Manel Esteller ( Sant Boi de Llobregat,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, 1968) graduated in Medicine from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities i ...

in 1992, where he also obtained his doctorate, specializing in the

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

of endometrial carcinoma, in 1996. He was an invited researcher at the School of Biological and Medical Sciences at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, during which time his research interests focused on the molecular genetics of inherited breast cancer. Manel Esteller is the director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC) of the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), leader of the Cancer Epigenetics Group, professor of

Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

in the

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

of the University of Barcelona, and research professor at the

Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies ICREA, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, is a foundation jointly promoted by the Catalan Government through its Department of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise, and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) ...

(ICREA). He is also the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the peer-reviewed journal ''

Epigenetics In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are "o ...

''.

Current work

Esteller works in the field of

epigenetics In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are "o ...

of health and disease. Starting from identical

genetic sequence A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases signified by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. By convention, sequences are usua ...

s, changes in

histone In biology, histones are highly basic proteins abundant in lysine and arginine residues that are found in eukaryotic cell nuclei. They act as spools around which DNA winds to create structural units called nucleosomes. Nucleosomes in turn are wr ...

modifications and

DNA methylation DNA methylation is a biological process by which methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule. Methylation can change the activity of a DNA segment without changing the sequence. When located in a gene promoter, DNA methylation typically acts t ...

can produce organisms with different features and distinct susceptibility to sickness. An example is

monozygotic twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

. To have a complete picture of what is going on with the epigenetic tapestry of our cells, Esteller has advocated the development of a comprehensive

Human Epigenome Project Human Epigenome Project (HEP) is a multinational science project, with the stated aim to "identify, catalog, and interpret genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of all human genes in all major tissues". It is financed by government funds as well as ...

(HEP) to map all the epigenetic marks in our genetic material. This could have a huge impact in

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

patients, because

malignant cells Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse. Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...

have a profound dysregulation of DNA methylation and histone modification patterns. The good news is that the first pharmacological compounds to "restore" the normal epigenetic landscapes are starting to emerge. Esteller edited the book "DNA Methlyation: Approaches, Methods and Applications" - in the book, he attempts to explain to readers how DNA methylation plays a role in disease, particularly the role in cancer. He also summarizes a lot of research from clinical trials and other research that has been done on DNA methylation in the human body to provide readers with many different point of views concerning the topic. "Epigenetics in biology and medicine" is another book in which Esteller explained the main principles of epigenetics, new discoveries in the field, and how they can be applied functionally. He has examined the relationship between epigenetics and "disease, genetic syndromes, immunity, cardiovascular disease, and epigenomics."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esteller, Manel Spanish geneticists Living people 1968 births University of Barcelona alumni