The Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, opens a new lab with the incorporation of Dr. Vincenzo Calvanese, a consolidated researcher on stem cell biology. The new group will try to understand which molecular features and regulatory processes identify a blood stem cell, a fundamental knowledge to advance in many areas, like haematopoietic stem cell transplant, one of the few successful clinical applications of stem cells today.
One of their objectives is to understand the molecular determinants of this type of special cell and what makes a stem cell, a stem cell.
On the practical side, unlocking the potential of blood stem cells will be instrumental to advance in the science of bone marrow transplantation, a life-saving therapy in blood cancers, and to fight against cancer stem cells, the often chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells leading to tumour development and relapse. To do so, the Calvanese lab, established as the “Blood Stem Cell Identity Lab”, will work closely with all his new colleagues at the Josep Carreras Institute.
“The Josep Carreras Institute harbours a unique mixture of profiles, from the most basic science to patient-oriented clinical research, all focused-on blood cancer. There is a critical mass to start something big”, Calvanese explains, and adds that “Barcelona is one of the best science hubs in southern Europe and, for me, it’s like coming home”.
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