November 20, 2024. The idea developed by Dr. Esteller, ICREA Research Professor at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and Professor of Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Barcelona, is a project known as SpaceCUP, which involves analyzing the human transcriptome in paraffin-embedded histological sections. Embedding tissue samples in parafin is a commonly used methodology in pathology services at hospitals. The project focuses on patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP).

This research has enabled the creation of a molecular signature that predicts the origin of these enigmatic metastases. The goal is to better characterize the type of tumor affecting these patients, improving their treatment, quality of life, and survival rates. The Sarah Jennifer Knott Foundation, sponsor of the study and led by Tanya Knott, has also been awarded for the work.

Dr. Manel Esteller earned his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Barcelona, where he also completed his PhD specializing in the molecular genetics of endometrial carcinoma. He conducted postdoctoral and associate research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, USA), studying DNA methylation and its connection to cancer. He led the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid before returning to Catalonia in 2008 to direct the Cance Epigenetics and ¡Biology Program (PEBC) at the Bellvitge Biomedical Campus. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the Director of the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC) under the framework of Catalonia’s Research Centers (CERCA). Dr. Esteller’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of how epigenetic alterations contribute to human diseases, particularly cancer. It has also led to the development of biomarkers and new treatments for these conditions.