The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) will lead two new independent clinical trials in areas of high clinical complexity—hematologic oncology and acute ischemic stroke—after securing more than €2.5 million in competitive public funding through the 2025 Independent Clinical Research Projects (ICI) call of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII). Both studies will be conducted in the hospital setting and address unmet clinical needs, with the aim of generating robust scientific evidence to improve the therapeutic management of patients with severe, high–public health–impact diseases.
The projects, promoted from the academic sphere and with no commercial interest, are aligned with a model of independent clinical research designed to answer questions that are relevant to clinical practice. This approach enables the generation of knowledge that is directly applicable to the clinical setting, reduces variability in therapeutic decision-making, and contributes to more precise, evidence-based medicine.
One of the funded projects is led by Dr. Javier Briones, director of the Oncology Hematology and Transplant Research Group at IR Sant Pau and director of the Hematology Department at Sant Pau Hospital, with total funding of €1,805,657.59. Through a phase I/II clinical trial, the study will evaluate a fourth-generation academic CAR-T therapy developed entirely at Sant Pau for the treatment of patients with refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma. This population has a particularly poor prognosis after failure of available therapies.
The cellular therapy, known as HSP-CAR30-CCR200, incorporates an innovative design aimed at counteracting tumor inhibitory mechanisms that limit the effectiveness of current CAR-T therapies and promote loss of response over time. The trial will assess treatment safety and its ability to induce deeper and more durable antitumor responses, with the goal of expanding therapeutic options for patients who currently have very limited alternatives.
Dr. Briones emphasizes that “this trial arises from the need to offer new therapeutic options to patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who no longer respond to available treatments; the study builds on the previous trial, a European pioneer, that we conducted with CART30 at our center. This new study allows us to introduce design improvements that increase its effectiveness and to evaluate its potential in a real-world clinical setting, with the ultimate goal of achieving more durable and clinically meaningful responses.”
This project builds on Sant Pau’s prior experience in the development of academic CAR-T therapies, integrating preclinical research, manufacturing of the cellular medicinal product in hospital facilities accredited according to international quality and safety standards, and its subsequent clinical evaluation in patients. This enables a rapid and safe translation from the laboratory to clinical practice.
The second awarded project, with total funding of €765,704.94, is led by Dr. Pol Camps, coordinator of the Cerebrovascular Diseases Group at IR Sant Pau and of the Stroke Unit at Sant Pau Hospital. It focuses on the management of acute ischemic stroke. The SAVE study is a multicenter clinical trial that will compare two general anesthesia strategies—sevoflurane and propofol—in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy, the standard-of-care treatment for the most severe strokes.
Although mechanical thrombectomy has represented a decisive advance in stroke treatment, important questions remain regarding optimal anesthetic management during the procedure and its impact on subsequent neurological outcomes. The trial will evaluate variables such as final cerebral infarct volume, functional recovery, and procedure safety, with the aim of providing evidence to optimize and standardize clinical protocols.
From a clinical care perspective, Dr. Camps notes that “thrombectomy has transformed the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke, but there are still aspects of the procedure that can influence clinical outcomes. This study seeks to generate solid evidence to determine the most appropriate anesthetic strategy and to help maximize the benefit of this treatment for patients who experience an ischemic stroke.”
The project will be carried out in collaboration with several public healthcare system hospitals, enabling the recruitment of a representative number of patients and ensuring the robustness of the results. Its multicenter design and practical orientation confer a high potential for immediate translation into clinical practice, with a direct impact on clinical decision-making and on the care of patients with acute ischemic stroke.
With the launch of these two trials, IR Sant Pau strengthens its commitment to independent clinical research, driven from the public and academic sectors and focused on addressing clinically relevant questions for the healthcare system. This model makes it possible to generate high-value-added knowledge and to effectively translate it into the care setting, contributing to improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care.
