• The Fundación HM (HM Foundation) published 223 publications last year and has achieved the accumulated impact rates and higher average impact in its history.
• The HM Foundation Vaccine Unit is consolidated as one of the most active in Europe with substantial growth in new projects.
• The science of health data and artificial intelligence are revealed as areas of strategic expansion as endorsed the agreement reached with Savana to lead digital transformation within private health.
• The third edition of the Dr. Juan Abarca International Medical Sciences Award recognised the work of Professor Douglas A. Melton for his disruptive development in the cure of type 1 diabetes.
The Fundación de Investigación HM Hospitales (FIHM) has registered one more year record figures that consolidate it as one of the Spanish private institutions of reference in the field of clinical research and scientific knowledge. During 2023, the Foundation FiHM has carried out more than 300 clinical trials amongst 1,000 patients, and around 70% were oncological with the total participation of 403 patients.
Oncological tests in early stages represent 28% and in this section the unit of clinical trials in phase I Start – HM CIOCC, led by Dr. Emiliano Calvo, has a vital importance.
Dr. Juan Abarca Cidón, president of HM Hospitales, emphasizes that, “year after year the data of the HM Foundation’s research activity improves, keeping the focus on the priority objective set 20 years ago of setting a platform for translational medicine. In other words, the one that goes from the laboratory to the direct application on patients. In addition, I am deeply proud that our Research Foundation, only with the publications of HM Sanchinarro, is in the Top 30 of Spanish health institutions in the world ranking Scimago, ahead of many great public hospitals, which is an incredible sign of the power of our researchers.”
Another very prominent aspect of the figures achieved by FiHM is focused on the spread of scientific activity, which has managed to succeed previous records, and whichis an indisputable symptom of experienced growth as a reference within the Spanish health system. In that sense, there have been 223 publications, more than half of them in Q1 –74 in Oncology, 31 in neurosciences and 21 in cardiology – which have reached an accumulated impact index of 2,444.01 and an impressive average impact rate of 10.96. “These records are an indication of the increase in quality of our scientific productions. Our clinical researchers are able to carry out research with the very high scientific impact in all areas, achieving an average impact index of almost eleven points, which proves the excellence of the publications,” says Dr. José María Castellano, scientific director of the FiHM.
Good examples of the trials and publications made in 2023 have been the publication of the results of a clinical trial in the magazine ‘Science Advances’, and whose main authors have been the researchers of the Neuroscience Integral Center for HM CINAC, where it is demonstrated for the first time the viability and safety of the temporary opening of the blood cell barrier through low intensity ultrasound (LIFU) in relevant regions for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Vaccines and data science
2023 has also meant the international consolidation of the vaccine research unit led by Dr. Silvina Natalini, which coordinates several international clinical trials. She started clinical trials in eight centers of the HM hospitales group and published in 2023 scientific journals of the impact of ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’.
In addition to the good results in the most “classical” clinical research, the FiHM has been leading the digital transformation in this sector within the science of health data. Good example of this are the chairs around the health of women, the records of child obesity and cardiovascular risk that will continue to give results during the next year. Along these lines, the FiHM has partnered with Savana, the Spanish leader in the development of health data science platforms to integrate artificial intelligence in the research center with real life data thanks to the use of the Savana Platform, consolidating as such the group as leader in clinical research based on health data. “The final aim is through very precise analysis of clinical, analytical data, image, prescription and pathological anatomy refine diagnoses and treatments to our patients, so we can always provide the best health care,” says Dr. Castellano.
Third edition of “ABARCA PRIZE”
2023 has been the year of celebration of the third edition of the Dr. Juan Abarca International Prize ‘Abarca Prize’, which was awarded to Prof. Douglas A. Melton, for its disruptive developments in the cure of type 1 diabetes.
Worth 100,000 euros, ‘Abarca Prize’ is in recognition of the figure of Dr. Juan Abarca Campal, founder of the HM Hospitales Group together with Dr. Carmen Cidón Tamargo, and to all its values when developing a personalized medicine. In addition, this award has already been consolidated as the most important award of our country for therecognition of research in translational medicine, and in this edition it has had the support of SM King Felipe VI.
Finally, the FiHM has an intense solidarity activity embodied by the multiple care projects of the HM Nens Social Foundation, also in the area of pediatric oncology and numerous agreements with the associative fabric to sponsor and collaborate in diagnostic and social coverage initiatives of diverse nature.
The results of the FiHM are, together with teaching, the main vision of patient-oriented medicine practiced by doctors and researchers of the HM Hospitales.
