Josep Maria Ribera
Profile
Professor Josep-Maria Ribera is a practising physician and researcher. He is the Director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Unit at the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (HUGTP) and Head of the Clinical Hematology Department for the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) also at HUGTP. He joined the Josep Carreras Institute at its creation and participated in the process of creation of the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia research group. Prof. Ribera has been Associate Professor of Medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) since 2003. He teaches post-graduate courses at the UAB, University of Barcelona, the Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo, and the Escuela Nacional de Sanidad as well as carrying out other varied teaching duties. His work and publications have made him well known internationally and he is a member of the Steering Committee for acute lymphoblastic leukemia of the European LeukemiaNet and the European Working Group for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (EWALL). Prof Ribera’s research focuses on the study of new treatment approaches and prognostic factors in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia and he collaborates closely with the Lymphoma research group in the study of therapy and prognosis in HIV-related lymphomas. He has authored/co-authored more than 400 published clinical papers and 90 book chapters on Haematology, Oncology and Internal Medicine.
Research
Our research is focused on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukeamia (ALL) disease, including B-cell precursor and T-precursor ALL. We want to resolve questions that require a full range of research from from basic to clinical. We aim to provide the physician with new tools, by using basic research data that will have an impact on healthcare, in order to improve survival rates in patients with this type of leukaemia.
The group’s current research is divided into two main areas, according to the two main subtypes distinguished in ALL:
- Precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (BCP-ALL): BCP-ALL is the most prevalent ALL subtype and accounts for 75% of ALL cases. Although it is a highly heterogeneous disease at genetic level, different cytogenetic subtypes have been identified and, more importantly, their prognosis has been clearly established in many clinical trials. This has allowed clinicians to stratify patients according to their genetic profile to schedule intensive or less intensive treatments.
- T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL): T-ALL is the least common ALL subtype (25% of adult ALL cases), and the most complex and heterogeneous at genetic level, with a dismal prognosis. to improve the survival rate of patients with T-ALL, we first need to obtain detailed and relevant molecular information to accurately define the risk and thus decide on the treatment.
We are convinced that new treatments for ALL patients can be obtained only through basic research. Therefore, our goals are:
- To identify the genetic alterations leading to treatment resistance and disease recurrence in adult ALL.
- To accurately define the risk of ALL by genetic analysis at diagnosis and relapse in order to decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Although ALL is a rare form of cancer, it has a huge impact on patients, their relatives and the health system. To find new therapies and provide new knowledge, our research hopes to: 1. Decipher the genetic complexity of ALL at both diagnosis and relapse. 2. Identify critical genetic lesions in ALL cells that could be targetable with new drugs.