Inflammation, Tissue Plasticity & Cancer

Dra. Direna Alonso-Curbelo

Junior Group Leader

Telephone:

+34 93 40 37162

Email:

direna.alonso-curbelo@irbbarcelona.org

Research information

Selected publications

Epigenetic plasticity cooperates with emergent cell-cell interactions to drive neoplastic tissue remodeling in the pancreas

Cassandra Burdziak †, Direna Alonso-Curbelo †, Thomas Walle, Francisco M. Barriga, José Reyes, Yubin Xie, Zhen Zhao, Chujun Julia Zhao, Hsuan-An Chen, Ojasvi Chaudhary, Ignas Masilionis, Zi-Ning Choo, Vianne Gao, Wei Luan, Alexandra Wuest, Yu-Jui Ho, Yuhong Wei, Daniela Quail, Richard Koche, Linas Mazutis, Tal Nawy, Ronan Chaligné, Scott W. Lowe, Dana Pe'er. († equal contribution)

bioRxiv

(2022)

A gene–environment-induced epigenetic program initiates tumorigenesis

Alonso-Curbelo D, Ho YJ, Burdziak C, Maag JLV, Morris JP 4th, Chandwani R, Chen HA, Tsanov KM, Barriga FM, Luan L, Tasdemir N, Livshits G, Azizi E, Chun J, Wilkinson JE, Mazutis L, Leach SD, Koche R, Pe’er D, Lowe SW.

Nature

(2021)

Senolytic CAR T cells reverse senescence-associated pathologies.

Amor C*, Feucht J*, Leibold J*, Ho Y-J, Zhu C, Alonso-Curbelo D, Mansilla-Soto J, Boyer JA, Li X, Giavridis T, Kulick A, Houlihan S, et al, Sadelain M, Lowe SW. (*equal contribution).

Nature

(2020)

An in vivo KRAS allelic series reveals distinct phenotypes of common oncogenic variants

Paz Zafra M, Parsons MJ, Kim J, Alonso-Curbelo D, Goswami S, Schatoff EM, Han T, Katti A, Calvo Fernandez MT, Wilkinson JE, Piskounova E and Dow LE.

Cancer Discovery

(2020)

Chromatin-informed inference of transcriptional programs in gynecologic and basal breast cancer

Osmanbeyoglu HU, Shimizu F*, Rynne-Vidal A*, Alonso-Curbelo D*, Chen HA, Wen HY, Yeung TL, Jelinic P, Razavi P, Lowe SW, Mok SC, Chiosis G, Levine DA, Leslie CS. (*equal contribution).

Nature Communications

(2019)

Pluripotency transcription factors and Tet1/2 maintain Brd4-independent stem cell identity

Finley LWS*, Vardhana SA*, Carey BW*, Alonso-Curbelo D, Koche R, Chen Y, Wen D, King B, Radler MR, Rafii S, et al, [corr author] Thompson CB. (*equal contribution)

Nature Cell Biology

(2018)

Arid1a restrains Kras-dependent changes in acinar cell identity

Livshits D, Alonso-Curbelo D, Morris JP4th, Koche R, Saborowski M, Wilkinson JE, Lowe SW

eLife

(2018)

BRD4 connects super enhancer remodeling to senescence immune surveillance

Tasdemir N*, Banito B*, Roe JS*, Alonso-Curbelo D*, Camiolo M, Tschaharganeh DF, Huang CH, Aksoy O, Bolden JE, Chen CC, Fennell M, Thapar V, Chicas A, Vakoc CV, Lowe SW. *Co-first authors

Cancer Discovery

(2016)

Hyperactivated endolysosomal trafficking in melanoma

Alonso-Curbelo D, Soengas MS

Oncotarget

(2015)

RAB7 counteracts PI3K-driven macropinocytosis activated at early stages of melanoma development

Alonso-Curbelo D, Osterloh L, Cañón E, Calvo TG, Martínez-Herranz R, Karras P, Martínez S, et al, [corr. author] Soengas MS.

Oncotarget

(2015)

RAB7 controls melanoma progression by exploiting a lineage-specific wiring of the endolysosomal pathway

Alonso-Curbelo D, Riveiro-Falkenbach E, Pérez-Guijarro E, Cifdaloz M, Karras P, Osterloh L, Megías D, Cañón E, et al, [corr. author] Soengas MS.

Cancer Cell

(2014)

Self-killing of melanoma cells by cytosolic delivery of dsRNA: Wiring innate immunity for a coordinated mobilization of endosomes, autophagosomes and the apoptotic machinery in tumor cells

Alonso-Curbelo D, Soengas MS

Autophagy

(2010)

Targeted activation of innate immunity for therapeutic induction of autophagy and apoptosis in melanoma cells

Tormo D, Checińska A, Alonso-Curbelo D, Pérez-Guijarro E, Cañón E, Riveiro-Falkenbach E, Calvo TG, Larribere L, et al, [corr. author] Soengas MS.

Cancer Cell

(2009)

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Honors & Awards

2021 Blavtanik Regional Award for Young Scientists, Winner in Life Sciences category (USA)
2021 Hipatia Prize for Young Talent in Science, Finalist (2nd position) (Spain)
2021 Bentejui Young Award, Winner in Professional category, Bentejui Youth Association (Spain)
2020 La Caixa Postdoctoral Junior Leader Fellowship, La Caixa Foundation (Spain).
2018 Benjamin F. Trump Award for Scientific Research Excellence, Aspen Cancer Conference (USA)
2014 Ramón Areces Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (Spain).
2014 Extraordinary Doctorate Award, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain).
2010 Society for Melanoma Research (SMR) Travel Grant (USA).
2010 EMBO Short-Term Fellowship, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
2008 National Graduate Research Fellowship (FPU), Spanish Ministry of Education (Spain).
2009 Biomedical Sciences Schools’ Valedictorian, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
2008 National Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences (3rd pos), Spanish Ministry of Education (Spain).
2007 Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Beca-Colaboración), Spanish Ministry of Education (Spain).

Leadership & Science Outreach

2021 Invited Speaker at the Commemorative Act of International Women's Day, University of La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain).
2021 Co-organizer and participant of Spanish Association for Cancer Research (ASEICA)’s event Conócelas that connected 150 women scientists with >6500 students across Spain.
2018 Co-organizer and moderator of Faculty Panel, Women in Science & Medicine Series, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA).
*Write-up in Scientific American blog: “Today’s Paths to Leadership: A Different Perspective”. (2018): Mayle A, Alonso-Curbelo D, Neill US. Lifebeyond the Laboratory Bench. goo.gl/i1fmHY
2017 Co-leader of Fundraising Team, “Scientists –ReSearching for a Cure” team (New York, USA) at PurpleStride initiative from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).