The Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH receives three grants from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC)

30 de June de 2026

  • The Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) presented today in Elche its research grants for Alicante province, representing an investment of more than €900,000.
  • Researchers Ángela Nieto, Berta L. Sánchez-Laorden and Katia Sofía Illescas have been awarded these grants.

The Spanish Association Against Cancer in Alicante today held an event to present the 2025 AECC Research Grants to be developed in the province. In total, three grants have been awarded in Alicante, amounting to more than €900,000. All three grants have been awarded to researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). The funded projects aim to address major challenges such as brain metastasis and cancer relapse in particularly aggressive cancers, including paediatric brain tumours, triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, thereby contributing to the development of more effective treatments and improving patients' survival and quality of life.

The event featured two panel discussions in which researchers presented their projects and reflected on the challenges faced throughout different stages of a scientific career. The first panel, moderated by Naiara Cambas, Director of Science Outreach at the Scientific Foundation of AECC, included predoctoral researcher Katia Sofía Illescas and her PhD supervisor, IN CSIC-UMH researcher Víctor Borrell. The second panel, moderated by Andrés Corno, pharmacist and geneticist, professor at UMH and member of the Provincial Board of the Spanish Cancer Association in Alicante, featured IN CSIC-UMH researchers Ángela Nieto and Berta L. Sánchez-Laorden.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude, both on behalf of myself and my research group, to the Spanish Association Against Cancer for its outstanding work. After more than 30 years and many research projects, this grant means a great deal to us. We know that it has been made possible thanks to the Association and to the generosity and hope of many patients, their families and society as a whole, which gives us even greater motivation to continue our work", said Ángela Nieto, CSIC Research Professor at the Institute for Neurosciences and member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.

Fermín Crespo, President of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Alicante, stressed the importance of continuing to promote cancer research as one of the organisation's main strategic priorities: “Through these grants, we aim to foster cancer research, which is a key priority in our roadmap. Thanks to these grants and this continued support, we will be able to keep moving towards our goal of achieving a 70% cancer survival rate by 2030. In addition, through this initiative, we seek to retain scientific knowledge in our province to improve the quality of life of patients, their families and cancer survivors”.

Presentation of the 2025 AECC Research Grants, held today at the Ciutat d'Elx Conference Centre. Source: UMH  

The three grants awarded in Alicante are intended to advance the development of improved cancer treatments by addressing challenges such as disease relapse and brain metastasis. In this regard, researcher Ángela Nieto has received a €400,000 grant to investigate the mechanisms underlying cancer adaptation and to develop strategies to prevent treatment resistance and relapse in highly aggressive tumours such as triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Likewise, researcher Berta L. Sánchez-Laorden and her team at IN CSIC-UMH will work on new strategies to prevent brain metastasis thanks to a grant of nearly €400,000. Meanwhile, Katia Sofía Illescas will carry out her doctoral research thanks to a four-year predoctoral fellowship awarded by AECC in Alicante, worth €110,660, focused on preventing relapse in paediatric brain tumours.

These grants aim primarily to increase cancer survival rates to over 70% by 2030, while also improving available treatments and enhancing the quality of life of patients, their families and survivors. To achieve this, the Association leads Spain's largest cancer research network, comprising more than 3,000 researchers across 160 research centres in 38 provinces. In 2025, the organisation allocated €40 million to fund 282 new grants aimed at promoting excellence in cancer research and accelerating the translation of scientific findings into benefits for patients.

More information: https://www.contraelcancer.es/es

Source: Spanish Association Against Cancer / Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH (in.comunicacion@umh.es)