Research Program. Precision Nutrition and Cancer
Molecular Oncology Group
Group leader: Dr. Ana Ramírez de Molina
Objectives: The group is currently focused on three research topics:
1. Lipid metabolism alterations in cancer: identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in diet-related tumors such as colon or pancreatic cancer. We are especially interested in identifying metabolic profiles associated to the disease progression together with treatment response and analysing their role from in-vitro cell systems to organoids and cancer patients. These analyses are mainly focused on the identification of metabolic pathways and distinctive oncometabolites that may constitute novel markers and targets for the development of future cancer precision therapies.
2. Metabolic reprogramming analysis in cancer and its relationship with other associated diseases such as obesity. We are interested in the molecular basis underlying the link between obesity and cancer, especially on the role of fatty acid metabolism and cholesterol reprogramming and the tumor progression.
3. Precision nutrition strategies in cancer. Analysis of the activity and mechanism of action of bioactive compounds and natural extracts as possible effective dietary supplements in the prevention and treatment of cancer and associated metabolic disorders. The objective is to establish the scientific basis for the development of precision nutrition strategies in oncology by including or avoiding specific products due to their effect on specific cancer signaling pathways.
Dr. Ana Ramírez de Molina
Deputy Director, Director of the Precision Nutrition Program and Group leader of the Molecular Oncology Group.
Dr. Ana Ramírez de Molina has developed her scientific career in the field of lipid metabolism, molecular oncology, nutrition and cancer. She has worked as an associated researcher in the Traslational Oncology Unit CSIC-UAM-La Paz Hospital (Madrid), and has performed long postdoctoral stays at Cancer Research UK Centre for Therapeutics (London) and the Molecular Pathology Division of the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York). She has published more than 60 scientific articles in her research field, is co-inventor of 6 patents in different phases of exploitation by a biotechnology company and has supervised 6 PhD Thesis.
Several of her patents promoted the creation of a spin-off company from CSIC focused on the development of new tumour markers and therapies in Cancer in which she was former Director of Research, Development and Innovation for more than 3 years. She joined IMDEA Food Institute in 2010, where she leads the Programe of Precision Nutrition and Cancer. From 2011 she has been the Coordinator of Research, Development and Transfer, and in 2014 was promoted to Deputy Director of the Institute.
In 2002 she was awarded with the prize Young Researchers MSD, in 2003 the extraordinary doctorate recognition as the best Thesis of her promotion in Molecular Biology, and in 2016 the 8th March distinction from the Community of Madrid as an outstanding woman in Science.
Email: ana.ramirez@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00, ext. 102
Members
Dr. Marta Gómez de Cedrón Cardeñosa
Senior postdoctoral researcher
PhD in Molecular Biology (UAM, 2004), Marta Gómez de Cedrón currently focuses her scientific career in the study of metabolic alterations in cancer, as well as in the identification of new treatments and biomarkers in cancer patients. Her PhD training was performed at the National Centre of Biotechnology (CNB-UAM-CSIC).
In 2005, she obtained a postdoctoral Fullbright Grant and she moved to the Institute for Biological Sciences (IBS-NRC) in Canada at Danica Stanimirovic’s lab to investigate the role of Grb7 mutants in angiogenesis in
glioblastomas. From 2006-2013, she joined Dr. Marcos Malumbres’ group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) investigating the role of mir203 (mouse models for depletion (cKO) and overexpression
(iKI) in skin cancer and leukaemias. She also investigated the regulation of cell cycle regulators by microRNAs. In 2013, she joined the Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group (Precision Nutrition and
Cancer), to study cell metabolism alterations and metabolites implicated in pathophysiological processes in chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cancer. More than fifteen years of experience as a researcher in various fields of science: cancer, cell metabolism, cell cycle, microRNAs, bioactive compounds, lipid metabolism, precision nutrition ..., from cell culture to animal models and human clinical trials, being the author of more than 25 scientific publications including book chapters. She also participates in the scientific dissemination and the training of undergraduate, master’s and predoctoral students.
Email: marta.gomezdecedron@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00, ext. 210
Dr. Lara P. Fernández Álvarez
Postdoctoral researcher
Lara P. Fernández Álvarez, obtained her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Spain, in 2009. Her thesis focused on the characterization of genetic susceptibility to malignant melanoma. Since 2010, she had conducted postdoctoral research at the Molecular and Cell Biology of the Thyroid group in the Biomedical Research Institute (IIBm-CSIC-UAM), in Madrid. In December 2014 she joined IMDEA Molecular Oncology Cancer Group where her research is focused on the study of molecular biomarkers of cancer risk, prognostic factors and resistance to treatment. She has a solid and multidisciplinary professional experience in Cancer biology, Cancer Susceptibility, Oncology, Melanoma, Human Genetics and Molecular Endocrinology. Additionally, she has published more than twenty research articles in international journals, thirteen of them as first author.
Email: lara.fernandez@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00, ext. 212
Jorge Martínez Romero
Predoctoral researcher
Jorge Martínez Romero is currently working on his Doctoral Thesis at the IMDEA Food Institute’s Molecular Oncology Group, after completing the Diploma in Human Nutrition, the Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and a Masters in Agricultural Chemistry and Novel Foods from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2014). He holds a Bachelor of Economics Science ICADE E-2 degree from Pontificia University of Comillas (1989), and has led several companies related to the manufacture and assembly of machinery for the food industry. He currently combines his work in the field of research with his business administration.
Email: jorge.martinez@imdea.org
Silvia Cruz Gil
Predoctoral researcher
Silvia Cruz Gil obtained her Biochemistry Degree at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2013. During the last two years of her degree she collaborated with the Biochemistry II Department at Pharmacy School in Universidad Complutense de Madrid studying the molecular biology of hepatocellular carcinoma. Later, she continued her training by obtaining a Master in Molecular Biosciences at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2014. Meanwhile, Silvia joined ALGENEX (Alternative Gene Expression S.L.) in association with I.N.I.A. (National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology) for an internship. During this period she worked in the development of vectored vaccines. In October 2014, she started studies conductive to her PhD Degree at IMDEA Food Institute in the Molecular Oncology Group. Her research primarily focuses on the role of the lipid metabolism in tumor progression. In April 2016 she obtained a Boehringer Ingelheim Travel Grant to perform a short research stage in the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus(Dresden, Germany) to learn organoids technique under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Stange. Her thesis oral defense will be held at the beginning of 2019 titled “Lipid metabolism alterations in colorectal cancer: potential clinical relevance in the prognosis of the disease”.
Email: silvia.cruz@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00
Adriana Quijada Freire
Research Assistant
Adriana Quijada obtained her degree in Sanitary Biology at the University of Alcalá. She completed her Master’s degree on Immunology at the University Complutense de Madrid. In February of 2016, she joined the group of Antigenic Processing, at the National Centre for Microbiology (ISCIII), where she did her degree and master’s research projects. During this time, she carried out different research lines about viral immunology and antigenic processing and presentation. Here, she contributed to preliminary studies about in vivo monitoring of the human respiratory sincityal virus infection and the improving of techniques and procedures increasing the presentation of viral ligands on the surface of the cells and their detection with mass spectrometry. Currently, Adriana works in Dr. Moisés Laparra’s group of Molecular Immunonutrition at IMDEA Food focused immunonutritional strategies for a selective modulation of the neuro-immune axis and its impact in cognitive function.
Email: adriana.quijada@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00
Maria Elena Rodríguez
Senior researcher and Head of Research Line in Thyroid Cancer
Dr. Maria ER Garcia-Rendueles' career has been devoted to investigating thyroid tumorigenesis and tumor progression by using multidisciplinary genetic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to understand the functional consequences of the key drivers of the disease. She has been focused on identifying potential targets and new approaches based on this dependency on new therapies. She obtained her Ph.D. with honors in 2011 by Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. In 2012, she received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Ministry of Education of Spain and joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, where she was promoted to Research Associate in 2016. She has published in highest impact journals, including Cancer Discovery, JCI, Oncogene, or Clinical Cancer Research. She joined IMDEA in June 2020 as an independent investigator where she continues investigating the pathogenesis and the biology of thyroid cancers to identify new molecular-based therapies, under the funding of a Talento’s Fellowship.
Email: mariaelena.rodriguez@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00
Students
Sara Garrido Galand
María Victoria Martínez
María Fernández Valero
| most relevant publications |
|
| main research grants |
|
Principal Investigator: Ana Ramírez de Molina Project Title: Formulacion de productos alimentarios para la prevencion y el tratamiento Dirigido de enfermedades crónicas relacionadas con el metabolismo. (FORCHRONIC) ___________ Participant Investigator: Ana Ramírez de Molina ___________ Participant Investigator: Ana Ramírez de Molina ___________ Participant Investigator: Manuel Fernández Rojo ___________ |
