Manel Esteller

A study co-led by the Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS in Barcelona presents a new methodology for studying the origin and evolution of cancer and predicting prognosis. This approach is based on the study of epigenetic DNA methylation signatures in the specific case of a type of leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The researchers, who publish their results in the journal Nature, suggest that the tool could also be applied generally to other tumors.

The Karolinska Institute has awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNAs, small RNA fragments that do not contain instructions for making proteins but instead participate in the regulation of gene expression. Their role is fundamental in processes such as cell differentiation, and their alteration can influence diseases like cancer.