Research to defeat Coronavirus

Cris Cáncer created the Advanced Therapies Unit, coordinated by Antonio Pérez Martínez, has a multidisciplinary, integrated team to combine cutting-edge research, clinical trials and the most advanced therapies.

In order to find the most effective ways to combat this virus, it is extremely important to determine exactly what impact the virus has in patients who are more vulnerable as a result of partial or complete suppression of the immune response.

To this end, an ambitious multidisciplinary project has been launched at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid). This important research study will be led by Dr. Silvia Sánchez Ramón from the Immunology Service, Dr. Alberto Ocaña from the CRIS Unit of Experimental Therapies, and Dr. Pérez Segura, Head of the Oncology Service.

As a result of collaborative scientific research at the onset of this pandemic, it has been determined that the immune system plays a fundamental role in the development of this disease. In fact, one of the risk factors that seem to predispose some people to contract a more serious form of Covid-19 is immunosuppression – suppression of the immune system and its ability to fight infection.

Activities

• Analyse in detail the immune response of patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiencies (including cancer patients) when they are infected with the coronavirus.

Who will benefit?

Due to the emergency situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the funds raised through this campaign will go to a research project of the immune system of COVID in immunodeficient patients and the other part to the initially planned project of developing therapies to improve the treatment of childhood cancers.