During her visit, Carolina Darias was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Health, Silvia Calzón; the director of the Institute, Dr. Manel Esteller; the president of the Delegate Committee of the institution, Dr. Evarist Feliu and the acting managing director of the Institute, Ana Garrido. It have also attended the mayor of Badalona, ​​Rubén Guijarro; as well as Albert Carreras i Coll and Albert Carreras Pérez, representing the Carreras family.

The minister pointed out the important work carried out by the professionals at the Josep Carreras Institute: "This Institute, hand in hand with science and research, gives hope to all those who suffer from blood-related health problems”, affirmed the minister who also had words of appreciation for Josep Carreras, and his entire family, for their determination in promoting the activity of this center.

In this sense, the minister of health has emphasized the importance, together with the donation of bone marrow, of Science and the advancement in the knowledge available on leukemias and their treatments. She has stated that the Government is also working to increase the availability of pharmaceutical alternatives within the National Health Service. Thus, the financing of two industrially manufactured CAR-Ts is being studied and a new drug for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia has just been financed.

These efforts are added to other strategies to deal with cancer, such as updating the Cancer Strategy, in 2021; the renovation and expansion of high-tech equipment, through the High Technology Investment Plan (INVEAT), and the acquisition of proton therapy equipment, especially relevant for pediatric cancer patients.

On the other hand, Carolina Darias has valued the history of collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Josep Carreras Foundation; collaboration that dates back to 1994, with the signing of what was the first Framework Agreement for the Spanish Registry of Bone Marrow Donors (REDMO). The Minister of Health has recognized the work of the Foundation for its role in the operation of this key tool in the identification of donors compatible with leukemia patients.

The director of the Josep Carreras Institute, Dr. Manel Esteller, expressed his thanks to the Minister of Health for the visit, emphasizing the need to support research to solve society's health problems; also highlighting the programs developed at the Institute in the fields of personalized medicine, bioinformatics and cell therapies to improve the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.