Josipa Bilic Zimmermann holds a PhD in molecular biology and a title of University Expert in Project Management from La Salle, Ramon y Llull University. She has a broad international scientific background spanning cancer, stem cells and developmental biology. Her main duties in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program consist of providing scientific and administrative support to the team in acquiring competitive funds for the research, managing of the subsidized grants, as well as executing specific functions that may be delegated by the Director of the Program.
The research in our Cancer Data Science (CaDS) group is focused on understanding the complexity of cancer, both from the disease and the treatment perspective, through the computational analysis and integration of large-scale molecular datasets. More specifically, we are currently interested in improving cancer treatments with more personalized therapeutic approaches derived from computational methods, understanding the molecular mechanisms of the disease in younger patients, or applying computational approaches to unravel tumor cell lineages. We have also developed highly successful bioinformatics tools, such as SNPStats, and collaborate with multiple groups in our institution and other national and international research groups.
Bioinformàtica, anàlisi de dades de microarrays, data mining, machine learning, pattern discovery, biomarcadors i susceptibilitat
Bioinformàtica, biologia de sistemes, data mining
Dr Gemma Ibáñez-Sanz is a licensed physician from the University of Barcelona with the specialization in Digestive medicine at the University Hospital of Bellvitge. During her training she participated in multicenter studies related to celiac disease and gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as other hospital studies.
In 2015 she started a PhD thesis for which she conducted several research projects at the Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). The main focus of the research projects (COLSCREEN, GENRISK, etc) Dr Gemma Ibañez-Sanz is involved is trying to identify new biomarkers and strategies to improve early detection of colorectal cancer. Currently she is also working as a physician gastroenterologist at the University Hospital of Bellvitge and carrying out the research on the irritable bowel syndrome.
Biologia, bioinformàtica, biologia de sistemes, integració d’informació biològica, anàlisi de dades de microarrays, biomarcadors i susceptibilitat
Robert Carreras-Torres is a research fellow at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Barcelona since 2018, when he received an MSCA Individual Fellowship. He completed his PhD in Human Genetics in 2014 at the Department of Animal Biology – Anthropology of the University of Barcelona. In 2014-2018, he trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Genetic Unit at the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Lyon.
Robert’s professional interests involve the integration of multi-omic layers (phenome, genome, transcriptome, metagenome) for a better understanding of complex traits and diseases and their interaction with the microbiome. Also, the identification of causal relationships using novel Mendelian randomization or similar statistical approaches for a better risk prediction assessment at individual and population level.
Currently she is working as a biostatistician in genetic epidemiology. Her main interest is identifying the genetic causes of colorectal cancer. To this end, her work focuses on the analysis of different data, including gene-environment interaction studies, copy number variation (CNV) and mosaicism, among others.
Álvaro Franquet Bonet is a statistician with a Master's in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics from the Open University of Catalonia. He has worked in the sector of technology companies applying algorithms for optimization and time series, as well as in the creation of dynamic documents.
He currently works for two institutions: The Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility (Catalan Institute of Oncology) and the Department of Computer Science, Applied Mathematics and Statistics (University of Girona) as associate professor.
Virginia Díez is initiating her predoctoral training in the group with the interest of identifying new biomarkers in colorectal cancer through the analysis of high-throughput sequencing data (such as RNA-Seq) and its integration with other omics and epidemiological data.
Joan Mas Lloret is a PhD student in the microbiome group within the Biomarker and Susceptibility Unit. His research is focused on the characterization of the gut microbiota and its impact in the development of colorectal cancer, with the goal of finding new biomarkers for early detection of the disease.
Systems administrator, helpdesk, web developer, bioinformatics.
Epidemiologia del càncer, estudis multicas-control. Investigació farmacològica, assajos clínics i farmacovigilància
Cancer prevention, public health, epidemiology
Pilar Medina is managing the health documentation for the screening programs of breast and colorectal cancer prevention. She is also providing a data base support to the Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility.
Nurse of the Biomarkers and Susceptibility Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology since 2017, collaborating in the study COLSCREEN: research project to improve the early detection of cancer, carrying out the recruitment of patients, interviews to obtain and record data, and collection of samples.
