The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) has been awarded three highly competitive grants from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI), corresponding to two Ramón y Cajal contracts and one Juan de la Cierva contract. This recognition reflects the quality of the research carried out at the center and its ability to attract, foster, and project scientific talent. It also promotes the participation and leadership of women in science, a strategic priority that IR Sant Pau actively advances to move toward more diverse and inclusive research.
The Ramón y Cajal grants are aimed at researchers with an outstanding scientific track record. They make it possible both to recruit new profiles and to advance the careers of those already working at centers of excellence, fostering the development of independent lines of research. For their part, the Juan de la Cierva grants support postdoctoral specialization and strengthen the progression of early-career researchers within groups with strong training capacity.
In this context, IR Sant Pau welcomes Dr. Dora Koller through a Ramón y Cajal grant. Dr. Koller is an interdisciplinary researcher whose profile combines genomics, pharmacogenetics, precision medicine, and computational analysis. Her international career, which includes an extended period at Yale University (United States), has focused on identifying complex genetic relationships between physical conditions—such as endometriosis or chronic pain—and psychiatric disorders. She has an extensive national and international collaboration network and plays a prominent role as a lead analyst in major reference consortia, such as the Women’s Health Initiative and the Chronic Pain Genomics Consortium.
Dr. Koller has led pioneering studies that provide an integrated view of mental and physical health. Her expertise in pharmacogenetics platforms and advanced analytical methods represents a strategic boost for the development of new personalized medicine approaches at IR Sant Pau. Dr. Koller will join the Perinatal and Women’s Medicine Group, led by Dr. Elisa Llurba.
The second Ramón y Cajal grant has been awarded to Dr. Marta Cano Català, who was already conducting her scientific work at IR Sant Pau and who, through this grant, strengthens her career trajectory at the center. Dr. Cano is a recognized expert in neuroimaging applied to affective disorders, with a particular interest in the mechanisms of action of rapid-acting antidepressant treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Her research has made it possible to identify structural and functional biomarkers that improve understanding of therapeutic response, opening new avenues toward precision psychiatry. Her participation in international consortia such as GEMRIC and ENIGMA helps position IR Sant Pau as a reference center in the field of clinical neuroimaging. Dr. Cano will join the Mental Health Group, led by Dr. Maria J. Portella.
Meanwhile, the Juan de la Cierva grant has been awarded to Dr. Estela Rosell Mases, a new addition to the research group in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, led by Dr. Dídac Mauricio. This contract allows her to strengthen her scientific profile and contribute to a line of work with a strong translational component. Dr. Rosell’s research will focus on evaluating the role of molecules derived from the gut microbiota in metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in in vitro and in vivo experimental models and in human cohorts.
The awarding of these three grants underscores IR Sant Pau’s commitment to scientific excellence, personalized medicine, mental health, translational research, and the promotion of female talent in science. All the beneficiaries are early-career researchers who help strengthen the presence of women in traditionally underrepresented fields, a priority aspect of the center’s strategy to foster equal opportunities and ensure more competitive and equitable research. Through competitive programs such as those of the AEI, IR Sant Pau continues to reinforce its role within the biomedical ecosystem and to generate impactful knowledge to improve people’s health.
