The meeting, coinciding with the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Valencia, materializes the solidarity collaboration of the 'Los Gallos' team with the CRIS Against Cancer Foundation and its commitment to oncological research. Estanis De La Quadra-Salcedo, executive vice-president of the foundation, highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to cancer, the leading cause of death in Spain.
From INCLIVA, Dr. Andrés Cervantes, scientific director; Dr. Noelia Tarazona, principal investigator of the Colorectal Cancer Group and beneficiary of the CRIS Translational Doctor Program; and representatives of Dr. Rosa Noguera's group, from the Translational Research Group in Pediatric Solid Tumors, participated. The Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana was represented by Mariola Penadés, Director General of Scientific Research and Innovation.
The Spanish SailGP team, known as 'the Formula 1 of the sea', was attended by its CEO, Antonio Alquézar, and athletes Diego Botín, Nicole van der Velden, and Bernardo Freitas. The day was marked by emotional moments with the participation of Nacho, a teenager cured of leukemia; José Álvarez, father of Lucía; and Noelia González, mother of Ares, who emphasized the importance of research to achieve effective treatments.
The collaboration stems from shared values such as talent, innovation, technology, and teamwork, both in excellent research and in high-performance sports. Both SailGP and CRIS Against Cancer's translational research are notable for their international dimension and cooperation to achieve optimal results.
CRIS Against Cancer currently funds two projects at INCLIVA: the CRIS Ewing Sarcoma Project, led by Dr. Rosa Noguera, with 68,940 euros allocated to the INCLIVA team; and the CRIS Project for Relapses in Colon Cancer, led by Dr. Noelia Tarazona, with 400,000 euros over five years to integrate liquid biopsy into clinical practice.
Patients and families shared their stories, such as that of Lucía, who suffered four leukemia relapses; Ares, diagnosed with a medulloblastoma; and Nacho, who overcame a rare leukemia. Their experiences reinforce the need to boost research, especially in rarer childhood cancers.
The CRIS Against Cancer Foundation, based in Spain, the UK, and France, has invested 80 million euros in cancer research and is committed to allocating an additional 150 million in the next five years.
