The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) is incorporating Dr. Manel Esteller, an ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) researcher and one of the world’s most renowned scientists in the fields of epigenetics and oncology, to lead a new research group.
Dr. Esteller is an internationally recognized figure in epigenetics and oncology. His pioneering work has been instrumental in understanding how epigenetic mechanisms—processes that regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence—affect the development of cancer and other complex diseases.
The addition of Dr. Esteller strengthens IR Sant Pau’s critical mass of scientific talent and will drive research in areas such as applied epigenetics, translational oncology, and personalized medicine. His leadership and experience in building international networks will help attract competitive funding and top-tier researchers, positioning the center as a European benchmark in biomedical research.
This initiative is part of IR Sant Pau’s strategy to attract and retain scientific talent in the country. It is also a specific strategy approved by the IR Sant Pau Board of Trustees to encourage the recruitment and integration of ICREA researchers. It also aims to provide environments of excellence that enable top-level careers to flourish without the need to move abroad. In doing so, the center reaffirms its commitment to scientific progress and to Catalonia’s development in this strategic sector.
ICREA is an institution created by the Government of Catalonia to bring internationally leading researchers into the Catalan scientific system through a highly competitive, excellence-based selection process. Incorporating an ICREA researcher into a center is a mark of quality, leadership, and international projection.
With this step, IR Sant Pau consolidates its position within the CERCA system and reinforces its strategy to become a leading node in Catalonia’s public biomedical research landscape.
With more than 640 scientific publications and over 150,000 citations, Dr. Esteller is the most cited Catalan biomedical scientist and one of the most influential researchers worldwide. In the 2024 Stanford/Elsevier ranking, he is listed among the Top 2% of scientists worldwide. According to Research.com (2025 edition), he ranks first in Spain in medicine and second in genetics in the same edition. Research.com has also awarded him the “Medicine in Spain Leader Award 2025” and the “Genetics in Spain Leader Award 2025.”
Over more than two decades of career, he has directed the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program (PEBC) at IDIBELL (2008–2019) and later the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) (2019–2024). He is a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia and the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, among other scientific institutions.
Among his many distinctions, he has received the King Jaime I Award for Basic Research (2013), the National Research Award of Catalonia (2015), the Josep Trueta Medal for Health Merit (2015), and the Royal National Academy of Medicine Award (2024).
