Manel Esteller Badosa

Manel Esteller Badosa

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

- Ortiz-Barahona V, Soler M, Davalos V, García-Prieto CA, Janin M, Setien F, Fernández-Rebollo I, Bech-Serra JJ, De La Torre C, Guil S, Villanueva A, Zhang PH, Yang L, Guarnacci M, Schumann U, Preiss T, Balaseviciute U, Montal R, Llovet JM, Esteller M 2023, 'Epigenetic inactivation of the 5-methylcytosine RNA methyltransferase NSUN7 is associated with clinical outcome and therapeutic vulnerability in liver cancer', Molecular Cancer 22, 1, 83.
- Davalos V, Lovell C, Von Itter R, Dolgalev I, Agrawal P, Baptiste G, Kahler D, Sokolova E, Moran S, Pique L, Vega-Sáenz de Miera EC, Fontanals B, Karz A, Tsirigos A, Yun C, Darvishian F, Etchevers H, Osman I, Schober M, Esteller M, Hernando-Monge E 2023, 'An epigenetic switch controls the expression of an alternative NR2F2 isoform that unleashes a pro-metastatic program in melanoma', Nature Communications, 14, 1, 1867.
- Salz L, Seitz A, Schaefer D,  Franzen J, Holzer T, Garcia-Prieto CA, Bürger I, Hardt O, Esteller M, Wagner W 2023, 'Culture expansion of CAR T cells results in aberrant DNA methylation that is associated with adverse clinical outcome', Leukemia 37, 9, 1868-1878.
- Pham VN, Bruemmer KJ, Toh JDW, Ge EJ, Tenney L, Ward CC, Dingler FA, Millington CL, Garcia-Prieto CA, Pulos-Holmes MC, Ingolia NT, Pontel LB, Esteller M, Patel KJ, Nomura DK & Chang CJ 2023, 'Formaldehyde regulates S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis and one-carbon metabolism', Science, 382,6670.
- Solá P, Mereu E, Bonjoch J, Casado-Peláez M, Prats N, Aguilera M, Reina O, Blanco E, Esteller M, Di Croce L, Heyn H, Solanas G, Benitah SA 2023, 'Targeting lymphoid-derived IL-17 signaling to delay skin aging', Nature Aging 3, 688-704.

Selected research activities

Admirable Award in Research by Diario Medico;
Elected Member Royal European Academy of Doctors;
“Jané Mateu Foundation” Award;
Prize “Rafael Hervada” for Biomedical Research