Huelva joins the IMPaCT Cohort, a national study to investigate key health factors in Spain

The IMPaCT cohort is an epidemiological research project of the Predictive Medicine Program of the IMPaCT Infrastructure (Precision Medicine Infrastructure associated with Science and Technology) of the Carlos III Health Institute, to understand and improve the health of the Spanish population.

The city of Huelva joins the epidemiological research project IMPaCT Cohort, an initiative promoted by the Predictive Medicine Programme of the IMPaCT Infrastructure (Infrastructure for Precision Medicine associated with Science and Technology), funded by the Carlos III Health Institute. This national project aims to understand the determining factors of the health of the Spanish population and improve disease prevention and treatment strategies.

The IMPaCT Cohort is a long-term multicentre study, expected to last more than 20 years, in which 200.000 people representing all of Spain will participate. The project, managed by the Biomedical Research Centre in Network (CIBER), will investigate the psychological, social, environmental and biological factors that influence health and the development of relevant diseases in the country. This type of research will allow the identification of specific public health patterns and needs to improve the quality of life of the population.

Huelva thus becomes the fifth andalusian node in joining this ambitious national study, joining the nodes already established in Antequera (Málaga), where 425 participants have been recruited; Maracena (Granada), with 150 participants; Marchena (Seville) with 62, and Almería, with 30.

The Huelva node is coordinated by Dr. María José Sánchez, scientific director of the Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA), professor at the Andalusian School of Public Health and principal investigator of this project in Andalusia. Dr. Sánchez leads 4 of the 7 nodes present in Andalusia, the autonomous community that will recruit the most participants in all of Spain.

In Huelva, the study will be carried out at the El Torrejón Health Centre, where just over 35.000 euros have been invested to adapt the spaces for the project. Two new consultation rooms and a waiting area have been created. From this centre, people between 16 and 79 years old, resident in the reference areas of the El Torrejón and La Orden health centres, will be invited to take part in this important research project.

Dr. María José Sánchez expressed her gratitude to the healthcare professionals of Huelva for their commitment and dedication to the implementation of this study, to the director of financial management, José Félix Hernández, and the manager of the Huelva-Costa Condado-Campiña District, Antonio Ortega, as well as to the directors of the health centers, Dr. Jesús Pardo and Dr. Aurora Pérez, for their support and collaboration in making Huelva's participation in the IMPaCT Cohort possible. "Thanks to the joint work of our professionals and the institutional support of the Andalusian Health Service and the General Secretariat of Public Health and R&D of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, we can advance our knowledge of precision public health in our region and contribute to a key project for the National Health System," said Dr. Sánchez. She also emphasized the project's motto: "If they call you, come."

With the addition of Huelva, the IMPaCT Cohort takes another step towards building a more informed health system adapted to the needs of the population, supporting the development of predictive medicine and the improvement of health policies in the future.

About the ibs.GRANADA

The Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, is the only center accredited by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) that develops biomedical research of excellence in Granada and one of the four accredited in Andalusia by the ISCIII.

The ibs.GRANADA is structured in four Scientific Areas: Oncology, Precision Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health and Technology and Advanced Therapies that develop an intense research activity and lead the transfer of research results to society, which are reflected in the 1.210 publications made in scientific journals, totaling 6.668 impact factor points, as well as 19 patents applied for during 2023.

The Institute currently brings together 1.145 researchers and 70 multidisciplinary research groups from the University of Granada, the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, the San Cecilio Clinical University Hospital, the Andalusian School of Public Health and the Primary Care centres of Granada.

The main objectives of ibs.GRANADA are to promote biomedical, clinical and epidemiological research carried out by the different groups attached to the institute and to facilitate translational research in Granada hospitals. This research activity translates into the generation of knowledge and the transfer of scientific advances towards the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of priority health problems in Andalusia.

The CIBER Consortium

The Biomedical Research Network Centre (CIBER) is a public consortium affiliated with the Carlos III Health Institute (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities). Its objective is to promote research of excellence in biomedicine and health sciences carried out in the National Health System and in the Science and Technology System. Currently, CIBER has around 6 researchers, both attached and contracted, integrated into 000 research groups, without physical contiguity, belonging to more than 508 member institutions. The CIBER scientific programme is organised around 104 thematic areas of research: Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN); Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM); Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN); Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD); Rare Diseases (CIBERER); Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES); Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP); Mental Health (CIBERSAM); Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES); Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV), Cancer (CIBERONC), Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC) and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED).