The research groups of doctors Julián Cerón and Esteve Fernández at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have been selected by three recipients of INPhINIT doctoral fellowships. These scholarships, awarded by the Obra Social la Caixa, will allow these young researchers to pursue their PhD in IDIBELL for 3 years.

Out of the 438 applications received, 57 INPhINIT scholarships have been awarded to young researchers from all over the world. Among the 26 projects submitted by IDIBELL to the call, two of the candidates have selected the projects “TackSHS” and “EUREST-PLUS”, led by Esteve Fernández, and another one has picked the project “Genome editing as prognostic and therapeutic tool In human diseases”, led by Julián Cerón.

“The INPhINIT researcher will take advantage of the cutting-edge CRISPR/Cas9 technology to edit the C. elegans genome in order to identify sensitivity of cancer cells to therapeutic strategies”, explains Dr. Julián Cerón.

“The project implies an active communication with oncologists and others scientists using other cancer models in our institution”.

As for the projects mentored by Dr. Esteve Fernández, he claims that “we offer an exciting opportunity for pre-doctoral researchers who aim to develop an outstanding research career in the field of tobacco control”. The TackSHS project aims to elucidate the comprehensive impact that secondhand smoke and e-cigarettes aerosols have on health of the European population; on the other hand, the EUREST-PLUS project aims to monitor and evaluate the impact of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) at a European level.

In each call, INPhINIT offers three-year PhD contracts in one of the organizations accredited with the “Severo Ochoa” or “María de Maeztu” and the Carlos III Health Research Institutes such as IDIBELL. Besides, the researchers establish a personal career development plan, which includes transnational, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility opportunities, and attend the Complementary Training Program.