Childhood liver oncology (c-LOG)
Carolina Armengol
The Childhood Liver Oncology Group (c-LOG) is a pioneering group focused on research intoa paediatric liver cancer in Spain. Our main goals are to increase the molecular knowledge of hepatoblastoma, the main liver cancer in children and an extremely rare disease, in order to understand why these tumours arise in children and then to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets to improve quality of life and survival of patients with primary liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (the main liver cancer in adults).

Research lines
In order to boost translational research into childhood liver cancer, in 2010 we created the first national collection of biospecimens from patients with liver cancer called CLCN, (ISCIII National Biobank Registry, collection section, ref. C.0000226). The collection also includes samples from adult patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. This has been possible thanks to our participation within the PHITT Trial and collaborations with more than 70 European hospitals, including the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital.
The CLCN collection is the basis of our 3 main research lines
Research line 1. Understanding the molecular biology of childhood liver cancer using the latest high-throughput technologies (i.e. RNA-sequencing, proteomic profiling, methylation array, whole genome sequencing) and computational tools. One of our main interests is to improve the knowledge of rare and highly aggressive forms of childhood liver cancer that are resistant to current therapies to design innovative therapies.
PI: C. Armengol
Research line 2. Identification and validation of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to improve the clinical management of childhood liver cancer using diagnostic tissue and blood samples obtained from European patients enrolled in the Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial.
PI: C. Armengol
Research line 3. Establishing new experimental models of childhood liver cancer (i.e. patient-derived xenografts, patient-derived organoids) to test innovative therapies against tumour cells.
PI: C. Armengol
Acknowledgements
Title: Molecular analysis of hepatoblastoma: transcriptomic, genomic and methylomic study
Recipient: Juan Carillo Reixach
Code: 2019 FI_B 01024
Start Date: 01/04/2019
End Date: 31/03/2022
European Social Funds – Investing in Jobs and Skills
Title: Understanding hepatoblastoma to design new personalized treatments
PI: Pau Sancho
Agency code: PI046093
Start date: 1/12/2019
End date: 30/11/2022
Title: Recerca Translacional en patología hepàtica i immunitat innata
PI: Carolina Armengol
Agency code: 2017 SGR490
Start date: 1/1/2018
End date: 31/12/2021
Outreach by the group

For families and patients with liver cancer: please download "The Little Scientist" a book written and illustrated to explain the important role of the children with liver cancer in our research. It is in the process of being translated into Spanish, Catalan, French and Polish!
Each December the cLOG team schedule a meeting with the families of the children with liver cancer and parent's associations to keep them up to date with our research and obtain their feedback.
You can follow us on twitter at @cLOG_Lab
News
The IGTP presents CARE Translational Program in Cancer Research
CARE, the Translational Program in Cancer Research is the first transversal program promoted by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), and it aims to become a bridge for researchers in the field of cancer who want to bring basic and clinical research together, so that the knowledge and the tools generated in the laboratory can benefit the patient.
For the second year running an IGTP PhD Student is awarded the prize for the best research paper by the ICS
The Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) has celebrated its annual research workshop, where the ICS Research Prizes have also been announced. This year, for the second year running, the best research paper by a PhD student has been awarded to a student at the IGTP. The prize for the best research paper by a predoctoral student 2021 was presented to Juan Carrillo-Reixach and Dr Mireia Ramos- Rodríguez received the prize awarded in 2020.
More information
Contact
Carolina Armengol, PhD
(+34) 93 554 30 72