The Fundació La Marató finances a research project on endometriosis with the participation of IRBLleida

he funds raised in the last edition of the 3Cat Marathon will finance a project on endometriosis with the participation of research staff from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida), the University of Lleida (UdL) and the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital of Lleida (HUAV). Specifically, the project Discovering the molecular and phenotypic complexity of endometriosis through new models and integrating 'omics': Towards a personalised clinical management, coordinated by the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute Foundation, has Nuria Eritja, from the Oncological Pathology group, as principal investigator in Lleida.

The 3-year project, which also involves the Research Foundation of the Hospital Universitario La Fe in Valencia and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research - The Ritchie Centre in Australia, will have a budget of €399,634.33.

Endometriosis is a disease that affects 10% of women and is characterised by the presence of uterus-like tissue in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries or the peritoneal area. Although it is a common disease, the exact causes are still not entirely clear, so research in this area will help to improve diagnosis and develop more personalised treatments. The aim of the project is to deepen the understanding of endometriosis through the study of endometriotic tissues, both normal and affected. The research team will create laboratory models to simulate how endometriotic lesions form and better understand the molecular microenvironment that allows uterine cells to attach to other organs and develop lesions.

The project will use 'omics' techniques (genomics, proteomics...) to identify the key molecular pathways in the initiation and evolution of endometriosis. These studies will make it possible to establish a relationship between the molecular characteristics of the disease and its clinical symptoms. They will also identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis of endometriosis and evaluate their effectiveness as possible therapies in experimental models.

Total projects funded

In total, the Fundació La Marató will promote 26 research projects, led by 52 research teams with expertise in sexual and reproductive health. These resources will be decisive in the coming years to find more answers to problems that, in Catalonia alone, affect 3 million people, with 211,000 new cases each year, especially among women and young people.

The 52 award-winning teams received their awards at a ceremony held this morning at the TV3 facilities, presented by the communicator Alba Riera, who presented the Youth Space of the last edition of the Marathon. The CCMA-3Cat councillor and vice-president of the Board of Trustees of the Fundació La Marató de 3Cat, Carme Figueras, the director of the Foundation, Lluís Bernabé, Dr. Elisa Llurba, a researcher at the Santa Creu i Sant Pau Research Institute who received an award for the Marathon, and Anna Bassols, a witness of the Marathon, also took part in the event. Also taking part were the CCMA-3Cat councillors Àngels Ponsa and Lluís Noguera; and two more witnesses of the Marathon dedicated to sexual and reproductive health: Sara Raventós and Lluís Hernáez.

Today's event marks the start of the research that will make it possible for citizens to show their solidarity with the 2023 Marathon. In this sense, the Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Fundació La Marató de 3Cat, Carme Figueras, said that this project 'exceeds expectations and what is expected of a public communication group at the service of the public because, in addition to raising awareness of the diseases that affect us, it motivates society to become actively involved in the advancement of research'.

The 26 projects selected in accordance with the decision of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, at the proposal of the Scientific Advisory Committee, are the most highly rated of the 108 that were submitted in the last call for research grants. The Health Quality and Assessment Agency of Catalonia (AQUAS), of the Catalan Ministry of Health, coordinated an international evaluation process in which 94 experts in sexual and reproductive health assessed the projects in terms of their quality and methodology, scientific, health and social relevance, and innovative and transformative value, among other aspects.
In 32 years of existence, La Marató has financed 1,048 research projects, promoted by 1,762 top-level teams in which 10,900 researchers have taken part, and which have contributed essential advances in the health of society as a whole.