Sonia Zumalave, PhD student
sonia.zumalave@rai.usc.es
Sonia Zumalave is a PhD student whose current work focuses on identifying new mutational processes mediated by retrotransposons in cancer. In particular, she will focus on the identification of functional alterations that involve changes in gene expression mediated by long-range interactions.
“Cancer has become one of the major health problems humanity is facing. However, cancer is not a unique disease, but millions. That is why nowhere but in oncology is the challenge of precision medicine more essential. Said that, I have no doubt I want to devote my scientific career to expediting progress toward precision oncology.”
Grants and awards:
2018-present: PhD in Molecular Medicine at University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- May 2018 - June 2021: Xunta de Galicia Predoctoral Fellowship | Goverment of Galicia.
2016-2017: MSc. in Biomedical Research at Pompeu Fabra University, Spain:
- Sept. 2016 - June 2017: MECD Collaboration Scholarship | Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.
2012-2016: BSc. in Biotechnology at University of Barcelona, Spain:
- July 2016 - Sept. 2016: Research Training Grant | Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC).
- Feb. 2016 - June 2016: SICUE Mobility Program | Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.
- Sept. 2015 - Jan. 2016: Erasmus Mundus Scholarship | European Union.
Publications:
- Zumalave, S. et al. Reprogramming to pluripotency of cells from a long-lived and cancer resistant blind mole-rat. Poster presentation at the Bio-Integra Saúde (BIS) National Conference, Spain, 2016.
- Lorenzo-Martín, L. F. et al. VAV2 signaling promotes regenerative proliferation in both cutaneous and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Nat. Commun. 11, (2020).
- Rodriguez-Martin, B. et al. Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes identifies driver rearrangements promoted by LINE-1 retrotransposition. Nat. Genet. 52, 306–319 (2020).
- Lawson, A. R. J. et al. Extensive heterogeneity in somatic mutation and selection in the human bladder. Science. 370, 75–82 (2020).