The association United for a Challenge visited the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL) to present a €3,500 donation aimed at supporting research into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Of the total amount donated, €2,500 came from the funds raised during the Cyclocross Gran Premio Colindres Pueblo 10, organized last November in Colindres. This charitable sporting event once again saw strong participation and the support of volunteers and collaborators. An additional €1,000 came from a grant awarded by the company SEG-Automotive in Treto, in recognition of the association’s social work and commitment to the community. From Unidos Por Un Reto, representatives emphasized that although the grant had been awarded to the association, “we believe you are the ones who should make use of this money,” referring to IDIVAL and its research efforts.
The donation will allow the continuation of the study led by Eloy Rodríguez, Head of the Neurology Department at Valdecilla, which focuses on the early identification of individuals at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
On this occasion, Rodríguez explained that an existing treatment will soon become available, making it possible to treat the first selected patients who meet the required criteria. The medical team expressed their enthusiasm and confirmed that they are already organizing the department in order to begin as soon as possible.
He also explained that biomarkers are already being used as a routine tool in neurology consultations to detect at an early stage which patients are likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This represents a major milestone for Unidos Por Un Reto, as their first donations back in 2015 were allocated to acquiring these biomarkers, which were very costly at the time.
These biomarkers provide sufficient reliability to make it possible in the future to use a blood test as a detection method, avoiding more invasive procedures and enabling earlier diagnosis so that treatment can be applied as soon as possible. In short, different blood markers are analyzed as a potential tool for detecting the disease in its very early stages.
Sport, Solidarity, and Collaboration
From IDIVAL, Galo Peralta, Managing Director of the institution, highlighted the importance of initiatives that combine sport, solidarity, and corporate collaboration—key elements in continuing to promote research projects and raising public awareness about the need to invest in science and healthcare.
Unidos Por Un Reto, an association led by Óscar Negrete, has been actively collaborating for 11 years with the research group directed by Rodríguez. The organization was founded following the personal experience of its founder, whose father suffered from Alzheimer’s for 15 years. Since then, Negrete—an avid cycling enthusiast—has organized sporting events and charitable challenges with the aim of investigating the causes of the disease and keeping his father’s memory alive, consolidating an ongoing partnership with IDIVAL.
At the presentation ceremony, Negrete was accompanied by other members of the association, part of the medical research team, as well as J. Carlos Cobo Rugama, founder of Escojo Artesanos, who last year raised €3,000 at the World Sobao Eating Championship, held on July 26 in Ambrosero. These funds had already been delivered to IDIVAL a few months ago. Also present was José Luis Vega from SEG-Automotive, who processed the grant application awarded to the association.
