Santiago de Compostela hosted the presentation of the work plan in Galicia for the Complementary Plan for Biotechnology Applied to Health (PCBAS) on Friday, June 28. This initiative, from the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, is in collaboration with seven autonomous communities. The event featured the participation of researcher Susana Ladra and CITIC director Manuel Penedo, who took part in the round table “Implementation and analysis of databases in precision medicine” along with Ángel Carracedo from Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

This plan, coordinated in Galicia by the Kaertor Foundation, includes innovative projects from Galician universities and health research institutes, funded by the Consellería de Educación, Ciencia, Universidades e Formación Profesional through the Axencia Galega de Innovación (GAIN).

Galicia leads action line 3 on drug screening and analysis of drug-target interactions, which is fundamental for the development of personalized medicines. The event brought together prominent agents in the creation of a compound collection to support personalized medicine. Raquel Yotti, Commissioner of PERTE for Vanguard Health, also attended, highlighting the importance of these plans to boost research and precision medicine in Spain.

Susana Ladra is the principal investigator of the DATAMICROCCR project, which falls under the second action line of the plan and is developed alongside the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC). This project will develop bioinformatics tools and algorithms to analyze samples and clinical data to study the influence of the microbiome on the response to colorectal cancer treatment. Various risk factors, such as lifestyle or diet, influence the microbiome, the set of genomes of the microorganisms in the human body. This set influences the development and evolution of diseases like cancer. The analysis of these data and, therefore, the development of the project, will help discover which bacterial populations are beneficial or harmful in developing and treating this disease.

CITIC researcher Ana López Cheda leads the MCSICAR project, which is developed in collaboration with INIBIC. Its goal is to improve the quality of life for oncology patients, specifically those diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer. Treatments aimed at combating the HER2 protein have favored the survival of this type of disease. However, they can cause side effects such as cardiovascular toxicity. This project focuses on predicting the onset of cardiotoxicity using statistical methods. These models allow estimating the probability of a patient developing this side effect, identifying the period of greatest risk, and understanding which factors influence its development.

The Complementary Plan in Galicia has a budget of 3 million euros and covers 15 projects in areas such as drug discovery, nanotechnology, and advanced therapies. This program aims to increase knowledge and develop new personalized drugs, coordinating efforts between universities and research centers.

More information at: https://www.pcbasgalicia.es