My career revolves around the application of bioinformatics tools to biological problems. My Ph.D. was about the study of the protein structure principles underlying function, a work that I extended during my stay at the NIH (1993-1997) and the UCL (1997-2000). This topic is at the core of my subsequent activities as ICREA researcher (PCB, 2001-2009; IBMB-CSIC, 2009-2012), although it has gradually evolved towards the study of pathological mutations. In 2012, I joined the Institute of Research at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital (VHIR), to increase the applicability of our work, and bring it closer to healthcare professionals and patients. As part of this effort, we are trying to involve all stakeholders in the health system, including companies.

Research interests

Since we joined the Institute of Research of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, our first goal has been the understanding of the molecular-level processes underlying disease, focusing on the impact that sequence variants have on protein structure and function. Our approach is computational and aims at the obtention of predictive models that summarize large amounts of biological information. We are making a real effort to translate our results into actual improvements in patient care, working together with hospital teams involved in molecular medicine. In the last year (2018), we have made significant advances in understanding the functional effect of BRCA1/2 protein variants underlying hereditary breast and ovarian cancers.