The Mutua Madrileña Foundation funds an ibs.GRANADA research project with 200.000 euros to find a solution to brittle bone disease
The professor at the University of Granada Houria Boulaiz will lead the study to find a solution to brittle bone disease from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada.
The disease, called osteogenesis imperfecta, causes increased bone fragility, but also a significant psychological impact.
The Granada study is one of two collaborative projects at the national level and one of the 23 new research projects that the Mutua Madrileña Foundation will support this year throughout Spain.
La Mutua Madrileña Foundation has delivered its XXI Health Research Grants, endowed with 2,3 million euros, to 23 studies and clinical trials aimed at improving medical treatments that will be developed in different research centers throughout Spain. Among them is a study that will be carried out at the Granada Biomedical Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA) in the field of rare diseases.
The group's researcher TEC16-Advanced Therapies: Differentiation, Regeneration and Cancer from ibs.GRANADA and professor at the University of Granada, Houria Boulaiz, will lead a collaborative project between researchers from seven autonomous communities to apply gene therapy, aimed at correcting gene mutations, to a rare disease, imperfect osteogenesis. This disease, also known as crystal bone disease, is manifested, in most cases, by an abnormal production of collagen that causes greater bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. It has an incidence of one in every 15 or 20 thousand newborns, without differences by sex or race, and is one of the most common causes of osteoporosis in childhood.
The objective of the research is to find the cause of osteogenesis imperfecta through a comprehensive analysis of patient genotype using next generation sequencing. This approach will allow determine the spectrum of the most frequent mutations associated with the disease.
In addition, they will develop gene therapy strategies with two main objectives: first, to support the development of gene editing techniques for create experimental models which reproduce accurately the conditions observed in the patients; second, develop gene therapies using adeno-associated vectors, which have affinity for bone tissue, to correct the most common mutations. These systems could be used as a personalized therapeutic tool, designed for systemic administration, thus facilitating the transition of the results obtained in this project to future clinical applications that result in benefit of patients. “This will lay the foundations for an innovative and promising line of research in this field, which will not only advance the understanding of osteogenesis imperfecta, but also open new therapeutic opportunities that could transform the lives of affected patients,” says Professor Houria. Boulaiz.
The long-term social impact of this project can be very important, because Finding an effective therapy means a spectacular improvement in the quality of life of patients, allowing them to lead a more active life and without the constant fear of bone fractures. Furthermore, osteogenesis imperfecta not only affects physically, but also has a significant psychological impact.
Boulaiz adds that “the social relevance and potentially transformative impact of the project means that we have the support for the AHUCE Foundation (Association for Helping People with Osteogenesis Imperfecta) and the National Association of Crystal Bones OI Spain".
Researchers from seven research institutes will collaborate in the study, which will receive funding of 200.000 euros: the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), the Health Research Institute of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital in Madrid (IISFJD), the La Paz University Hospital Research Institute (idiPAZ), the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), the Salamanca Biomedical Research Institute (IBSAL), the Murcian Institute for Biosanitary Research (IMIB), and the La Fe Health Research Institute of Valencia (IIS THE FAITH). In addition to researchers from the University of Granada, University of Jaén, Pfizer Center-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Hospital Sant Joan de Deu and the Getafe University Hospital.
Long history of helping medical research
In these twenty-one uninterrupted calls for aid, the Mutua Madrileña Foundation has allocated more than 70 million euros to contribute to quality medical research carried out in Spain and which has served to launch more than 1.400 projects. In this edition, the foundation will support the work of research teams from 18 hospitals from 8 different autonomous communities.
The research projects have been selected by the scientific committee of the foundation, chaired by Dr. Rafael Matesanz, and will be carried out in the areas of transplants, focused on immunotolerance, bioartificial organs and organ preservation (4 studies), traumatology and its consequences (4 studies), rare diseases that manifest in childhood (5 studies), oncology focused on immunotherapy (3 studies) and mental health, focused on childhood and adolescent disorders (3 studies). Additionally, another 4 studies will be financed led by specialists from the Adeslas medical team, a leading health insurance company belonging to the Mutua Group.
The new aid for medical research has been delivered in Madrid in an event chaired by the Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Fátima Matute; the president of the Mutua Group and its foundation, Ignatius Garralda; and the president of the Scientific Committee of the Mutua Foundation, Rafael Matesanz.
