Investigator

Amaia Lujambio, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Amaia Lujambio is an Associate Professor at the Department of Oncological Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Liver Cancer Program.

Her research focuses on how genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to tumorigenesis, alter treatment response, and create vulnerabilities that may be targeted therapeutically. Furthermore, she is also interested in understanding the role of cellular senescence in liver cancer initiation.

Amaia was born in Goizueta (Navarra) in 1982. She received her Ph.D. from the Autonoma University of Madrid (Spain) in 2009, mentored by Manel Esteller at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) and working on the epigenetic regulation of microRNAs in cancer. She then joined Scott Lowe´s lab for her postdoctoral studies, first at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories (CSHL), and then at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). She focused on the study of basic and applied aspects of liver cancer: from the role of cellular senescence in liver tumorigenesis to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for the disease.

In addition to her work in liver cancer, Amaia is also interested in art, movies, sports and traveling.

Education & Training

2009-2014       Postdoctoral Research. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA

2005-2009       Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. Spanish National Cancer Center,

Madrid, Spain

2000-2005       B.S. in Biology. University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

Fellowships

2014                Ramon y Cajal Program, Spanish Government. Declined

2010-2011       EMBO Long Term Fellowship (EMBO ALTF 1059-2009)

2010                Postdoctoral Fellowship, Spanish Government. Declined

2008                EMBO Short Term Fellowship (EMBO ASTF 331-2008)

2006                Ramón Areces Fellowship. Declined

2006-2009       FPU Fellowship, Spanish Government (AP2005-0847)

2005-2006       Ph.D. Bridging Fellowship, CNIO

2004-2005       Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Spanish Government

2004                Undergraduate Research Program Fellowship, CNIO

Awards and Honors

2018                Associate Scientific Advisor, Science Translational Medicine

2018                Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award

2015                AASLD Pinnacle Research Award in Liver Disease.

2013                Travel Award, Aspen Cancer Conference, Aspen.

2010                Ph.D. Thesis Award by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

2008                Travel Award, Interplay among genetics, epigenetics and ncRNAs,

Madrid.

2007                 AACR Travel Award, Role of non-coding RNAs in cancer, Boston.

2007                 Eduardo Gallego Award, Fundación Francisco Cobos, Madrid.

2007                  Keystone Symposia Scholarship, MicroRNAs and Cancer, Keystone.

2006                  2nd Spanish National Prize in Biology, Spanish Government.

2005                  1st Prize by the University of Navarra in Biology, Pamplona, Spain.

2004                  Best oral communication Award, Oncology Congress for Students,

Pamplona, Spain.

2000                  1st Prize: Mathematics Olympiad in Navarra, Spain.

2000                  1st Prize: Florencio Ansoleaga Foundation Special Award for the

best High School results in Navarra, Spain.