The CRIS Foundation against cancer, a reference entity in research against this disease, and the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid They have signed a general action protocol that establishes collaboration between both entities to promote research, including the creation of a Cancer Research Institute.
The signature was made by the president of the CRIS Foundation against cancer, Lola Manterola, and the Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Fátima Matute.
The president of the CRIS Foundation against cancer, Lola Manterola, has expressed her satisfaction with the agreement and has valued “the synergies between the Community of Madrid and the CRIS Foundation against cancer to seek joint solutions to the serious health problem global cancer, a growing disease that requires strong measures from institutions and civil society. The objective of the creation of this Cancer Research Institute is to work on cancer research in a center of excellence to achieve better and more effective treatments to increase the survival of cancer patients.”
Furthermore, Manterola has emphasized that “If patients increase survival, it is thanks to research, both in prevention and early detection, in accurate diagnoses and in new treatments, including advanced therapies and preventive vaccines.”. And he highlighted the “importance of public-private collaboration such as that promoted by the CRIS Foundation against cancer, which raises funds from civil society to invest in research of excellence in public health with the aim that anyone regardless of their socioeconomic situation has access to these treatments and contributes to shortening the time in achieving effective cancer therapies; Furthermore, the economic investment made in research provides innovation, development and wealth.”
Finally, Lola Manterola has declared that “The CRIS Foundation against cancer supports, promotes and finances translational and clinical research in cancer; and promotes scientific vocation and training; carries out social work through education and social mobilization; and ensures that any advances in cancer with successful outcomes reach patients fairly and equitably. We must ensure that effective treatments with proven results after years of research reach all patients. We must democratize cutting-edge therapies.”
General Action Protocol
With this agreement, the bases are established for collaboration in comprehensive cancer care of the CRIS Foundation against cancer in the Community of Madrid, through the Ministry of Health, and the Madrid Health Service, each in the field of their respective powers. With the signing of this protocol, the CRIS Foundation against cancer will contribute to positioning the Community of Madrid as a national and international reference in the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as research in line with health policies. of the EU. In addition, this will allow us to attract and retain the best researchers and projects to improve patient care.which promotes the scientific activity of researchers and serves to expand the portfolio of services of the Madrid health system, improving research, teaching and innovation.
As part of this agreement, the creation of a Cancer Research Institute led by the CRIS Foundation against cancer and the Community of Madrid is included and will serve as a national and international reference for research in the area of cancer to achieve an impact on the health of cancer patients through translational and clinical research that allows precision medicine to be transferred to the healthcare setting of cancer patients in the Community of Madrid.
Research by the CRIS Foundation against cancer in Madrid
The CRIS Foundation against cancer defends the need to integrate research within the main public hospitals, so that the generation of new treatments can be led from there. It does this by creating structures in which research laboratories, the creation of clinical trials and day-to-day medical practice are coordinated. This is the philosophy behind the CRIS Research Units, which integrate the best research teams within the hospital, which create and develop new treatments that are then launched in clinical trials. This is an effective way to accelerate the transition from laboratory results to new therapies for patients, and for this transition to be led by brilliant researchers in public institutions. In these CRIS Units, patients who have not responded to conventional treatments are treated, giving them another chance at life.
In the Community of Madrid, the CRIS Foundation against cancer has created and maintains four CRIS Units of specialization: the CRIS Unit of Advanced Therapies in childhood cancer at the La Paz University Hospital, the CRIS Unit of Experimental Therapies at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital, the Hematological Tumors Unit at the 12 de Octubre University Hospital and the Immunotherapy Unit also in the latter center.
The CRIS Foundation against cancer finances research projects aimed at achieving better treatments in several of the most relevant centers and hospitals in the Community of Madrid, such as the National Cancer Research Center, the 12 de Octubre University Hospital, the San Carlos Clinical Hospital , the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, the La Paz University Hospital, the Niño Jesús University Hospital and the La Princesa University Hospital. In addition, it is committed to the training of new generations of scientists and medical researchers, through a Research Master’s Degree together with the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology at the Francisco de Vitoria University, and an Extraordinary Chair together at the Complutense University of Madrid.
CRIS Foundation Network Research
Since its inception in 2010, it has developed its international strategy through alliances, scholarships and projects with leading entities and research centers, with whom it shares the same scientific objectives in the fight against cancer. The challenge is to build a broad network of collaborations that seeks to jointly accelerate the pace of scientific advances that allow the development of new therapies.
These alliances translate into collaborations and joint programs with some of the most relevant cancer research institutions on the planet, such as the one that began in 2019 by launching several programs to enhance the careers of young researchers together with two American foundations, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (with more than 70 years of history and which has supported several Nobel Prize winners), the Prostate Cancer Foundation (the most important prostate cancer research foundation in the world) or training programs for medical researchers with the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto (Canada) and with Oxford Cancer (United Kingdom), and clinical trial programs with Gustave Roussy Foundation (France).
In addition, CRIS against cancer is part of the Fight Kids Cancer consortium, which brings together European foundations (Belgium, France, Holland and Luxembourg) to finance extraordinary international research projects and clinical trials with great potential to change the situation of childhood cancer. .
Currently, it is present in 80 research centers and hospitals in 16 countries.
About the CRIS Foundation against cancer
The CRIS Foundation against cancer -Cancer Research & Innovation in Science- is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated entirely to the promotion and development of cancer research. Its objective is to cure cancer through the commitment of civil society. It is based in Spain, the United Kingdom and France.
Currently, it is present in 80 research centers and hospitals in 16 countries. In Spain it has its own therapy and trial units in the main hospitals of the National Health System,
In its 14 years of life it has invested 50 million euros in research; 39 in the last 5 years; 492 clinical trials have been developed in CRIS projects and Programs; launched 149 lines of research, 85 teams; 303 scientists and researchers have been supported, present in 80 institutions around the world; Publications and communications at conferences total more than 2,000 and we have contributed to the training of young researchers through 116 doctoral theses; 15 patents have been licensed and 7 are in process. Globally, patients directly benefiting from clinical trials supported by CRIS number more than 8,350, although it is estimated that advances in cancer research will benefit millions of potential patients. The Foundation has a global and integrative vision, so the advances obtained thanks to the funded projects have the potential to reach any patient.