Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

Schizophrenia research in 2026: report from the annual meeting of the Schizophrenia International Research Society

Abstract SIRS 2026, held under the theme “Schizophrenia Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together researchers, clinicians, and persons with lived experience to take stock of a field whose tools for measuring, predicting, and intervening in psychosis have e...

Design and validation of a GMP-compliant manufacturing platform of extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells

There is growing interest in mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) as key components in the development of next-generation regenerative cell-free therapies; however, their clinical translation remains limited by a lack of validated clinical-grade manuf...

Sex-related differences in clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of Enterococcus faecalis bloodstream infection

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with Enterococcus faecalis bloodstream infection (EF-BSI) differ by biological sex. METHODS: Quasi-experimental study conducted at two hospitals, comprising a retrospective phase (2017-2019) and a p...

Health utilities in individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency with and without COPD from the EARCO registry

Background Data on health utilities in Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the EQ-5D in a cohort of AATD Pi*ZZ individuals from the European AATD Research Collaboration (EARCO) registry and to...

Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Non‐Pharmacological Program to Improve Urinary Incontinence in an Intermediate Care Hospital

ABSTRACT Introduction Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent geriatric syndrome that significantly affects the physical, psychological, and social well‐being of older adults. Non‐pharmacological interventions are recommended as the first‐line approach, especially in frail older...

Blood-brain barrier opening with focused ultrasound reduces neuromelanin in a non-human primate model.

Age-related accumulation of neuromelanin (NM) has been implicated in the intrinsic vulnerability of catecholaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease. Postmortem studies in Parkinson's disease patients have revealed elevated intracellular and extracellular NM in the substantia nig...

Werner helicase inhibitor for advanced microsatellite instability solid tumors: a phase 1 trial

Abstract Werner syndrome helicase (WRN) is a synthetic lethal target for microsatellite instability (MSI) cancers. In part 1 of this ongoing first-in-human, phase 1 trial, escalating doses of RO7589831 (VVD-133214), a first-in-class, WRN covalent inhibitor, were evaluated in 88 p...

The Paradox of the Nobel Prize-Winning Child

This position paper examines the gap between demonstrated AI capability and justified authority. Using publicly reported incidents involving autonomous AI agents as illustrations, it introduces the metaphor of the Nobel Prize-winning child: recognised intellectual competence can...

Evorpacept plus trastuzumab, ramucirumab and paclitaxel in HER2-positive gastric cancer: a randomized phase 2 trial

Evorpacept blocks the CD47–signal regulatory protein α interaction, enhancing antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. In the phase 2 portion of ASPEN-06 (a multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 2/3 study), 127 patients with pretreated, human epidermal growth factor receptor...

Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Abstract Social behaviour is a heritable trait linked to well-being and mental health, yet it varies across social context, including social domains, informants and development, which may shape its underlying genomic architecture. Here, we conducted a genome-wide meta-regression...

Recent and long-term glycation markers and asymptomatic cerebral microangiopathy in adults without diabetes: the ILERVAS study

Cerebral microangiopathy encompasses a spectrum of pathological alterations affecting the brain microvasculature. Elevated glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker of recent glycemic exposure, has been associated with a greater burden of subclinical atherosclerosis in the carotid a...

Expanding the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of PGAP1 deficiency: clinical and functional insights from 15 patients

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are essential for neuronal development, synaptic organization and signaling. Defects in GPI-anchor biosynthesis or remodeling cause rare neurodevelopmental disorders, including post-GPI attachment to proteins 1 (PGAP1) defi...

Circulating tumor DNA-guided de-escalation or escalation of adjuvant therapy in high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer: the phase 2 PEGASUS trial

Oxaliplatin–fluoropyrimidine combinations are standard adjuvant therapy after radical resection of high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer but expose many patients to toxicity while failing to prevent relapse in others. PEGASUS was a multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 trial e...

Clinical usability of an explainable AI decision support tool and evaluation of multimodal models in NSCLC

Abstract Despite a decade in, immunotherapy (IO) treatment selection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely guided by subgroup analyses and imperfect programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and clinical scores. To our knowledge, I 3 LUNG ( NCT05537922 ) is currently the...

Trustworthy AI for Transformative Healthcare: Experience from Four European Innovation Projects

This white paper synthesises insights and experiences from four EU-funded Horizon Europe projects, SmartCHANGE, AI-PROGNOSIS, TRUSTroke, and UMBRELLA, united by a shared focus on trustworthy artificial intelligence in healthcare. Published by the StayHealthy Cluster in September...

COPD Assessment Test Variability as a Predictor of Exacerbations in Patients with COPD: A Prospective Study Using Virtual Assistant Monitoring

Although short-term CAT score variability has been associated with COPD exacerbations, evidence supporting its integration into virtual assistant-based monitoring remains limited. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term variability in CAT scores using a virtual managem...

Extracorporeal CO2 elimination for acute exacerbation of severe COPD requiring invasive mechanical ventilation: a randomized controlled trial (the X-COPD trial)

Abstract Rationale Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) are associated with high mortality and long-term disability. Extracorporeal CO₂ removal (ECCO₂R) using modern high-capacity devices may facili...

Emergency Department-Based Screening and Linkage-to-Care for Hepatitis B, C, and D in a Referral Hospital in Barcelona, Spain: Reduction in Hepatitis C Prevalence After Five Years

Background: Emergency Department (ED) viral hepatitis screening programs typically report short-term outcomes. We evaluated the medium-term impact of an ED-based screening for Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis B (HBV), and Hepatitis D (HDV) viruses. Methods: Prospective opportunistic...

Cost-Effectiveness of a Host-Response Point-of-Care Assay for Early Sepsis Diagnosis in UK Emergency Departments

BACKGROUND: Early recognition of sepsis in emergency departments (EDs) improves outcomes and reduces healthcare resource use. However, current clinical practice (CCP), largely based on the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and clinical judgement, has limited diagnostic sensi...

Acox2 deficiency induces cardiac dysfunction via cross-organ metabolic reprogramming in mice

Abstract Background Secondary cardiomyopathies are a major cause of heart failure (HF) with diverse etiologies and high mortality rates. For example, over 50% of patients with end-stage liver disease develop cardiac dysfunction, clinically termed cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM). W...