The Spanish Society of Genetics (SEG) and the Foundation Pryconsa have distinguished the contributions of the IDIBELL researcher, Manel Esteller, in the research on genetic application in the III Edition of the National Genetics Awards to be delivered under the XXXVIII SEG Congress, to be held from 21 to 23 September in Murcia.
The jury, headed by the president of the association, Montserrat Aguadé, Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona, has rewarded Esteller for his “outstanding research work has highlighted the importance of epigenetic modifications in regulation of gene expression in both physiological and pathological processes. The results of their pre-clinical research are contributing to the development of new drugs for use in the treatment of cancer”.
Manel Esteller Profile
Manel Esteller is the Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology program of IDIBELL, ICREA (Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies) research professor and associate professor at the University of Barcelona. Before joining IDIBELL, Esteller led the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO).
Doctor of Medicine from the University of Barcelona, Dr Esteller is the author of over two hundred scientific articles, member of numerous international scientific societies and editorials, and editor of several publications. Currently holds the position of president of the Epigenetics Society.
Born in Sant Boi de Llobregat-Barcelona in 1968, Manel Esteller is an international leader in the field of epigenetics. He graduated in Medicine at the University of Barcelona in 1992, he made his phD in 1996 with a thesis on the molecular genetics of endometrial carcinoma. From 1997 to 2001 he did postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA), where he studied the relationship between DNA methylation and cancer. In fact, his work has been crucial to demonstrate that all human cancers have in common a specific chemical alteration: the hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes.
His contributions, of considerable originality, help to revise and supplement scientific paradigms thought to be well established, demonstrating the importance of external factors in the direct modification of genes with effects on regulation. His scientific work, very wide despite his youth, shows how epigenetic modifications of genetic material may contribute to the development of aging and cancer. It has also provided the basis for the recent approval of some antitumor drugs and opens the way to know the human epigenome, an international project in which Esteller has an important role.
In the category of basic genetics, the SEG has rewarded the Professor of Genetics at the University of Seville, Enrique Cerdà Olmedo, for his “brilliant and extensive scientific and academic career, for his introducing a line of cutting-edge research, and also a new way to teach and train teachers and researchers has contributed significantly to raising the level of genetic research in Spain.”
In addition to the president of the SEG, the jury has been joined by María Jesús Gallego and Nicolas Jouve Puertas de la Barreda, SEG ex-presidents and professors of Genetics at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Universidad de Alcala de Henares, respectively, in addition to Juan Jiménez Martínez, Professor of Genetics and Director of the University Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla and Genetics National Awards 2010, Montserrat Baiget Bastús Toro and Miguel Angel Ibáñez.