In our Programme, we seek to understand, the mechanisms underlying tumour initiation and treatment response at the molecular level. We work with the firm conviction that innovative ideas about fundamental concepts are key drivers of the development of novel cancer therapies.
Óscar Fernández-Capetillo
The Molecular Oncology Programme (MOP) at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) focuses on basic research into several fundamental aspects of molecular oncology, with the ultimate goal of developing innovative therapies for cancer patients.
Our Programme has been at CNIO since its inception and has continuously hosted leading scientists at the forefront of their respective fields. At present, the MOP comprises seven senior research groups covering a wide range of topics in cancer research such as telomere biology (Maria Blasco), DNA topology and repair (Felipe Cortés), DNA replication (Juan Méndez), chromosome cohesion (Ana Losada), nutrition and growth factor signalling (Nabil Djouder), chemical biology (Gonçalo Bernardes) and genomic instability (Óscar Fernández-Capetillo). Over the years, our groups have made multiple pioneering discoveries in areas such as unravelling fundamental aspects of cancer cell transformation, identifying new targets for cancer therapy as well as drugs to target them, developing novel mouse models of cancer and other age-related pathologies, etc. In addition, our Programme has trained numerous young scientists, some of whom have gone on to hold leading roles in the academia and industry.
The MOP is a highly interdisciplinary and cooperative Programme, with most of our research lines engaging multiple additional groups within CNIO as well as national and international collaborations with both academic and industrial partners. While our focus is on basic research, we have a strong conviction that novel therapies emerge principally from novel ideas and unexplored hypotheses. Paraphrasing the words of Nobel Laureate Sidney Brenner: “We are drowning in a sea of data, yet starving for knowledge”.