Banc de Sang i Teixits hosts an Innomed meeting to share capabilities in advanced therapies
The Innomed community visited the Banc de Sang i Teixits (BST) yesterday as part of a new meeting organised within the framework of the Innomed program, led by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), with the aim of strengthening connections between research institutions, hospitals and organisations within the biomedical ecosystem, and exploring new opportunities for collaboration in the field of advanced therapies and health innovation.
The meeting, held at the Dr Frederic Duran i Jordà building in Barcelona, brought together innovation and research professionals from several institutions within the Innomed network, including IGTP, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Institut Guttmann, IrsiCaixa and Consorci Sanitari del Maresme.
The session opened with an institutional welcome by Anna Millán, Director General of the Banc de Sang i Teixits, and Jordi Barretina, Director General of IGTP. This was followed by presentations from BST researchers and staff outlining the centre's main areas of activity, with a particular focus on its capabilities in translational research, advanced therapies and cell bioprocessing. An initiative based on data science and artificial intelligence to improve the organisation of blood donation campaigns and donor selection, as well as to analyse hospital needs, was also presented.
The meeting also included a session dedicated to research and innovation projects promoted within the Campus Can Ruti ecosystem. During this part of the program, initiatives linked to the campus advanced therapies program (PATH) were presented, together with projects focused on the development of new cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, the study of extracellular vesicles, and research in regenerative medicine carried out in collaboration between IGTP and BST.
One of the central moments of the meeting was a round table discussion addressing the challenges posed by advanced therapies for their clinical implementation, as well as how to strengthen collaboration opportunities between research institutions, hospitals and centres such as BST, with the participation of representatives from BST and IGTP and moderated by Joan Carles Fernàndez, Planning Director of GENESIS Biomed. "Regulatory frameworks, both in Spain and across Europe, pose significant challenges. We are working to provide advanced therapies to patients who have no alternatives, but we face barriers that hinder their implementation. In this context, progress towards a more flexible regulatory framework is needed to facilitate the translation of these therapies into clinical practice," said Luís Álvarez-Vallina, Director of Research at BST.
The meeting concluded with a visit to the Banc de Sang i Teixits facilities and a networking session that allowed participants to exchange experiences and explore potential avenues for collaboration. The session also helped to identify complementary needs and to move towards more coordinated working models between IGTP, the Germans Trias Hospital and the Banc de Sang i Teixits.
Through this initiative, the Innomed program, led by IGTP, continues to promote spaces for interaction between the scientific, clinical and industrial communities, with the aim of accelerating health innovation and facilitating the transfer of knowledge into clinical practice.