The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) has obtained two Sara Borrell contracts in the 2025 call of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), within the framework of the Strategic Action in Health. These grants, aimed at postdoctoral researchers, are designed to support the continuity and consolidation of scientific careers in the field of biomedical research within the National Health System.
The grants have been awarded to Dr. Víctor de la Peña Arteaga and Dr. Iñigo Rodríguez Baz, who will carry out their research activities at IR Sant Pau. Here they will be able to deepen their scientific specialization and advance their research careers in an accredited healthcare research environment.
In the case of Dr. Víctor de la Peña Arteaga, the contract will make it possible to consolidate his research in the field of mental health, with a neurobiological and translational approach focused on treatment-resistant depression. This is within a line of work coordinated by Dr. Narcís Cardoner. His research activity focuses on studying the brain mechanisms involved in therapeutic response, with particular attention to the factors associated with the lack of response to conventional antidepressant treatments.
In this context, Dr. de la Peña’s research includes the identification and validation of biomarkers of functional neuroimaging linked to the clinical evolution of patients with treatment-resistant depression. Integrating this strategy into a clinical setting helps deepen the biological and functional characterization of the disorder and contributes to a more profound understanding of its underlying mechanisms, an area of significant clinical and social impact.
For his part, Dr. Iñigo Rodríguez Baz will conduct his research in the field of dementia, with a specific focus on Lewy body dementia, within a research line coordinated by Dr. Daniel Alcolea. His research centers on the clinical and biological phenotyping of the disease, including its prodromal phases, with the goal of describing its clinical and evolutionary heterogeneity with greater precision.
His work integrates the analysis of biomarkers in different biological fluids—plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid—with neuroimaging and neurophysiological biomarkers, such as magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine techniques, and polysomnography. This multimodal approach enables progress in early diagnosis, patient stratification, and the prediction of clinical progression in Lewy body dementia, a pathology that is notably complex from a diagnostic standpoint.
In both cases, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau serves as the host institution for the grants, providing the institutional and scientific framework necessary for the development of the research activity. The incorporation of Dr. Víctor de la Peña Arteaga and Dr. Iñigo Rodríguez Baz strengthens IR Sant Pau’s commitment to the recruitment and consolidation of postdoctoral research talent. It also aims to advance research lines aligned with priority areas such as mental health and neurodegenerative diseases.
The awarding of these two Sara Borrell contracts adds to the set of competitive grants obtained by IR Sant Pau in the 2025 call. It reinforces its role as a reference environment for postdoctoral training and the development of high-quality biomedical research. This has the potential to advance scientific knowledge and improve patient care.
