Manel Esteller

Manel Esteller

Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras

Life & Medical Sciences

Manel Esteller (Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 1968) graduated in Medicine with Honours from the Universitat de Barcelona in 1992, where he also obtained his PhD degree in molecular genetics in 1996. He was an Invited Researcher at the School of Biological and Medical Sciences at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland, UK). From 1997 to 2001, He was a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University and School of Medicine (Baltimore, USA) where he established promoter hypermethylation of tumour suppressor genes as a hallmark of all human tumours. From Oct. 2001 to Sept. 2008 he was CNIO Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory’s leader. Since Oct. 2008 until May 2019, he was the Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC) at the Bellvitge biomedical campus. He is currently Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) and Chairman of Genetics in the School of Medicine of the UB.

Research interests

-Definition of the Epigenome and Epitranscriptome of Cancer Cells: Profile of DNA methylation and histone modifications in tumor suppressor genes and repetitive sequences in cancer. Global and gene-specific definition of aberrant epigenetic changes and functional consequences in transcription regulation, DNA repair and chromosome instability. -Study of the Epigenetics and Epitranscriptomics Machinery and Mechanisms: Role and function of DNA and RNA methyltransferases, specificity of methyl-CpG binding domain proteins (the nuclear factors that recognize DNA methylation), analysis of biological properties of histone deacetylases and methyltransferases (enzymes that modify histones). -Study of Mutations in the Epigenetic Machinery: The mechanisms underlying the disruption of the epigenetic landscape in transformed cells are unknown. -Study of the Epigenetic and Genetic Disruption of Non-Coding RNAs in Human Cancer. -Characterization of the Epitranscriptome in Human Diseases.

Selected publications

- Garcia-Prieto CA, Villanueva L, Bueno-Costa A, Davalos V, [...], Besser MJ, Avigdor A, Jacoby E, Esteller M 2022, 'Epigenetic Profiling and Response to CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy in B-Cell Malignancies', Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 114, 3, 436-445.

- Rosselló-Tortella M, Bueno-Costa A, Martínez-Verbo L, Villanueva L & Esteller M 2022, 'DNA methylation-associated dysregulation of transfer RNA expression in human cancer', Molecular Cancer, 21, 1, 48.

- Pontel LB, Bueno-Costa A, Morellato AE, Carvalho Santos J, Roué G & Esteller M 2022, 'Acute lymphoblastic leukemia necessitates GSH-dependent ferroptosis defenses to overcome FSP1-epigenetic silencing'Redox Biology, 55, 102408.

- Davalos V et al. 2022, 'Epigenetic profiling linked to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): A multicenter, retrospective study', EClinical, 50, 101515.

- Bueno-Costa A, Piñeyro D, García-Prieto CA, Ortiz-Barahona V, Martinez-Verbo L, Webster NA, Andrews B, Kol N, Avrahami C, Moshitch-Moshkovitz S, Rechavi G & Esteller M 2022, 'Remodeling of the m6A RNA landscape in the conversion of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells to macrophages', Leukemia, 36, 8, 2121-2124.

- Joshi RS, Rigau M, García-Prieto CA, Castro de Moura M, Piñeyro D, Moran S, Davalos V, Carrión P, Ferrando-Bernal M, Olalde I, Lalueza-Fox C, Navarro A, Fernández-Tena C, Aspandi D, Sukno FM, Binefa X, Valencia A & Esteller M 2022, 'Look-alike humans identified by facial recognition algorithms show genetic similarities', Cell Reports, 40, 8, 111257.

Selected research activities

Advisory Board Member of Faculty Opinions

Award “Constantes y Vitales” for Scientific Career in Biomedical Research by AXA Foundation and Atresmedia

Scientific Advisory Board, Chair Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Landmark Article in Cancer Research by AACR and National Cancer Act

Top 500 World Scientists Google Scholar by National Research Council (CSIC)

Top 0.001% World Scientist by Stanford University