Our work

The Lopez-Otin laboratory belongs to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Universidad de Oviedo (Spain), and to the Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA). Carlos Lopez-Otin is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at this Department, where he combines his teaching responsibilities with his research lines on Cancer and Aging Biology, as well as on the Functional Analysis of Genomes. His works have been collected in more than 350 articles in international journals and have been cited to date more than 35.000 times, with an aggregate Hirsch index of h=91. He is a member of numerous journal editorial boards, committees, and scientific societies, including the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences and the European Academy, among others. Throughout his scientific career, he has received different national and international awards and distinctions, such as the Doctorate “Honoris Causa” from the International University Menendez Pelayo and the University of Zaragoza, the “Rey Jaime I” Award in Research, the European “25 th

Degradomics

Shortly after his arrival at the University of Oviedo more than 25 years ago, Carlos Lopez-Otin focused on the study of the involvement of proteolytic systems in pathological processes, especially in cancer. The work of Lopez-Otin’s laboratory in this field has yielded the identification of more than 60 novel human proteases dysregulated in different malignant tumors. They have also delineated essential biological information in regards to the functional role of many of these genes in cancer and in other pathological processes, including the devastating syndromes of accelerated aging. They have also proposed a global approach for the study of proteases in health and disease through novel concepts such as Degradomics and Degradome

Cancer Genomics

Since 2009, Carlos Lopez-Otin co-directs the Spanish contribution to the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC-CLL). This scientific work has led to the unveiling of the complete tumor genome sequence of hundreds of patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and to the identification of recurrent mutations in several genes, which have become preferential targets for therapeutic intervention in this frequent neoplasia. The work of Lopez-Otin’s laboratory in molecular oncology has also led to the discovery of several proteases with paradoxical anti-tumor and anti-metastatic-properties, as well as two new genes implicated in the progression of head and neck carcinomas. Closely related to the Cancer Genome projects, Lopez-Otin’s group has identified the genetic determinants of several hereditary diseases. Foremost amongst these studies is the discovery of two novel premature aging syndromes, the Nestor-Guillermo Progeria Syndrome (NGPS) and the Atypical Neonatal Progeria Syndrome (ANPS). Their work has also led to the finding of genes causing hereditary sudden death, microcytic anemia, bone abnormalities and familial melanoma. These genomic studies have represented the basis of the creation by Carlos Lopez-Otin of a program called Social Genomics, which has made it possible to study and in some cases to unveil the genomic basis of inherited diseases from families coming to his laboratory in search for help, health and knowledge.

Aging

The work of Lopez-Otin’s group at the University of Oviedo has also contributed to clarify the molecular mechanisms associated with physiological aging and their links with cancer. They have also reported the first integrative analysis of the molecular and cellular hallmarks of aging and proposed different strategies for the metabolic control of longevity. Moreover, they have recently developed a method to facilitate the cell reprogramming of aged human cells to pluripotent cells with embryonic properties. The Lopez-Otin group has identified a new loss-of-proteostasis mechanism of myeloid transformation, connecting age-associated alterations in hematopoietic stem cells with the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. Finally, they have unveiled the molecular mechanisms underlying different syndromes of premature aging and in collaboration with Nicolas Levy's group, they have developed therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS).