At the IGTP TODAY
Hereditary Cancer
The IGTP and the Germans Trias Hospital face the spotlight for rare diseases again. This year our professionals are joining World Rare Disease Day on the last day of February to highlight these diseases and shine a light on the research activities in the field on campus.
The study, by the Hereditary Cancer research group at the IGTP, focuses on characterizing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from benign tumors, characteristic of Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The iPSCs are able to regenerate indefinitely and give rise to any other cell in the body so they represent an inexhaustible supply of cells to study tumors and new treatments.
The professionals that make up the Reference Centre (CSUR) on Neurocutaneous Syndromes- Phakomatoses, have met up together at the IGTP. The aim of these regular meetings and mini-symposiums is to revise the work done in healthcare and research, including innovations, new approaches and the lines of research underway. The prescence of different professionals in the meeting provides a more global view of the work carried out by the whole group and a better reciprocal understanding of the healthcare and research aspects.
The Hereditary Cancer Research Group at the IGTP studies the genetic diseases that bring a high risk of developing cancer, one of which is neurofibromatosis (NF). The group has just started two new projects to study neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2 thanks to the support of the Neurofibromatosis Project Foundation.
In a study, published in Human Mutation led by Meritxell Carrió and Eduard Serra of the IGTP in collaboration with scientists from the ICO Hereditary Cancer Program, scientists studied 8 PNF tumours to find information to help doctors predict how tumours will develop. They looked at the tissue characteristics of the tumors and then compared this to the genetic make-up of the cells within the tumour.
IGTP Scientists working with the Reference Centre for Phakomatoses in the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital-ICO Badalona have confirmed what dermatologists on the team have long suspected. Skin plaques in young children can be used to identify NF2 patients long before their symptoms appear.
