Graduated in Biology at the Universidad Complutense in 1991, I obtained my PhD in the laboratory of Antonio García-Bellido at the CBM-Severo Ochoa in 1995. In 1997, I joined the laboratory of Stephen M. Cohen at the EMBL-Heidelberg where I got a position as Staff Scientist. Since 2003, I am ICREA Research Professor at the IRB Barcelona leading the Development and Growth Control Laboratory. Since 2007, I am also Head of the Cell and Developmental Biology (2007-2018) and Mechanisms of Disease (2018-present) Programmes. I was Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore in 2010 and Lecturer at the University of Barcelona from 2021-23. I am member of the Disease, Models and Mechanisms editorial (2016-) and President of the European Drosophila Society. I am EMBO Young Investigator since 2007 and EMBO member since 2023. I have published 69 research articles, 9 reviews, and 14 dispatches as corresponding author and directed 16 PhD theses and 19 Master theses.
Research interests
A balanced gene complement is crucial for proper cell function. Aneuploidy, the condition of having an imbalanced chromosome set, alters the stoichiometry of gene copy numbers and protein complexes and has dramatic consequences at the cellular and organismal levels. In humans, aneuploidy is associated with different pathological conditions including miscarriages, aging, cancer, microcephaly and mental retardation. Our lab uses Drosophila to molecularly characterize the impact of aneuploidy at the cellular, tissue-wide and organismal levels. We have established an epithelial model of Chromosomal instability (CIN), a feature of most human epithelial tumors, to unravel a leading role of aneuploidy in the emergence of tumor-like behaviors like tissue invasiveness, senescence and malignancy. We are also interested in addressing the impact of aneuploidy in other tissue types and cells, including stem cells.
Selected publications
- Milán M 2025 “Chromosomal Instability in development and disease: beyond cancer evolution” Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 95 - 102537.
- Fusari E, Muzzopappa M, Gracia J & Milan M 2025, 'Depletion of aneuploid cells is shaped by cell-to-cell interactions', Cell genomics, 5 - 8 -100894.
Selected research activities
President of the European Drosophila Society
Member of the Cell Biology, Developmental Biology and Evolution Review Panel, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France)
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Institut Génétic Reproduction et Développement (iGReD, Clermont Ferrand, France)
Member of the Disease, Models and Mechanisms Editorial Board