Cancer Research (CARE) and researcher in the Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (B·ARGO) at IGTP.

DATOS-CAT: implementing and analysing databases for precision medicine

DATOS-CAT has worked to improve the interoperability and scientific use of large population cohorts created in Catalonia, with the aim of facilitating their integration into the biomedical data ecosystem. The project has brought together seven institutions -BSC-CNS (scientific coordinator), the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and IGTP- combining their expertise to develop open tools designed to standardise data, transform them into a common model and enable federated analysis.

The collaboration has included the GCAT team and specifically Aikaterini Lymperidou at IGTP, working to increase the visibility and scientific impact of its population cohort as well as that of the COVID-19-focused subcohort, COVICAT, coordinated with the team at ISGlobal.

Alfonso Valencia, ICREA professor and director of BSC-CNS, took part in the closing event of the Complementary Plan for Biotechnology Applied to Health, highlighting the potential of DATOS-CAT. He noted that "connecting multiple population cohorts in a federated environment would be of great value for the country. This would allow us to build a unique, robust and representative database".

As an Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) accredited by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), IGTP coordinates the scientific strategy and research management of the Can Ruti Campus. Its participation in these projects strengthens inter-institutional collaborations and consolidates its presence in key national initiatives in personalised medicine.

The IA4T2D and InMaM collaborative projects have been co-funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación with European Union NextGenerationEU funds, the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR-C17.I1), and the Government of Catalonia.