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Hire Dr. Miriam S.

Spain

USD 60 /hr

Developer of NGS, nCounter and ddPCR protocols for mutation detection in solid and liquid biopsies from cancer patients

Profile Summary

After obtaining two bachelor’s degree, one in biology and other in biochemistry (UIB, Balearic Islands), my interest in transcription started during my PhD in molecular biology, supervised by Dr. Elena Hidalgo (UPF, Barcelona). Working with the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model, I focused on massive changes in geneexpression programs in response to stress (Sansó et al., Eukaryotic Cell 2008). Similar mechanisms may underlie transcriptional changes during differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESC). I identified a new mode of regulation to ensure rapid gene activation: maintenance of nucleosome-free regions in promoters of stress-response genes, which are thus poised for rapid activation when their expression becomes necessary for survival (Sansó et al., NAR 2011). At that time I also became familiar with the use of analog-sensitive (AS) mutant protein kinases, a novel approach to study functions and identify new substrates of kinases. This technic was developed by Dr. Kevan Shokat (UCSF), and pioneered in human somatic cells by Dr. Robert Fisher. Attracted by his expertise and outstanding previous work in the kinase-dependent transcription field, I joined Dr. Fisher's Lab at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Under his supervision, I completed a project in S. pombe, uncovering a positive feedback loop between a Cdk9 and the mono-ubiquitylation of histone H2B, a conserved chromatin mark with multiple roles in gene expression and cancer. This work was published in the high-impact journal (Sansó et al., PLoS Genetics 2012), and highlighted in the same journal by Dr. Steven A. Johnsen (Johnsen SA, PLoS Genetics 2012). Diving into the mammalian system, I achieved the first systematic identification of human Cdk9 substrates.We found ∼100 new substrates. This has enabled a big step forward for understanding how CDKs regulate both transcription and mRNA maturation; I uncovered a new role for Cdk9 in the regulation of RNAPII termination (Sansó et al., G&D 2016). During this productive postdoctoral stay, I collaborated in two other publications related to the same field (St Amour et al., MCB 2012; Larochelle et al., NSMB 2012), I wrote a review as corresponding author (Sansó & Fisher, Transactions 2013) as well as a second review along with my supervisor (Sansó & Fisher, Transcription 2013). Nowadays, we have a manuscript under second round of review in Nature. In December 2015, after obtaining the Beatriu de Pinòs fellowship (AGAUR), I joined Dr. Di Croce’s Lab (CRG, Barcelona) to pursue my research in the transcription field, epigenetics and cancer, using as a model mouse ESCs and studying the role of Polycomb in stemness and differentiation. As a result of my work in Luciano's Team and as a collaboration with Dr. Laue, we published a manuscript in Nature (Stevens et al., Nature 2017). In search of a more translational and clinical field where to exploit my knowledge in transcription and cancer , I recently joined the outstanding Cancer Genomics lab from Dr. Ana Vivancos (VHIO; Barcelona). I am currently performing technology development for genetic diagnosis in oncology to provide personalized medical treatments and patient inclusion in clinical trials. My main research area is focused on liquid biopsy analysis through digital-droplet PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing of tumour DNA mutational profiles, as well as tumoureducated platelet transcriptomics.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• ★ Mutagenesis
• ★ Cancer Research
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ Biomarkers
• ☆ Genetics
• ☆ Precision Medicine
• ☆ Immunotherapy

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Data & AI

Writing Clinical Trial Documentation, Technical Writing, Newswriting

Research Fact Checking, Gray Literature Search, Systematic Literature Review, Secondary Data Collection

Data & AI Data Visualization

Work Experience

senior research fellow

Vall d´Hebron Institut d´Oncologia

October 2016 - Present

senior postdoctoral fellow

Centre for Genomic Regulation

December 2015 - September 2016

postdoctoral fellow

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

February 2011 - November 2015

Education

Molecular Biology, PhD (Experimental & Health Sciences)

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

- June 2010

Biochemistry

Universitat de les Illes Balears

- 2003

Biology

Universitat de les Illes Balears

- 2003

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

(2019). 2027PVHIO-300 and a thousand and one nights: A tale of precision medicine . Annals of Oncology.

(2019). P1.16-05 Incidence and Outcome of Multiple Primary Cancers (MPC) in a Series of Lung Cancer (LC) Patients . Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

(2019). Histone H2B Ubiquitylation Regulates Histone Gene Expression by Suppressing Antisense Transcription in Fission Yeast . Genetics.

(2018). Promoter bivalency favors an open chromatin architecture in embryonic stem cells . Nature genetics.

(2018). A Cdk9-PP1 switch regulates the elongation-termination transition of RNA polymerase II . Nature.

(2018). Cdk9 regulates a promoter-proximal checkpoint to modulate RNA polymerase II elongation rate in fission yeast . Nature communications.

(2017). The Polycomb group protein CBX6 is an essential regulator of embryonic stem cell identity . Nature communications.

(2017). Neonatal expression of RNA-binding protein IGF2BP3 regulates the human fetal-adult megakaryocyte transition . The Journal of clinical investigation.

(2016). P-TEFb regulation of transcription termination factor Xrn2 revealed by a chemical genetic screen for Cdk9 substrates . Genes & development.

(2013). Modelling the CDK-dependent transcription cycle in fission yeast . Biochemical Society transactions.

(2013). Modification of tRNA(Lys) UUU by elongator is essential for efficient translation of stress mRNAs . PLoS genetics.

(2013). Pause, play, repeat: CDKs push RNAP II's buttons . Transcription.

(2012). Cyclin-dependent kinase control of the initiation-to-elongation switch of RNA polymerase II . Nature structural & molecular biology.

(2012). A positive feedback loop links opposing functions of P-TEFb/Cdk9 and histone H2B ubiquitylation to regulate transcript elongation in fission yeast . PLoS genetics.

(2012). Separate domains of fission yeast Cdk9 (P-TEFb) are required for capping enzyme recruitment and primed (Ser7-phosphorylated) Rpb1 carboxyl-terminal domain substrate recognition . Molecular and cellular biology.

(2011). Nuclear roles and regulation of chromatin structure by the stress-dependent MAP kinase Sty1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe . Molecular microbiology.

(2011). Gcn5 facilitates Pol II progression, rather than recruitment to nucleosome-depleted stress promoters, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe . Nucleic acids research.

(2009). Genome-wide screen of genes required for caffeine tolerance in fission yeast . PloS one.

(2008). Transcription factors Pcr1 and Atf1 have distinct roles in stress- and Sty1-dependent gene regulation . Eukaryotic cell.

(2007). The peroxiredoxin Tpx1 is essential as a H2O2 scavenger during aerobic growth in fission yeast . Molecular biology of the cell.

(2006). Oxidative stress in Schizosaccharomyces pombe: different H2O2 levels, different response pathways . Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG.