Catalan researcher chosen for international colon cancer study

A top researcher at the Vall d'Hebron hospital will take part in an award winning project from Cancer Research UK (CRUK), part of the prestigious Grand Challenge program, as part of a team exploring the relationship between the microbiome and colon cancer.

The director of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and head of the Medical Oncology Department at the hospital, doctor Josep Tabernero, will help find in finding out the difference between a healthy microbiome and one associated with the cancer.

The human body contains 100 billion microorganisms that include bacteria, fungi and viruses that together form a biological community called the microbiome, which differs from organ to organ and person to person, in much the same way as fingerprints.

The OPTIMISTICC project

The project that the VHIO researchers will carry out is called OPTIMISTICC, which is the Catalan acronym for Opportunity to Research the Impact of the Microbiome in Science and the Treatment of Colon Cancer.

Two professors from Boston's Cancer Institute will oversee the research, which includes other researchers from the US, as well as Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and Spain. The project will be financed with almost 23 million euros in funds.