
The Zaragoza University Clinical Hospital inaugurates a new healthcare space for chronic patients
November 23, 2021Open Calls Horizon Europe – Health 2022
November 24, 2021- The call recognizes the best residents, predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers and supports associated and emerging groups, in addition to promoting the incorporation of physicians into health centers.
The Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón) has delivered today the aid corresponding to the seventh edition of the Intramural Call for Research Promotion IIS Aragón, which aims to support researchers and research groups from this institute that stand out for their scientific or innovative production. Endowed with a total of 154.650 euros, for the year 2022, it includes several categories, whose aid will be allocated to resident researchers, better research groups and the hiring of faculty personnel to promote their research activity.
The winners as best resident researchers were Nora Molina Torres, from the Lagenbio group, whose main researcher is Rosario Osta; Cristina Borao Laguna and Samuel Martínez Domínguez, from the Translational Research Group in digestive pathology, whose main researcher is Ángel Lanas; Ana Roteta Unceta, from the Basic Research Group in internal medicine, whose main researcher is Miguel Ángel Torralba; Natalia Abadía Cuchí, from the Research Group on pathologies of placental origin and their impact on fetal programming, led by Daniel Orós; and Paula Sahuquillo González, from the Care Research Group sector III Zaragoza, whose main researcher is Jesica Montero. This award supports residents integrated into the IIS Aragón groups with funding for a stay of between one and three months in a center of international prestige, facilitating their research work.
Likewise, the 'Rector Manuel López' awards have been given in their different categories. The Associated Group Support award went to the Safety and Care group, whose main researcher is Delia González de la Cuesta, while the Emerging Group Support award went to the Personality, Emotion and Health Research Group, whose researcher main one is Jorge Javier Osma López. These groups obtain financial support for the incorporation of research support personnel or the intensification of a person on the team.
Grants to predoctoral researchers have been awarded to Sonia Hermoso Durán (Translational research group in digestive pathology), Óscar Peris Baquero (Research group in personality, emotion and health), Victoria Marco Benedí (Primary dyslipidemias), Noelia Mendoza Calvo ( Molecular Oncology Group), Marcela Garzón Tituaña (Immunotherapy, inflammation and cancer) and Fátima Méndez López de la Manzanara (Aragonese Primary Care Research Group).
Regarding the Intramural-PostFSE Action, the aid has gone to Marta Fabre Estremera, Galadriel Pellejero Sagastizábal and Alba Fernández Gómez, the latter co-financed by Aspanoa. This category promotes the incorporation of physicians who have recently completed their specialized training to hospital or primary care centers, having to allocate at least 50% of their working day to training in research. The support consists of a contribution of 30.000 euros per year for two years for the hiring of health personnel.
As a novelty, this year the IIS Aragón has created a category of Support for Scientific Communication in order to encourage the interest of researchers in disseminating their projects, motivating them and encouraging their communication skills, as well as generating new concerns and scientific vocations and contributing to the transfer of knowledge to society in a significant and innovative way. The aid has gone to the Aragonese Primary Care Research Group, led by Rosa Magallón, and its 'Open Science to society from Primary Care' conferences, with which they seek to strengthen ties with patient associations and health councils , improve communication between health personnel and the patient, understand the demands and needs of society and, ultimately, involve the population in research in this matter.
The rector of the University of Zaragoza, José Antonio Mayoral, the scientific director of the IIS Aragón, Ángel Lanas, and the Minister of Health of the Government of Aragon, Sira Repollés.
«With an investment of more than 10 million euros, there are now 104 research groups and more than 1.110 researchers who have benefited from these grants from the IIS Aragón in fields as essential for people's health as neuroscience, mental health, technologies, cancer, infectious, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, nursing and care, public health, primary care and chronicity," the counselor recalled in her speech. "Your work and your talent give us hope and a future in times of pandemic and hopefully soon post-pandemic," she added.

Before the delivery of the aid, Laura Lechuga, member of the external scientific committee of the IIS Aragón and group leader at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), gave the presentation 'The future of clinical diagnosis in the post-pandemic era' . The CSIC research professor, an expert in the development of biosensors, has opted to “focus the country's efforts on developing technology so as not to have to depend on foreign countries.” The devices on which her team works, she explained, “make it possible to improve diagnosis and treatment in time, since they immediately and accurately measure very few molecules.” Thus, by taking just a few drops of biological fluids (whether saliva, blood, urine or other), these biosensors early detect, for example, colorectal or bladder cancer, as well as infections or pathogens in water and food.
About the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón)
The IIS Aragón is the Health Research Institute formed by the “Lozano Blesa” and “Miguel Servet” University Hospitals, Primary Health Care, the University of Zaragoza and the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences. The objectives of the IIS Aragón are to bring together basic and applied, clinical and health services research; create a quality research, care and teaching environment that integrates health professionals, training specialists and postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as constitute the ideal place for attracting talent and the location of large scientific-technological facilities.