Biography

Esteban Ballestar started his research career at the University of Valencia, Spain, where he obtained his PhD in 1997, under the supervision of Luis Franco. He continued as a postdoctoral researcher in Alan Wolffe’s laboratory in the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA. On returning to Spain, he became senior scientist in Manel Esteller’s lab at the Spanish National Cancer Centre (CNIO) in Madrid, Spain. In 2008 he became senior group leader at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain.  In 2019, he moved his group to the IJC.

Dr Ballestar’s research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying the deposition and removal of epigenetic modifications in immune cells, the influence of genetic and environmental determinants, and the acquisition of epigenetic defects in immune-related disease including primary immunodeficiencies, autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. His group also investigates the impact of the epigenetic regulation of immune cells in the microtumour environment.