The Fundació La Marató de 3Cat held the 27th La Marató Social Return Event at TV3, where the results of the research projects funded through public donations during the 2020 edition, dedicated to COVID-19, were presented. Hosted by journalist Toni Cruanyes, the event brought together the 98 teams that received funding, as well as representatives from the scientific community, organizations, companies, 3Cat, and the public.
Dr. Arantxa Mas, a researcher at the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR Sant Pau) and director of the Intensive Care Medicine Department at Hospital de Sant Pau, was one of the researchers who participated in the event to explain the advances achieved thanks to La Marató’s support and to share the returns generated by this collective investment in research.
The 2020 edition raised €13,864,073, making it possible to launch La Marató’s first major investment in research into an emerging infectious disease. The funds were allocated to 36 projects conducted by 98 teams, involving nearly 850 researchers and healthcare professionals. The projects were selected from among 229 proposals through an evaluation process involving 95 international experts.
The social return event showcased advances in areas such as the immune response, vaccination, factors associated with disease severity, the care of critically ill patients, the long-term effects of infection, and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. It also represents an exercise in transparency, explaining how public contributions have been transformed into scientific knowledge.
During her remarks, Dr. Mas highlighted La Marató’s role in advancing research and the responsibility involved in working with resources derived from public solidarity. “La Marató is extremely important for research; voluntary contributions from the public reinforce the need to work with the utmost rigor and responsibility,” Dr. Mas said.
The researcher also presented the results of the project conducted with Dr. Beatriz Giraldo, from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), focused on the noninvasive monitoring of respiratory patterns in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. The study identified a potential early predictor of poor outcomes, which could help detect patient deterioration at an earlier stage.
Overall, IR Sant Pau participated in five of the projects funded by La Marató 2020. In addition to the project led by Dr. Arantxa Mas, Dr. Luis Querol participated in research on the effectiveness and potential neurological adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination in immunocompromised patients with multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Sònia Mirabet, meanwhile, took part in a multicenter study on the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in solid organ transplant recipients.
Dr. Israel Fernández Cadenas participated in a project aimed at identifying proteomic, cardiometabolic, and immune biomarkers associated with infection, disease severity, and post-pandemic complications. Finally, Dr. Lluís Bassas took part in research on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on male reproductive function.
