The Myelodysplastic Neoplasia Group, led by Dr. Irene Gañán, is looking for a candidate to carry out the doctoral thesis for the 26 / 27 academic year.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are genetically heterogeneous hematologic malignancies associated with aging and with the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia. MDS arise with the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells with genetic and / or cytogenetic alterations in the bone marrow. Proliferation of aberrant cell clones induces ineffective differentiation, which in turn results in peripheral blood cytopenias.
MDS patients have low survival rates due to their limited therapeutic options and the fact that these, for the most part, are not curative. Among the reasons for the historical lack of effective therapies against MDS are their great genetic heterogeneity and an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate the survival and expansion of MDS stem cells.
Our group, integrated in the Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra, investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to the development of MDS, therapy failure and disease progression. To do so, we take a comprehensive approach, allowing us to put the mechanisms intrinsic to hematopoietic stem cells in context with the extrinsic mechanisms that enable their survival and expansion, using multidisciplinary methods and state-of-the-art techniques.
Impact of our research
Currently, the only curative therapy for MDS is bone marrow stem cell transplantation, for which only a small percentage of patients are candidates. Existing therapeutic alternatives for the remaining patients can correct the symptomatology in about half of them, but have a short‑lasting effect and the appearance of resistance is associated with a very rapid progression of the disease. Characterization of the global spectrum of hematopoietic stem cell alterations and other cell lineages that lead to the onset, maintenance and progression of MDS will allow the identification of targets for the development of new therapies that can eliminate aberrant cells and prevent or slow disease progression.
Last publications
* https : / / pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / 40569167 /
* https : / / pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / 40216768 /
* https : / / pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / 35241842 /
* https : / / pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / 38499526 /
The Myelodysplastic Neoplasia Group, led by Dr. Irene Gañán, is seeking a creative, ambitious and highly motivated candidate to join as a PhD student. The candidate will join a highly collaborative environment with the opportunity to apply cutting‑edge genomic technologies in the field of Hematology Oncology. The work will be in permanent collaboration with an interactive international team of basic and translational researchers and in collaboration with the Computational Biology Program at CIMA.
The candidate must have a University degree in Sciences (Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Biotechnology…) with at least 8 / 10 marks (for studies outside of Spain, we would need the equivalent marks through https : / / universidades.sede.gob.es / pagina / index / directorio / Equivalencia_notas_medias / language / en ). Moreover, the candidate must be currently enrolled in a Master's program that grants access to doctoral studies, with a planned completion date of September / October 2026, or already completed in 2025.
Knowledge on Computational Biology / Bioinformatics will be valued.
Include: CV, motivational letter and University degree marks / equivalent marks.
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