The II Meeting of the three ISCIII Platforms of Support for R&D&I in Health reinforces their cooperative work

The Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII) has held this week in Lleida the II Scientific Conference of its three R&D&I Support Platforms in Biomedicine and Health Sciences: the Clinical Research Support Platform (SCReN), the Biobanks and Biomodels Platform (PNBB) and the Platform for Dynamisation and Innovation of the Industrial Capacities of the National Health System (ITEMAS). The meeting was held with the collaboration of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida), one of the Health Research Institutes accredited by the ISCIII.

The ISCIII Platforms of support for R&D&I in Biomedicine and Health Sciences are a set of infrastructures and professionals belonging to different Spanish institutions, which provide transversal support services to the R&D&I system for the generation and transfer of knowledge in the National Health System. They are promoted, coordinated and financed by the ISCIII and their objectives are to provide high-level scientific, technical and technological support to different R&D&I projects in health.

The three-day meeting was attended by numerous representatives of the scientific, biomedical and healthcare community. The programme included sessions on topics such as collaboration between the three platforms, internationalisation, the development of clinical trials, knowledge transfer and the use of animal models, among others.

In addition, special emphasis was placed on collaboration between the three platforms. The director of the ISCIII, Marina Pollán, inaugurated the conference, in which the deputy directors Rosario Perona and Daniel Ruiz Iruela also participated on behalf of the Institute.

Development of the conference and topics covered

On the first day, the importance of the coordination of the Platforms in health research in the NHS was discussed, and a success story related to 3D printing of medical devices was given as an example. On the second day, the assemblies of each of the Platforms were held, and issues such as data management, internationalisation of trials and collaboration with industry, among others, were discussed in depth.

The role of the Platforms in the European Research Infrastructures in their respective fields of work was also highlighted, as well as the synergy of the EU-AMRI Alliance and the role of AI in the use of data to advance sustainable health solutions.

Finally, the third day focused on the specific advances and challenges of the Platforms in integrating new technologies and methodologies such as 3D printing and bioprinting, as well as on the advances and challenges in the implementation of advanced therapies. In addition, the importance of the commitment to citizen participation to ensure that research is aligned with current societal needs was highlighted.

The deputy director of the Institute Rosario Perona, who is responsible for the work of the Platforms, explains the importance of the convergent work of SCReN, PNBB and ITEMAS: 'By working in a coordinated manner, combining the specific efforts of each of them with complementary work, the Platforms continue to improve the scientific, technical and technological support for multiple health research projects'. According to Perona, with the Platforms 'we promote transversal projects, foster innovation capacities in health technologies, develop independent clinical research, facilitate precision medicine to improve the NHS, and promote Spain's participation and leadership in different national and international biomedical initiatives, programmes, infrastructures and platforms'.

For his part, Deputy Director Daniel Ruiz Iruela explains that the ISCIII, through the Subdirectorate General for International Research Projects and Institutional Relations, acts as the centralising and managing body for Spanish participation in European Research Infrastructures in the field of health: 'The model of networked research represented by the European infrastructures is excellently aligned with the research carried out in Spain based on networks and promoted by the ISCIII, such as the Platforms, the Health Research Institutes or the CIBER, among other examples; this makes it possible to optimise resources, to build a network of research infrastructures that are in line with the Spanish research model, and to promote the development of a new research model in the field of health.

The deputy director of the ISCIII also highlights that the Institute is making a great effort to promote and align European infrastructures with national ISCIII structures, such as the SCREN clinical trials platform, as a national node of ECRIN; the biobanks and biomodels platform, as a national node of BBMRI; or the network of Health Research Institutes, as a national node of EATRIS: 'The repercussion of these actions translates into a greater return on investment, a real social impact and the development of a National Health System capable of responding better to the challenges of modern medicine and global public health'.

Continuing with the international sphere, one of the round tables, moderated by Daniel Ruiz Iruela, was attended by representatives of international infrastructures and highlighted the importance of collaboration and the establishment of synergies between them, ECRIN EATRIS and BBMRI, a collaboration that has been ongoing for years and which is materialised through the EU-AMRI project, offering joint services from the three platforms to the scientific community.

SCREN: more than 100 active clinical trials

Alberto Borobia, coordinator of the SCReN Platform for clinical trials, explains that SCReN 'has a portfolio with a total of 242 studies, of which 103 are active. Of particular relevance is the development of advanced therapies, personalised medicine projects with new methodological designs and other therapeutic areas, in line with the strategic lines established by the ISCIII'.

The SCReN Platform promotes, as its coordinator explains, the internationalisation of national initiatives and actions, 'not only by attracting European funding but also by facilitating a greater geographical distribution of participations, increasing the presence of Spanish clinical research units in the European research environment in recent years'.

ITEMAS: 27 innovative projects underway

One of ITEMAS's main tools for boosting technology transfer of innovation to the National Health System is the accompaniment programme. As Lluis Blanch, head of this platform, explains, 12 new projects were incorporated into this programme in 2023 and 40 were presented in the first cut of 2024. Ten of them were chosen to form part of the ITEMAS portfolio, which now has 27 projects. In addition, from this programme, a first spin-off emerged in 2023: CT Provision, a company that revolutionises the prognosis and diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage.

According to Blanch, another outstanding project at ITEMAS is the organisation of the Pfizer-ITEMAS Foundation Award for the best health innovation project arising from the Units and Associated Units. The researcher Carlos del Fresno, from IdiPaz, has been recognised for the development of PolyFIL, a liquid blood biopsy for the differential identification of patients suffering from colon polyps or tumours. Both this winning project, as well as the previous edition (BlaDiMir), receive a cash prize and a scholarship in the Richi Social Entrepreneurs programme, a programme that serves to support health startups from all over the world, bringing them closer to the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem of Boston.

Another important milestone for ITEMAS was the Investment Forum, which was held for the first time in 2023 and served as a meeting point for innovation projects, investors and the main players in the healthcare entrepreneurship ecosystem. The second edition took place on 24 October with a large participation of units and associated units and more than 30 bilateral meetings were held between 10 projects from the ITEMAS portfolio, 2 of them already incorporated as companies, and 8 in the incorporation phase with 9 investment entities.

PNBB: digital management of samples and data interoperability

The ISCIII Platform for Biobanks and Biomodels (PNBB) has highlighted the achievements in the digital management of samples and clinical data, thanks to its virtual catalogues, designed under a 'digital marketplace' model. These systems allow the research community to centrally access a variety of resources and make requests for samples and services, thus optimising processes and facilitating the tracking of each request. According to the Platform, the implementation of these catalogues represents an advanced technological infrastructure that responds to the needs of the National Health System and supports efficiency in biomedical research projects.

Looking to the future, the PNBB Platform is working on converting its data to the OMOP model, an international standard that will improve the interoperability of biomedical data and facilitate access by the scientific community to the Platform's resources. At the same time, it continues to strengthen its international projection through its collaboration with the European BBMRI-ERIC directory, where numerous national collections and biobanks have been integrated, which has increased its visibility in collaborative research at a global level.

'This standardisation and cooperation work consolidates the PNBB Platform as a strategic resource and a benchmark in translational research, facilitating scientific cooperation and the integration of high-value biomedical resources in the international context,' say its leaders.