- The FERO Foundation, in collaboration with ASEICA, awards the prestigious FERO-ASEICA Grant to researcher María Alieva in recognition of her scientific career and the quality of her submitted project
María Alieva, who leads the Machine Learning for Biomedical Image Analysis and Multi-Omics Integration group at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols-Morreale (IIBM), CSIC-UAM, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the FERO-ASEICA Grant in its fifth edition.
This marks the fifth year that the Fundación FERO has partnered with ASEICA (Asociación de Investigadores en Cáncer) to promote the development of translational cancer research. The grant is awarded by a joint jury of Fundación FERO and ASEICA, composed of internationally renowned experts in both basic and clinical oncology research.
The award was presented during the 19th International ASEICA Congress held this year in Zaragoza. María accepted the award and later gave a brief presentation of her project, sharing what receiving this prestigious grant means for her and her research group. She also expressed heartfelt thanks to Sol Daurella, Vice President of the Fundación FERO and sponsor of the grant.
This fifth edition saw 39 research projects submitted. Commenting on this, Rubén Ventura, Director of the Fundación FERO, said: “The proposals we received were of an outstanding level. It’s clear that among the ASEICA membership there is enormous potential among young researchers. At FERO, we are proud to continue partnering with ASEICA to keep promoting young talent.”
Researching the microenvironmental niches that enable pediatric glioma infiltration in the brain
This is the title of the project awarded the fifth FERO-ASEICA Grant, led by Dr. María Alieva. It focuses on identifying new therapeutic targets for an extremely aggressive pediatric tumor: diffuse midline glioma. This tumor affects children and has a devastating prognosis due to its infiltrative nature, which allows it to invade healthy brain tissue, making treatment exceptionally difficult.
María Alieva’s goal is to uncover the factors driving this invasive behavior in order to develop therapies that can inhibit it. These factors may be intrinsic characteristics of the tumor cells or influences from other cells in the tumor’s surrounding microenvironment.
To achieve this, and thanks to the support of the FERO-ASEICA Grant, the team will use an innovative strategy that combines various imaging techniques to simultaneously study cell dynamics, the spatial distribution of tumor cells within the tumor architecture, their relationship with microenvironmental niches, and gene expression profiles in those areas. This approach will integrate intravital microscopy, multiplexed 3D imaging, and spatial transcriptomics, providing a detailed view of the molecular mechanisms that drive tumor invasion and opening new paths toward more effective treatments for children affected by this disease.
“We believe that a comprehensive approach to diffuse brainstem glioma will lead to the discovery of molecular targets in the tumor microenvironment and in cancer cells that could be key for treating this cancer. Our future plans aim to translate these novel findings, made possible by the use of such cutting-edge imaging techniques, into practical strategies for patients,” explains Alieva.
The IIBM congratulates Dr. María Alieva on this well-deserved award. It is a great source of pride for the IIBM to have such outstanding young researchers among its ranks.