When Science Comes Home

Working in research is exciting—but it can also be frustrating at times. Those of us dedicated to it, especially in the field of healthcare, often live with a contradictory feeling: on the one hand, the motivation of developing solutions that could improve many lives; on the other, the reality that these advancements take time to reach clinical practice or the patient.

I’m part of the Digital Health and Biomedical Technologies area at Vicomtech, a non-profit research foundation in the Basque Country specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and visual computing. In our team, we research and develop technology aimed at advancing toward more personalized and preventive medicine, and at supporting healthcare professionals. However, it’s not uncommon that, even when we obtain good results in the lab, actual implementation is delayed by lengthy processes, validation phases, or simply by the challenges of integrating technology into complex clinical environments. And this generates a certain frustration. We know that the work we do can make a difference, but timelines are long, the processes are complex, and the outcomes take time to arrive.

Still, there are moments—not as frequent as we’d like, but deeply meaningful—when the cycle completes, and all our work makes sense. When the shared effort between science, technology, and medicine bears fruit. And when that happens, the impact becomes tangible. Sometimes, even personal.

Vicomtech in the LUCIA Project: Advancing the Understanding of Lung Cancer Risk Factors

For over three years, I’ve been part of the European LUCIA project, which aims to improve the understanding of the risk factors contributing to lung cancer. The goal is to enhance early detection, for instance through new screening programs, and improve patient management. The project brings together 20 partners and combines clinical research with the development of AI models that help, on one hand, to identify high-risk individuals to support more effective screening, and on the other, to analyze medical images for better characterization of nodules.

At Vicomtech, we contribute to the development of these tools, working closely with clinical partners who are conducting a prospective study across several European healthcare centers, including Osakidetza. Volunteers are being recruited to undergo a series of tests, including imaging studies that simulate a real screening scenario. This will allow us to validate our technological tools and extract meaningful insights and conclusions—especially regarding risk factors.

A Study with Real Impact—Lives Saved

And it was precisely in this context that I experienced something that hit very close to home. One of the volunteers in the study was my aita—my dad. Thanks to the imaging test, a nodule was detected in his right lung, even though he showed no symptoms. After going through the usual diagnostic process, we were told it was cancer. It was a blow—but also a stroke of luck, because thanks to this project, it was detected at a very early stage. Just a week ago, he had the upper lobe of his lung surgically removed, and today, he’s recovering well.

I know not every case ends like this. And I also know that, most of the time, we don’t get to see the real impact of our work. But this time I did. I saw it and lived it firsthand—and it was overwhelming. A confirmation that all that effort, often invisible, is worth it. That each model, each analysis, each collaboration can make a crucial difference in someone’s life. In this case, in my father’s life—and in mine.

And I truly hope that what we’re achieving in LUCIA—with the models we’ve developed and the data we’re collecting in clinical studies—helps identify more people at early stages, just like it happened with my aita. Because that would mean that, beyond the personal, we’re contributing to something that truly matters.

Health research isn’t always fast or easy. But when the results finally come, everything makes sense. If you’ve ever felt that your work as a researcher doesn’t have an impact, that it gets stuck halfway or isn’t fully appreciated—I understand you. But I also want to tell you that sometimes, we do get there. Sometimes, we do make a difference. And when that happens, it’s all worth it.