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Dr. María Arechederra Calderón

Ramón y Cajal Principal Investigator. Hepatology Group: Diagnosis and Therapeutic Response. Solid Tumours Programme, Cima, University of Navarra.Precision medicine in hepatobiliary cancer: liquid biopsy, genetic and epigenetic biomarkers, therapeutic response, patient-derived models and new targets

Be part of: Cima Universidad de Navarra Clínica Universidad de Navarra

Professional career

She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2008. 

She was awarded a European PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology by the Complutense University of Madrid in 2014. 

During her pre-doctoral studies, she undertook research placements at the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and the Institut de Biologie du Développement in Marseille (France). 

Between 2015 and 2018, she completed her postdoctoral research at the CNRS–Aix-Marseille Université, focusing on epigenetic mechanisms involved in liver cancer. 

Since 2018, she has been a member of Cima at the University of Navarra, where she has developed her own line of research into liquid biopsy and precision medicine in hepatobiliary cancer. 

She has been an AECC researcher since 2022 and, in 2026, she joined the Ramón y Cajal programme to consolidate her independent research group. 

RESEARCH AREAS

Her research focuses on the development of precision medicine strategies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary tumours. She has developed liquid biopsy approaches based on the genetic and epigenetic analysis of circulating DNA in plasma and bile, and is studying the molecular mechanisms associated with therapeutic response and resistance. This research is complemented by the development of patient-derived models, such as organoids, to validate biomarkers and identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities.

AREAS OF INTEREST

  • Liquid biopsy and biomarkers in hepatobiliary cancer. 
  • Epigenetics and DNA methylation in hepatobiliary cancer. 
  • Molecular mechanisms of response and resistance to treatment. 
  • Organoids and patient-derived models. 
  • Development of new therapeutic strategies.

Activity

In teaching

He has co-supervised four doctoral theses and is currently co-supervising two further theses that are in progress.

He has supervised final-year undergraduate and Master’s dissertations.

In research

  • She has published numerous scientific articles in international journals, primarily in the fields of hepatobiliary cancer, liquid biopsy and epigenetics.
  • She has taken part in numerous national and international conferences, both presenting selected papers and as a guest speaker.
  • She regularly serves as a reviewer for scientific journals and as an assessor for national and international research projects.
  • She sits on scientific and editorial committees and maintains active collaborations with national and international research groups.
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Recognition

  • AEEH Rising Star, 2026
  • City of Marseille Prize for Foreign Researchers, 2016
  • Outstanding PhD Award, Complutense University of Madrid
  • Juan Abelló Pascual Prize for a doctoral thesis

Scientific institutions

  • Member of the CIBEREHD Steering Committee.
  • Member of the Editorial Board of *Exploration of Digestive Diseases*.

Science communication

  • Co-founder and editor of Dciencia, a science communication project in Spanish, which was recognised in 2024 with the Award for Best Science Communication at the ‘Ciencia en Español’ Awards organised by the madri+d Foundation for Knowledge.
  • She also takes part in science communication and outreach activities through the AECC and the CIBER.
  • She also plays an active role in science communication activities linked to biomedical research and cancer. She is a ‘Volunteer for Science’ with the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) in Navarre and Álava, and a member of the CIBER’s Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit (UCC+i), where she acts as a representative for researchers, taking part in initiatives focused on communication, outreach and bringing research closer to society. 

Latest scientific publications

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