Fundación Ibercaja has financed, through the Spanish Cancer Association (AECC), a predoctoral grant for researcher Aitana Martín Manrique, who will carry out a project in Zaragoza focused on cancer stem cells and pancreatic cancer. The grant, awarded for three years and renewable for a fourth, is the first AECC predoctoral grant funded by an Aragon-based organization.
A doctoral thesis in Zaragoza on cancer stem cells and pancreatic cancer
Aitana Martín Manrique has begun her doctoral studies in the group led by Dr. Patricia Sancho, part of the Translational Research Unit at the Miguel Servet University Hospital in Zaragoza and the Aragón Health Research Institute. The grant will support her research work for three years, with the possibility of extending it for a fourth.
The thesis examines the role of the ALK protein, which is particularly active in pancreatic cancer stem cells. These cells are linked to the aggressiveness of numerous tumors, and the team is seeking to identify their potential vulnerabilities to advance the design of new therapies.
The project will study how ALK contributes to the development and aggressiveness of pancreatic tumors. It will also explore the potential use against this type of cancer of drugs targeting this protein that are already used in lung cancer treatments.
The AECC Aragón-Fundación Ibercaja grant promotes research talent in the region
The AECC Aragón-Fundación Ibercaja Predoctoral Grant is designed to help young researchers pursue their doctoral theses at leading institutions in Aragón. The initiative was launched in the year Fundación Ibercaja marks its 150th anniversary.
According to the terms of the call, the support is intended to promote researchers’ professional stability, foster scientific talent, and enable young professionals to develop their careers in Aragón. Fundación Ibercaja links the collaboration to strengthening the region’s scientific ecosystem and generating knowledge applicable to early diagnosis, improved treatments, and higher survival rates.
Representatives of Fundación Ibercaja and the AECC visited the laboratory where the researcher works to learn about the group’s activities. Those attending included Aitana Martín, Patricia Sancho—researcher and deputy director of the Aragón Health Research Institute—and members of both organizations.
Aitana Martín Manrique pursues research training in translational medicine
Aitana Martín Manrique holds a degree in Biomedicine from Universidad Francisco de Vitoria and a master’s degree in Translational Medicine Research from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Her addition to the Miguel Servet research group places her doctoral work within a line of research focused on understanding the mechanisms that drive pancreatic cancer progression.
Fundación Ibercaja, a private nonprofit organization created through the transformation of Ibercaja, the Savings Bank and Monte de Piedad of Zaragoza, Aragón and Rioja, carries out social and cultural initiatives focused on personal development and regional improvement.
