Breast Cancer Clinical Research Unit

Miguel Angel Quintela Head of Clinical Research Unit
T +34 917328000 (Ext 2930)
mquintela@cnio.es

Research Scientists

Clinical Research Fellow

Desirée Jiménez

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Elena Blázquez
Nuria Moreno

Graduate Students

Gozeel Binte

Technicians

Carmen González
Verónica Jiménez
Aída Morillas
Manuel Muñoz

The Breast Cancer Clinical Research Unit (BCCRU) focuses on the translational interface of therapeutic development. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and, thus, there are large inter-patient variations in terms of disease course, prognosis, relapse, and resistance to conventional or targeted therapeutics. Our activities are directed towards personalised treatment and range from preclinical models to correlative studies and clinical trials.

Our current research areas are to:

Study the implications of hypoxia for immunotherapies.
Understand the individual factors regulating response to immunotherapy in breast cancer, taking advantage of an advanced, personalised “tumouroid” platform.
Tackle mechanisms of resistance against novel therapies in advanced breast cancer.
Incorporate our findings into concept-driven clinical trials.
Develop the new discipline of High-Definition Oncology.

Publications

Garma LD, Quintela-Fandino M. (2024). Applicability of epigenetic age models to next-generation methylation arrays. Genome Med 16, 116. CNIO Publication.
Quintela-Fandino M, Bermejo B, Zamora E, Moreno F, Garcia-Saenz JÁ, Pernas S, Martinez Jañez N, Jiménez D, Adrover E, Andrés R, Mourón S, Bueno MJ, Manso L, Viñas G, Alba E, Llombart-Cussac A, Cortes J, Tebar C, Roe DJ, Grant A, Watson A, Colomer R, Mouneimne G. (2024). High mechanical conditioning by tumor extracellular matrix stiffness is a predictive biomarker for anti-fibrotic therapy in HER2-negative breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res 30, 5094-5104. CNIO Publication.
Nikouei K, Garma L, Memic F, Hjerling-Leffler J, Goldschmidt E. (2024). Interhemispheric axonal sprouting occurs after pial removal in mice.. Sci Rep 14, 24765. CNIO Publication.
Garma LD, Osório NS. (2024). Demystifying dimensionality reduction techniques in the ‘omics’ era: A practical approach for biological science students. Biochem Mol Biol Edu 52, 165-178. CNIO Publication.
Argerich J, Garma LD, López-Cano M, Álvarez-Montoya P, Gómez-Acero L, Fernández-Dueñas V, Muñoz-Manchado AB, Aso E, Boxer A, Andres-Benito P, Svenningsson P, Ciruela F. (2024). GPR37 processing in neurodegeneration: a potential marker for Parkinson’s Disease progression rate. npj Parkinsons Dis 10, 172. CNIO Publication.
Fernándes-Company JF, Quintela-Fandino MA, Sandnes V, García- Rodriguez M (2024). Influence of Music Therapy on the Improvement of Perceived Well-Being Indices in Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Hormonal Treatment. Am. J. Health Educ. (in press). CNIO Publication.
Martínez-Illescas NG, Leal S, González P, Graña-Castro O, Muñoz-Oliveira JJ, Cortés-Peña A, Gómez-Gil M, Vega Z, Neva V, Romero A, Quintela-Fandino M, Ciruelos E, Sanz C, Aragón S, Sotolongo L, Jiménez S, Caleiras E, Mulero F, Sánchez C, Malumbres M, Salazar-Roa M (2023). miR-203 drives breast cancer cell differentiation. Breast Cancer Res 25, 91. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Bueno MJ, Mouron S, Caleiras E, Martínez M, Manso L, Colomer R, Quintela-Fandino M. (2023). Distribution of PD-L1, TROP2 and HER2- “lowness” in early triple-negative breast cancer: an opportunity for treatment de-escalation. Clin Transl Oncol (in press). CNIO Publication. Open Access
Morales-Ortega A, Farfán-Sedano AI, Martín-López JVS, Escribá-Bárcena A, Jaenes-Barrios B, Madroñal-Cerezo E, Llarena-Barroso C, Mesa-Plaza N, Frutos-Pérez B, Ruiz-Giardín JM, Duarte-Millán MÁ, Piedrabuena-García SI, Carpintero-García L, Canalejo-Castrillero E, Mora-Hernández B, García-Parra CJ, Magro-García HA, Algaba-García A, Hernández-Muniesa B, Nasarre-López B, Ontañón-Nasarre A, Domínguez-García MJ, Gómez-Santos D, Prieto-Menchero S, García de Tena J, Bermejo F, García-Gil M, Gonzalo-Pascua S, Bernal-Bello D; COVINIB Study Group investigators. (2023). Baricitinib or imatinib in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: results from COVINIB, an exploratory randomized clinical trial. J Med Virol (in press). CNIO Publication.
Colomer R, Miranda J, Romero-Laorden N, Hornedo J, González-Cortijo L, Mouron S, Bueno MJ, Mondéjar R, Quintela-Fandino M. (2023). Usefulness and real-world outcomes of next generation sequencing testing in patients with cancer: an observational study on the impact of selection based on clinical judgement. EClinicalMedicine 60, 102029. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Mouron S, Bueno MJ, Lluch A, Manso L, Calvo I, Cortes J, Garcia-Saenz JA, Gil-Gil M, Martinez-Janez N, Apala JV, Caleiras E, Ximénez-Embún P, Muñoz J, Gonzalez-Cortijo L, Murillo R, Sánchez-Bayona R, Cejalvo JM, Gómez-López G, Fustero-Torre C, Sabroso-Lasa S, Malats N, Martinez M, Moreno A, Megias D, Malumbres M, Colomer R, Quintela-Fandino M (2022). Phosphoproteomic analysis of neoadjuvant breast cancer suggests that increased sensitivity to paclitaxel is driven by CDK4 and filamin A. Nat Commun 13, 7529. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Hühn D, Martí-Rodrigo P, Mouron S, Hansel C, Tschapalda K, Porebski B, Häggblad M, Lidemalm L, Quintela-Fandino M, Carreras-Puigvert J, Fernandez-Capetillo O. (2022). Prolonged estrogen deprivation triggers a broad immunosuppressive phenotype in breast cancer cells. Mol Oncol 16, 148-165. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Jimeno R, Mouron S, Salgado R, Loi S, Pérez-Mies B, Sánchez-Bayona R, Manso L, Martínez M, Garrido-García A, Serrano-Pardo R, Colomer R, Quintela-Fandino M (2022). Tumor P70S6K hyperactivation is inversely associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple-negative breast cancer. Clin Transl Oncol (in press). CNIO Publication. Open Access
Mestre-Farrera A, Bruch-Oms M, Peña R, Rodríguez-Morató J, Alba-Castellón L, Cormena L, Quintela-Fandino M, Duñach M, Baulida J, Pozo OJ, García de Herreros A (2021). Glutamine-Directed Migration of Cancer-Activated Fibroblasts Facilitates Epithelial Tumor Invasion. Cancer Res 81, 438-451. CNIO Publication.
Luna-Dulcey L, Almada da Silva J, Jimenez-Renard V, Caleiras E, Mouron S, Quintela-Fandino M, Cominetti MR. (2021). [6]-Gingerol-Derived Semi-Synthetic Compound SSi6 Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastatic Dissemination in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Xenograft Models. Cancers 13, 2855. CNIO Publication.
Mouron S, Manso L, Caleiras E, Rodriguez-Peralto JL, Rueda OM, Caldas C, Colomer R, Quintela-Fandino M, Bueno MJ. (2021). FGFR1 amplification or overexpression and hormonal resistance in luminal breast cancer: rationale for a triple blockade of ER, CDK4/6, and FGFR1. Breast Cancer Res 23, 21. CNIO Publication.
Bueno MJ, Ruiz-Sepulveda JL, Quintela-Fandino M (2021). Mitochondrial Inhibition: a Treatment Strategy in Cancer?. Curr Oncol Rep 23, 49. CNIO Publication.
Mouron S, Bueno MJ, Muñoz M, Quintela-Fandino M. (2021). Monitoring vascular normalization: new opportunities for mitochondrial inhibitors in breast cancer. Oncoscience 8, 1-13. CNIO Publication.
Quintela-Fandino M, Morales S, Cortés-Salgado A, Manso L, Apala JV, Muñoz M, Gasol Cudos A, Salla Fortuny J, Gion M, Lopez-Alonso A, Cortés J, Guerra J, Malón D, Caleiras E, Mulero F, Mouron S (2020). Randomized Phase 0/I Trial of the Mitochondrial Inhibitor ME-344 or Placebo Added to Bevacizumab in Early HER2-Negative Breast Cancer.. Clin Cancer Res 26, 35-45. CNIO Publication.
Moreno-Lama L, Galindo-Campos MA, Martínez C, Comerma L, Vazquez I, Vernet-Tomas M, Ampurdanés C, Lutfi N, Martin-Caballero J, Dantzer F, Quintela-Fandino M, Ali SO, Jimeno J, Yélamos J (2020). Coordinated signals from PARP-1 and PARP-2 are required to establish a proper T cell immune response to breast tumors in mice. Oncogene 39, 2835-2843. CNIO Publication.
Quintela-Fandino M, Holgado E, Manso L, Morales S, Bermejo B, Colomer R, Apala JV, Blanco R, Muñoz M, Caleiras E, Iranzo V, Martinez M, Dominguez O, Hornedo J, Gonzalez-Cortijo L, Cortes J, Gasol Cudos A, Malon D, Lopez-Alonso A, Moreno-Ortíz MC, Mouron S, Mañes S (2020). Immuno-priming durvalumab with bevacizumab in HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: a pilot clinical trial. Breast Cancer Res 22, 124. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Grunt TW, Slany A, Semkova M, Colomer R, López-Rodríguez ML, Wuczkowski M, Wagner R, Gerner C, Stübiger G (2020). Membrane disruption, but not metabolic rewiring, is the key mechanism of anticancer-action of FASN-inhibitors: a multi-omics analysis in ovarian cancer. Sci Rep 10, 14877. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Bueno MJ, Quintela-Fandino MA (2020). Emerging role of Fatty acid synthase in tumor initiation: implications for cancer prevention.. MOLECULAR & CELLULAR ONCOLOGY 7, 1709389. CNIO Publication.
Calvete O, Mouron S, Barroso A, Soberon N, Blasco MA , Quintela-Fandino M, Benítez J (2020). Long telomeres: A new prognostic factor for severity in triple-negative breast cancer patients. J Transl Sci (in press). CNIO Publication.
Colomer R, Mondejar R, Romero-Laorden N, Alfranca A, Sanchez-Madrid F, Quintela-Fandino M (2020). When should we order a next generation sequencing test in a patient with cancer?. EClinicalMedicine 25, 100487. CNIO Publication. Open Access