The Asociación de Padres de Niños Oncológicos de Aragón (Aspanoa) and the Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería de Aragón (I3A), part of the University of Zaragoza, have just created a chair to promote research into childhood cancer.
With an initial budget of 20,000 euros per year provided by Aspanoa, the chair will finance each year a final degree project (TFG), a master's degree project (TFM) and a broader project led by researchers from this Institute, especially promoting collaboration between existing groups.
"With this chair we seek to finance very specific actions that improve the quality of life of children with cancer and their families, both in the field of care and in other essential aspects of their lives such as education or their social life, which are totally altered during treatment," says Gabriel Tirado, president of Aspanoa.
This chair, which is now up and running, is directed by María Ángeles Pérez, professor of Mechanical Engineering and researcher at the I3A. In addition, Manuel Arruebo, professor of Chemical Engineering and researcher at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon (INMA); Óscar Lucía, professor of Electronic Technology and full member of the Academia Joven de España; the president of Aspanoa, Gabriel Tirado, and the manager of this Association, Juan Carlos Acín, also form part of the Joint Monitoring Committee of this chair.
About ASPANOA
Aspanoa is the association that cares for children with cancer in Aragon, supports their families and promotes research into childhood cancer in the region. Last year it helped 197 children with cancer in the different stages of the disease and 368 relatives of the affected child, most of them parents and siblings. Aspanoa's funding has also made it possible to initiate the first research against childhood cancer in the history of Aragon, with an investment of 512,000 euros since 2018.
About the I3A
The Engineering Research Institute of Aragon (I3A) of the University of Zaragoza has 34 research groups and more than 500 professionals. Its lines of research are grouped in the "Vanguard Laboratories", leading areas in circular economy, industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, photonics, smart cities, personalised medicine, technology of household appliances and virtual and augmented reality. It is organised into four strategic divisions: Biomedicine, Process and Recycling, ICT and Industrial Technologies.
