Jury
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.
Andreea Ciudin
Principal Investigator at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and Unit Coordinator at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital
A specialist in Endocrinology and Nutrition, and a medical doctor with a PhD from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, her research focuses on the impact of obesity on health. In addition to her research and clinical work at Vall d’Hebron, she is an associate professor at the UAB, a member of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO), and co-chair of the Obesity Management Working Group of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), contributing to advancements in obesity treatment at an international level.
María Mittelbrunn
Tenured Scientist and Laboratory Director at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBM-CSIC-UAM)
After earning her PhD in Biomedicine, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), the University of Oviedo, and the Curie Institute in Paris, as well as a principal investigator at the 12 de Octubre Hospital. An expert in immunology, her research focuses on the relationship between the immune system, inflammation, and aging. She currently leads the Immunometabolism and Inflammation Laboratory at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBM-CSIC-UAM) in Madrid and is a Tenured Scientist at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
President of Fundación Occident
Secretary and spokesperson of the Jury