Patients are the core and genuine purpose the Josep Carreras Institute, and finding a cure for their devastating diseases remains the ultimate goal that drives all its efforts and projects. Guided by this purpose, the entire IJC team, alongside the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation, came together on Tuesday, 28 October to celebrate Mission Day, a moment to reconnect with their mission and strengthen their collective commitment to patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers, and their families.

This gathering, co-organised by the Josep Carreras Institute and the Josep Carreras Foundation, marks the beginning of new leadership at the IJC with the appointment of Dr Ari Melnick as the new Director. The event was attended by Mr Josep Carreras, President and Founder of the Institute, together with members of his family. Also present were Dr Laia Pallejà, Director of the CERCA Institution, and representatives from the Josep Carreras Foundation and the German José Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung.

Dr Melnick opened the event by encouraging everyone to take inspiration from Mr Carreras: “Today we honour the Unstoppable dedication of Mr Carreras and the Josep Carreras Foundation, whose vision and determination have made possible not only the creation of this Institute, but also the hope of hundreds of thousands of patients. His example inspires us to work together, as one team, to change the history of these diseases.”

Dr Melnick expressed his conviction that the Institute has both the people and the capacity to fulfil its mission of curing blood cancers and sparing patients and their families from the suffering they cause: “I accepted this position because I firmly believe in the vision of the Institute and our collective capacity to turn it into reality. If we work together with passion, scientific rigour and humanity, qualities that define us, we can honour Mr Carreras’s legacy in creating this centre.” He also presented how the Institute seeks to fulfil its mission: a new strategic plan based on three fundamental pillars. These include multidisciplinary working groups, designed to solve urgent clinical challenges using the most advanced technology and covering all stages of research; the PATH2CURE programme, which bridges discoveries made in the laboratory and their clinical application; and the Center for 22nd Century Diagnostics, which will revolutionise patient diagnosis through spatial biology, artificial intelligence and collaboration with Catalonia’s hospital network.

The IJC Director also stressed that this plan can only succeed through collaboration. The Institute is already working closely and establishing agreements with institutions within the Catalan healthcare system. These partnerships will allow more patients to access cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative therapies, making Catalonia “a global example of how biomedicine can be translated into real benefits for humanity.” At the same time, the IJC is driving multiple international collaborations with leading scientific and medical institutions, as well as with key pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. “These efforts will allow us to consolidate the IJC as the focal point of a global effort to achieve our mission of curing blood cancers,” concluded Dr Melnick.

During Mission Day, participants were invited to look back at the origins of the Institute and reflect on the decisive role played by Mr Josep Carreras and society in making such an ambitious project possible. Testimonies were also shared from Unstoppable patients and families, illustrating how the daily work of every member of the Institute has a real impact on people’s lives.

One of the most emotional moments of the event came with the testimony of Núria Rebull and Mariano Villaescusa, parents of Anna, an Unstoppable young woman who passed away from leukaemia, but whose determination left a profound mark on all those who knew her. Dr Josep Maria Ribera, Head of the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Group and Anna’s haematologist, remembered her as “a born fighter” and spoke of the strength and courage shown by both her and her family.

The event concluded with an address by Mr Josep Carreras, who reminded the team of the importance of always keeping the patient at the centre of their work: “Our DNA reminds us every day of our true vocation: to focus on the patient. They are the real driving force behind everything we do.”

Mr Carreras closed the event by highlighting the unity of the team and its shared commitment to the mission as the key to making his dream a reality: “The Institute and the Foundation share the same mission, the same people and the same way of working. We are united in the fight to achieve our goal: that leukaemia becomes a curable disease, always and for everyone. We will continue together, Unstoppable, until we achieve it.”