On Friday, October 9, the meeting kick-off meeting of project Strategic LINTERNA (Leadership and INnovation in cancer immunotherapy from Navarra), a consortium created to promote cancer immunotherapy in Navarra, took place. This is a project coordinated by the Cimain which the Clínica Universidad de Navarra business Navarrabiomed , the Navarra Hospital Complex, the Navarra biopharmaceutical company Medibiofarma and Aditech (coordinator Sistema Navarro de Innovación). In this first virtual meeting , representatives of each participating institution presented the main lines of their participation in the project and the first steps that are being taken.

The treatment of cancer patients has progressed at a dizzying pace as a result of advances in cancer immunotherapy. Thanks to the use of monoclonal antibodies, which disinhibit certain immune system brakes, a significant fraction of patients become long survivors. "In Navarra, we have internationally prestigious immunotherapy experts in both preclinical research and clinical development (clinical trials). In addition, we have pharmaceutical companies that are well established as leaders in the stimulation of the immune system against cancer, using small molecules that interfere with immunosuppressive mechanisms," explains Dr. Pedro Berraondo, researcher of Cima and coordinator of the consortium.

The project LINTERNA proposes to reinforce the cutting-edge translational research that is being carried out in Navarra from centers of research, hospital complexes and pharmaceutical companies. Among its objectives, it aims to promote new clinical trials of innovative drugs, identify new predictive biomarkers of response to immunotherapies in clinical use and advance in the research and development of new therapeutic agents in order to bring them to clinical application.

As result of the first meeting, other meetings in smaller groups have been planned to advance in the realization of each part of project in a coordinated manner.