Jury of the Research Awards Jesús Serra
Lina Badimon –
president of the jury
Scientific Director of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation for Health Promotion and Innovation (FICSI)
Internationally recognized for her contributions to the study of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease, her research focuses on atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and ischemic diseases. She is the Director of the UNESCO Chair in Biomedical Sciences Training and Research and Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). She has authored over 490 publications in leading scientific journals, with an H-index of 69.
Arkaitz Carracedo
Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE)
After earning his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid, he completed postdoctoral training at MSKCC (New York) and BIDMC (Boston). In 2010, he established his own research line at CIC bioGUNE, focused on studying cancer cell metabolism. Since 2011, he has been an Ikerbasque Research Professor, an Associate Professor since 2012, and, as of 2024, a Distinguished Scientist at the University of the Basque Country. With 132 publications and the organization of international conferences, his work has been recognized and funded by major institutions, including three ERC projects from the European Research Council.
Borja Ibáñez
Scientific Director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC)
Holding a PhD in Medicine from the Autonomous University of Madrid, he combines his work at CNIC with his role as a cardiologist at the Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital and as a group leader at the CIBER for Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV). A specialist in myocardial diseases, his research focuses on acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cardiotoxicity associated with cancer treatments. His leadership as chair of the clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction by the European Society of Cardiology was instrumental in shaping strategies to combat heart attacks.
Pedro Mata
Founder and President of the Spanish Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation
A specialist in Internal Medicine, he served as Associate Chief of Internal Medicine at the Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital until 2013. His research focuses on the epidemiological, clinical, and molecular study of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). He is also President of the Ibero-American Network for Familial Hypercholesterolemia and was the director of the prospective cohort study on FH in Spain (SAFEHEART), a program designed to identify prognostic factors influencing the development of coronary artery disease and mortality in genetically diagnosed patients.
Mercedes Rincón
Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado
She holds a PhD in Biomedicine from the Autonomous University of Madrid and completed her postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine. A globally recognized immunologist, her research spans areas such as allergies, asthma, and arthritis, among others. She has published 168 articles in journals such as Science, Immunity, and Nature Communications, and has served on numerous panels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is the inventor of 8 patents and is also the co-founder of the startup Mitotherapeutix.
Guadalupe Sabio
Group Leader at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO)
She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Medical Research Council and worked as an associate researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (USA) before returning to Spain in 2009 with a Ramón y Cajal fellowship to study obesity-related diseases. In 2011, she joined CNIC as a principal investigator, and since 2024, she has led the Metabolic Disease Interaction Group at CNIO. Her research focuses on how metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation resulting from obesity trigger diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular conditions.
Jordi Mayneris Perxachs
Group leader at the Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IDIBGI)
With a PhD in Computational Chemistry from the University of Barcelona, he specialized in Systems Biology and Omics Sciences during postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Reading and Imperial College London. There, he investigated the cardioprotective effects of omega-3 fatty acids and the role of the microbiome in malnutrition. After leading projects at EURECAT on polyphenols and metabolic health, he joined the Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IDIBGI)) in 2019. Since 2024, he has led the Integrative Systems Medicine and Biology group, focusing his research on microbiota-brain communication, obesity, cognition, and mental and metabolic health.
Ana Belén Crujeiras
Group leader at the Santiago de Compostela Health Research Institute – Galician Health Service (IDIS-SERGAS)
With a Degree in Biology from the University of Santiago de Compostela and a PhD in Physiology and Nutrition from the University of Navarra, she leads the Epigenomics in Endocrinology and Nutrition group at theHealth Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) and at CIBER for the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn). She is a professor in the Endocrinology doctoral program at the USC, as well as an associate editor and member of several editorial committees. Her research analyzes how diet and nutritional status influence health through epigenetic mechanisms, particularly in obesity, cancer, and associated comorbidities.
President of Fundación Occident
Secretary and spokesperson of the Jury