If we can block galectins, we can restore the immune system's ability to eliminate cancer
En los márgenes de uno de los cánceres más resistentes a la medicina moderna, el inmunólogo Gabriel Rabinovich ha recibido 300.000 euros para explorar una hipótesis que invierte la pregunta habitual: no por qué el cuerpo falla ante el cáncer de páncreas, sino cómo el tumor lo engaña para que no luche. Su investigación sobre las galectinas —moléculas que silencian la respuesta inmunitaria— representa una apuesta por devolver al organismo su propia capacidad defensiva, en lugar de sustituirla. Es ciencia que nace de la urgencia clínica y de la convicción de que los mecanismos más profundos de la enfermedad, una vez comprendidos, pueden volverse contra ella.
- El cáncer de páncreas sigue siendo uno de los tumores con peor pronóstico, y las inmunoterapias actuales apenas han logrado hacerle mella.
- Las galectinas actúan como un escudo molecular que impide al sistema inmunitario reconocer y destruir las células tumorales, y ese mecanismo es el nuevo blanco.
- Rabinovich y su equipo en el recién inaugurado CaixaResearch Institute de Barcelona buscan bloquear esas proteínas para que las defensas del cuerpo recuperen su capacidad de atacar el tumor.
- El proyecto aspira a pasar del laboratorio a los ensayos clínicos en un plazo razonable, con implicaciones que podrían extenderse a otros tipos de cáncer.
- La beca FERO-Dr. Baselga, la mayor que otorga anualmente la fundación, convierte además este trabajo en el primer proyecto financiado externamente del nuevo instituto, señalando el peso institucional de la apuesta.
Gabriel Rabinovich, inmunólogo del CaixaResearch Institute de Barcelona, ha obtenido 300.000 euros para investigar por qué el sistema inmunitario fracasa ante el cáncer de páncreas —y, sobre todo, cómo revertirlo. La respuesta que persigue apunta a unas proteínas llamadas galectinas, que funcionan como un freno molecular: impiden que las defensas del organismo reconozcan el tumor como una amenaza. La estrategia consiste en bloquear esas moléculas para restaurar la capacidad del cuerpo de combatir el cáncer desde dentro.
El cáncer de páncreas fue elegido como foco precisamente por su resistencia. Las inmunoterapias existentes han demostrado una eficacia muy limitada frente a este tumor, y los pacientes que agotan los tratamientos convencionales se quedan con pocas alternativas. Pero el equipo de Rabinovich cree que los mecanismos que descubran no se limitarán al páncreas: si las galectinas suprimen la inmunidad en este tumor, probablemente lo hacen en otros, y un avance aquí podría abrir caminos más amplios.
El objetivo declarado es llegar a ensayos clínicos en humanos en un plazo razonable, con la urgencia implícita de quien sabe que cada mes de espera es un mes más con un diagnóstico de pronóstico sombrío. La beca fue anunciada en la gala del vigésimo quinto aniversario de la fundación FERO —creada en 2001 por el oncólogo Josep Baselga y rebautizada ahora como FERO Cáncer—, que también distribuyó seis premios adicionales de 100.000 euros para proyectos que van desde biopsias líquidas hasta terapias CAR-T.
El proyecto tiene además un peso simbólico: es la primera investigación financiada externamente en el CaixaResearch Institute, inaugurado apenas seis semanas antes del anuncio. Que un centro recién abierto atraiga de inmediato una financiación de esta magnitud habla de la confianza depositada en su orientación y en las personas que lo lideran.
Gabriel Rabinovich, an immunologist at the CaixaResearch Institute in Barcelona, has secured three hundred thousand euros to pursue a question that sits at the intersection of molecular biology and clinical hope: what if the immune system's failure to fight pancreatic cancer isn't a limitation of the body, but a problem that can be solved?
The answer, according to Rabinovich's research plan, lies in molecules called galectins. These proteins act as a brake on the immune system, preventing it from recognizing and attacking tumor cells. The strategy is straightforward in concept but demanding in execution: block the galectins, restore the immune system's capacity to see cancer for what it is, and let the body's own defenses do the work. "If we can block galectins, we think we can restore the immune system's ability to eliminate cancer," Rabinovich told the publication. The funding, awarded through the FERO-Dr. Baselga grant program, represents the largest single award the cancer research foundation distributes annually.
Pancreatic cancer was chosen as the focus not because it is the most common malignancy, but because it is among the most resistant to existing therapies. Current immunotherapies have shown limited effectiveness against this particular tumor type, leaving patients with few options once conventional treatments fail. Yet Rabinovich and his team believe the insights they generate will extend beyond the pancreas. The mechanisms that allow galectins to suppress immunity in pancreatic tumors likely operate in other cancers as well, meaning a breakthrough here could open doors elsewhere.
The timeline is ambitious but grounded. Rabinovich's stated goal is to move from laboratory work toward human trials within a reasonable timeframe—not years away, but not immediate either. This is the language of someone who understands both the scientific process and the urgency that drives cancer research. Every month of delay is a month someone is living with a diagnosis that carries a poor prognosis.
The grant announcement came during a gala celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the FERO foundation, which was established in 2001 by oncologist Josep Baselga. The organization also announced a name change to FERO Cáncer, a move designed to clarify that cancer research is its singular focus. Beyond Rabinovich's award, the foundation distributed six additional grants of one hundred thousand euros each, supporting projects ranging from liquid biopsies for early cancer detection to CAR-T therapies for acute leukemias to investigations into the relationship between breastfeeding and cancer risk.
Rabinovich's project carries particular institutional weight: it is the first externally funded research project at the CaixaResearch Institute, which opened its doors in Barcelona just six weeks before the grant announcement. That a newly established center of immunology would immediately attract major funding suggests confidence in its direction and its people. The institute itself represents a significant commitment to cancer immunology as a field, and Rabinovich's award validates that bet. What happens in his laboratory over the next few years could reshape how doctors think about treating one of cancer's most formidable variants.
Citas Notables
If we block the galectins, we can restore the immune system's ability to eliminate cancer— Gabriel Rabinovich, immunologist at CaixaResearch Institute
Pancreatic cancer lacks effective immune-boosting therapies, but we believe the research results will be useful for other cancer types as well— Gabriel Rabinovich
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why pancreatic cancer specifically? There are so many cancers that need better treatments.
Because it's one of the few where immunotherapy has barely worked at all. Most cancers have at least some options now. Pancreatic cancer patients hit a wall very quickly.
And galectins are the reason for that wall?
They're part of it. These molecules are like a shield around the tumor. The immune system can see the cancer is there, but the galectins tell it to stand down. We think if we remove that shield, the immune system remembers how to fight.
Is this a new idea, or has someone tried this before?
The biology of galectins is known. But applying it specifically to pancreatic cancer, with this level of funding and focus—that's newer. We're at the stage where we know enough to ask the right question.
How long until a patient could actually receive this treatment?
That's the honest answer: we don't know yet. We're talking years, not decades. But we have to do the work first. Clinical trials don't happen until we have something worth testing.
What happens if it works?
If it works in pancreatic cancer, you immediately start asking whether it works in other cancers where galectins are also suppressing immunity. The science scales up. And patients get options they don't have now.