Gemma Fuster

My scientific career started during my Biotechnology and Experimental Biology master's degrees I collaborated with the Molec. Phys. of Membrane Proteins of the UB under the direction of Dr. Felipe. After that, I started working as a research technician in the Group of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Cancer of Dr. Argilés and Dr. López, where I finally carried out the thesis a year later (FPI). The results obtained in my doctoral thesis contributed to the establishment of new therapeutic approaches against pathologies or non-pathological states that involve protein hypercatabolism, analyzing the possible therapeutic use of the beta 2 adrenergic agonist Formoterol. My thesis was awarded the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. The data collected during this study about the use of Formoterol as an anti-cachexia drug in cancer and about the role played by PPARs in cachexia associated with cancer resulted in a patent (PCT/GB2008/001452) and two peer-reviewed articles (Fuster et al. Can Res 2007– and Busquets et al 2004, Can Res ). On the other hand, works derived from the doctoral thesis elucidated the role of the anabolic factor at muscular level IL15 in adipose tissue in both the TAB and in the TAM as a key element in the control of energy homeostasis. During my thesis, thanks to a mobility grant, I also had the opportunity to spend two months in the laboratory of Prof. Baccino, under the tutelage of Dr. Costelli (Universitá di Torino, Italia) and the results were published (Fuster et al., 2011 Lipids). Then I started my first postdoctoral stage in the group of CIBERes of the Hospital Parc Taulí (Sabadell) directed by Dr. Blanc and Dr. Artigas where I had the opportunity to actively collaborate with the group of Dr.Navajas and Dr. Farré and Dr. Jordi Alcaraz. 3 articles of great clinical relevance were published in Plos One, Intensive Care Medicine and Critical Care (Puig et al., 2013; López-Aguilar et al., 2010; Quílez et al., 2011 ). I started my second postdoctoral stage at Molecular and Oncology group at IDIBAPS, under Dr. Gascón supervision. In 2011, I have been awarded a Juan de la Cierva grant. In addition, in this period I have been certified as a lecturer from AQU and Contratado Doctor 8ANECA). I have been responsible for the progression of my project and I have directed 7 students during their master's thesis, and 2 PhD students. Results have been partially published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology and in Breast Cancer research, being myself as a senior author. Lastly, I have been focused on the study of the effects microenvironment, specifically which is related to the nervous system (SN), on the heterogeneity in breast cancer (BC), in the transition from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive (IDC) and also most recently in head and neck cancer (HNC). In fact, DCIS is a highly heterogeneous lesion and the evolution differs in each patient: some rapidly progress to IDC if untreated or undertreated, whereas other cases remain virtually unaltered for 5-20 years or never progress. Currently, my main objective is to better know pre-invasive lesions in BC and HNC and its microenvironment to improve the management of these lesions in cancer patients by defining the risk of each individual and so avoiding over/under-treatment of these patients. Part of this research has been performed at IDIBAPS and recently I moved to Universitat de Barcelona where I continue my scientific career.