The Saint Luke’s Vigil 2023, the act of recognition of the medical profession organised by the Bages regional board of the Col·legi de Metges de Barcelona (CoMB), has awarded the Gastrointestinal Oncology, Endoscopy and Surgery research group (GOES) grant to investigator Marta Matas.
Matas, a specialist in the Oncology Service of Althaia, has received the XX Bages Young Doctor Grant for the work “Association of aberrant faecal microRNAs with the presence of colorectal cancer in patients with digestive symptoms. A case-control study”. The research, part of Marta Matas’ doctoral thesis project, consists of analysing the expression of five microRNAs in faeces to assess whether there is any association between their expression and the development of colorectal cancer in patients with digestive symptoms. In the future, she intends to carry out a prospective study with more subjects to develop a tool to facilitate the early diagnosis of colon cancer.
The award-winning study is being carried out within the framework of a research project of the Gastrointestinal Oncology, Endoscopy and Surgery (GOES) research group. It has involved the Rapid Cancer Diagnosis Unit, the Clinical Analysis Service, the Research and Innovation Unit of Althaia, and IDIBAPS. GOES has received an FIS grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III for this project.