SCIENTIFIC CAREER: 1997-2001, FPI pre-doctoral fellow at the IBMB (CID-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain; main publication (Amador et al., Cell 2001) and Premio Ciudad de Barcelona 2011. 2002-2007, Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) postdoctoral fellow at the NYU medical center, New York, NY (USA). Publications (Cell 2003; Nature 2004; Molecular Cell 2007 and Genes Dev. 2008). 2007-2013, Ramón & Cajal-tenure track researcher. Since 2019, Junior-R3B group leader and head of the research group Functional Characterization of oncogenic mechanism in lymphomagenesis at the FRCB-IDIBAPS, and one of the eight principal researchers of the Lymphoid Neoplasm Program (LNP), addressing mechanistic/functional aspects in lymphomagenesis. Last year, I won a Senior-R4 group leader research position at FRCB-IDIBAPS. My scientific career has been focused on the functional/mechanistic characterization of key transcription factors involved in cell proliferation, growth, and the aggressive behavior of several cancers. Successfully, since 2007, I have established independent lines of research, leading independent research projects funded by five consecutive Plan Estatal research grants from the Ministerio de Ciencias, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU) (BFU2009-09235, BFU2012-30857, BFU2015-64879-R, RTI2018-099793-B-I00, PID2021-124048OB-100) and two competitive grant from the private foundation La Marató de TV3-cancer calls (20130110 and 201901-30).  

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS: Our main discoveries have been to demonstrate that the aberrant expression of the embryonic transcription factor SOX11 in cancers is due to epigenetic dysregulation; and to demonstrate the oncogenic role of SOX11 in mantle cell lymphomas (MCL). My group has characterized SOX11-specific transcriptional program associated with MCL pathogenesis. We have shown that SOX11 directly regulates several distinct critical genes and oncogenic pathways crucial for MCL progression and aggressive behavior, like blocking the late B-cell differentiation program and promoting tumor angiogenesis that facilitates the progression of MCL. We have demonstrated the importance of tumor-stromal microenvironment interactions in MCL progression and drug resistance thought the SOX11/CXCR4/FAK and SOX11/PRDX2 axis; and by inhibiting the immune system via the overexpression of the immune-checkpoint, CD70, in MCL. Recently, we have discovered that SOX11-mediated Musashi-2 (MSI2) upregulation in aggressive MCL may sustain stemness and tumor cell survival features in MCL. We have discovered that SOX11 expression identifies a molecular subtype of EBV-negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in which it may have a major role in early pathogenesis, regulating genes involved in oncogenic pathways in BL and MCL. These results so far have been published in high-impact journals (PLoS One 2011; Blood 2013; Blood 2014; Leukemia 2016; Blood 2017; Blood. 2021, Leukemia. 2023, Scientific Reports 2024 and Blood 2024). I have published 20 more publications with groups of the LNP and other national and international research groups. Currently, I have two manuscripts under revision, as corresponding author in Blood journal and as co-author in Nature Communications (see CV). I have published a total number of 31 articles (29 original articles and 2 reviews), 11 as a corresponding author, 27 articles in Q1 (87%) and 22 articles in D1 (71%); 5.686 cited and an H-index:21.  

I have supervised the research project of seven master's degree, four formed Ph.D. Theses and two on-going Ph.D. students, all financed by grants personal fellowships associated to grants leaded by me (see CV). My students have always obtained the maximum score of Excellent with Cum Laude and international mention. They have won postdoctoral positions in well recognized scientific institutes. My research group has been recognized as AGAUR-Emergent (2014 SGR 214), -Consolidated (2017 SGR 1482) and -Senior Research Group (22021-SGR-01293) by the Generalitat de Catalunya. I am assigned member of the Haematological tumours (CB16/12/00225) program of the CIBERonc (ISCIII), coordinating the experimental models work module. I have lead work package 3 of the collaborative P01CA229100 project, funded by the National Institute of Health, led by Dr. Elias Campo.I have been invited to write two Reviews and as expert speaker to several high standard international conferences in the field of MCL, tumour microenvironment in lymphoma and paediatric lymphoma. My group maintains solid intra and extramural collaborations with the most influential group leaders in the study of adult and paediatric lymphoid neoplasms. Since 2019, Im active member of the MCL Consortium of the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the European MCL consortium, participating in international workshops (invited as discussion Panelists of the LRF-MCL Scientific Workshop 2023), and seeking for international funding (see below).