Manel Esteller

Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge

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, Dr. Esteller was a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University and School of Medicine (Baltimore, USA) where he was decisive in establishing promoter hypermethylation of tumour suppressor genes as a common hallmark of all human tumours. From October 2001 to September 2008 he was CNIO Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory’s leader. Dr Esteller is Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC) of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and Chairman of Genetics at the School of Medicine in the University of Barcelona. He has been elected as Director of the Josep Carreras Research Institute (IJC).


Research interests

-Definition of the Epigenome 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 Machinery and Mechanisms: Role and function of DNA methyltransferases (enzymes that maintain DNA methylation), 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

– Duruisseaux M, Martínez-Cardús A,Calleja-Cervantes ME, Moran S, Castro de Moura M, Davalos V, Piñeyro D, Sanchez-Cespedes M, Girard N, BreveM, Giroux-Leprieur E, Dumenil C, Pradotto M, Bironzo P, Capelleto E, Novello S, Cortot A, Copin MC,…, Moran T, Perez L, Ramos I, Xiao Q, Fernandez AF, Fraga MF, Gut M, Gut I, Teixidó C, Vilariño N, Prat A, Reguart N, Benito A, Garrido P, Barragan I, Emile JF, Rosell R, Brambilla E & Esteller M 2018, ‘Epigenetic prediction of response to anti-PD-1 treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer: a multicenter, retrospective analysis’, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 6, 10, 771-781.

– Perez-Salvia M, Aldaba E, Vara Y, Fabre M, Ferrer C, Masdeu C, Zubia A, San Sebastian E, Otaegui D, Llinàs-Arias P, Rosselló-Tortella M, Berdasco M, Moutinho C, Setien F, Villanueva A, González-Barca E, Muncunill J, Navarro JT, Piris MA, Cossio FP & Esteller M 2018, ‘In vitro and in vivo activity of a new small-molecule inhibitor of HDAC6 in mantle cell lymphoma’. Haematologica, 103, 11,:e537-e540.

– Jorge-Torres OC, Szczesna K, Roa L, Casal C, Gonzalez-Somermeyer L, Soler M, Velasco CD, Martínez-San Segundo P, Petazzi P, Sáez MA, Delgado-Morales R, Fourcade S, Pujol A, Huertas D,  Llobet A, Guil S & Esteller M 2018, ‘Inhibition of Gsk3b reduces NFk-B signaling and rescues synaptic activity to improve the Rett syndrome phenotype in Mecp2-knockout mice’. Cell Reports, 23, 6, 1665-1677.

– Davalos V, Blanco S & Esteller M 2018, ‘SnapShot: Messenger RNA modifications’. Cell, 174 (2):498-498.e1.


Selected research activities

– Scientific Achievements Prize, Foundation for the Excellence in Oncology (ECO)

– Scientific Innovation Award Team in Clinical Research, Pfizer Foundation

– Innovation Health Award in Oncology by Celgene Endowment

– Award for the Best Science and Humanities Dissemination Activities by the Board of Trustees and the Doctors’ Senate of the University of Barcelona (UB)

– Highly Cited Researcher (Top 1% by Citations, Decade 2008-2018) by Clarivate Analytics