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• Dr. Núria López-Bigas, head of the Biomedical Genomics Lab and ICREA Research Professor, has received the Rei Jaume I Prize for Biomedical Research 2025, recognizing her outstanding scientific career and pioneering work in cancer genomics.
• The award ceremony was held in Valencia on 25 November, bringing together the scientific and institutional community to celebrate excellence in research.
On Tuesday 25 November, the Lonja de los Mercaderes in Valencia hosted the official award ceremony of the Rei Jaume I Prizes. Dr. Núria López-Bigas, Head of the Biomedical Genomics Laboratory at IRB Barcelona and ICREA Research Professor, received the Rei Jaume I Prize for Biomedical Research in recognition of her outstanding scientific career and her pioneering research into the origin and evolution of cancer mutations.
Upon receiving news about the award, Dr. López-Bigas said, “Receiving the Rei Jaume I Prize for Biomedical Research is a great honour and a tremendous joy. It is also a recognition of the effort, talent, and dedication of my entire team, without whom this progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer would not have been possible.”
At IRB Barcelona, Dr. López-Bigas research focuses on identifying cancer-causing mutations and genes, as well as on understanding the mutational processes that drive the accumulation of genetic alterations in tumour cells. Her work is key to deciphering how tumours develop and evolve, opening new avenues for personalized oncology.
The Rei Jaume I Prizes were established in 1989 to promote scientific research, development, and entrepreneurship in Spain, and to strengthen the link between science and society. The awards are granted annually to individuals whose work has had a major impact and has been carried out primarily in Spain. Each awardee receives a gold medal, a diploma, and €100,000, part of which is committed to reinvestment in research and innovation in Spain.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
