I am a physician-scientist and a surgeon by training. My interest in translational cancer research lead me to a postdoctoral stay with Dr. Manuel Perucho the years 1989 and 1990. Back to Spain I spent 8 years at the Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory at the Hospital de Sant Pau where I focused on the molecular basis of pancreatic and colorectal cancer with an special interest in hereditary cancer. Accordingly I was awarded the Accreditation in Human Genetics in 2004. Since 1998 I work at the Catalan Institute of Oncology where I launched the Translational Research Laboratory which I directed until 2011. Since 2010 I am serving as Director of the Hereditary Cancer Program where my practice focuses in high risk cancer syndromes. The Hereditary Cancer Program includes three Cancer Genetics Unit in L’Hospitalet, Badalona and Girona and a Diagnostic Laboratory that covers a population of 2.5 M patients.  My research projects focus in Lynch Syndrome and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. I have paid attention to the development of novel technologies for genetic analysis with an emphasis in improving diagnostic algorithms. In fact, we pioneered the implementation of cancer genetics units and molecular testing of hereditary cancer in Spain. In the last years we have paid more attention to the role of epigenetics as well as the functional characterization of variants of unknown origin. Also, our group has done interesting work in Patient-derived xenografts orthotopically implanted in nude mice from GI cancer and used them to gain insight into the molecular basis of cancer. While most of my current work is in colorectal cancer I have also worked in pancreatic and gastric cancer. My major contributions in translational research include the introduction of standard or highly sensitive technologies novel technologies for mutation detection and the functional characterization of variants. I am coauthor of more than 220 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Now, I am member of the Board of the RTICC (National Network for the Study of Cancer) where I coordinate the Program of Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer. I have been Scientific Director of the Catalan Institute of Oncology and of the  IDIBELL Research Institute. Finally I am co-founder of a spinoff VCN Biosciences aimed at the development of oncolytic therapies.   For the last three years I have served as Vice Director of Research and Innovation at the Department of Health

I am a physician-scientist and a surgeon by training. My interest in translational cancer research lead me to a postdoctoral stay with Dr. Manuel Perucho the years 1989 and 1990. Back to Spain I spent 8 years at the Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory at the Hospital de Sant Pau where I focused on the molecular basis of pancreatic and colorectal cancer with an special interest in hereditary cancer. Accordingly I was awarded the Accreditation in Human Genetics in 2004. Since 1998 I work at the Catalan Institute of Oncology where I launched the Translational Research Laboratory which I directed until 2011. Since 2010 I am serving as Director of the Hereditary Cancer Program where my practice focuses in high risk cancer syndromes. The Hereditary Cancer Program includes three Cancer Genetics Unit in L’Hospitalet, Badalona and Girona and a Diagnostic Laboratory that covers a population of 2.5 M patients.  My research projects focus in Lynch Syndrome and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. I have paid attention to the development of novel technologies for genetic analysis with an emphasis in improving diagnostic algorithms. In fact, we pioneered the implementation of cancer genetics units and molecular testing of hereditary cancer in Spain. In the last years we have paid more attention to the role of epigenetics as well as the functional characterization of variants of unknown origin. Also, our group has done interesting work in Patient-derived xenografts orthotopically implanted in nude mice from GI cancer and used them to gain insight into the molecular basis of cancer. While most of my current work is in colorectal cancer I have also worked in pancreatic and gastric cancer. My major contributions in translational research include the introduction of standard or highly sensitive technologies novel technologies for mutation detection and the functional characterization of variants. I am coauthor of more than 220 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Now, I am member of the Board of the RTICC (National Network for the Study of Cancer) where I coordinate the Program of Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer. I have been Scientific Director of the Catalan Institute of Oncology and of the  IDIBELL Research Institute. Finally I am co-founder of a spinoff VCN Biosciences aimed at the development of oncolytic therapies.   For the last three years I have served as Vice Director of Research and Innovation at the Department of Health