PROJECT
SUPERVISORS
Project Supervisor
Ana Ramírez de Molina
Background
PhD in Molecular Biology (UAM, 2002, Extraordinary Award), she is the Director of IMDEA Nutrition Institute, Director of the Precision Nutrition and Cancer Research Program, and Co-Director of the GENYAL Clinical Trials Platform for Nutrition and Health. Her research focuses on the interaction between nutrition, metabolism, and immune function, with a strong emphasis on precision nutrition as a public health strategy for cancer prevention and improved treatment outcomes.
She has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles, and has led numerous national and international projects, including coordination of the EIC Pathfinder Mentoring for Health and EIT Food. She has supervised 14 PhD theses, holds six transferred patents, and has experience as R&D Director in a biotech company and co-founder of startups. She also served as Deputy Minister for Universities, Research and Science of the Madrid Regional Government and has received several awards, including the MSD Award, the John Kinney Award, and recognition on International Women’s Day.
Research
Our research focuses on the use of precision nutrition to modulate metabolism and the immune system, aiming to prevent cancer, improve treatment outcomes, and enhance the metabolic and nutritional status of oncology patients. We study how targeted nutritional strategies can act as adjuvant approaches, influencing metabolic and immune mechanisms involved in tumor growth and dissemination, in close collaboration with medical oncology departments.
Through multidimensional patient characterization, we analyze metabolic, immune, genetic, and metagenomic alterations linked to disease progression and treatment response. Using in vitro models, organ on a chip systems, and clinical trials, we evaluate how precision nutrition improves efficacy and quality of life. We also explore links between cancer and conditions such as obesity, sarcopenia and chaquexia, or chronic inflammation, focusing on metabolism, immune reprogramming, and targeted nutritional approaches for prevention and therapy.
Individual research projects
[1] Mannucci A et al. An Exosome-Based Liquid Biopsy for the Detection of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: The ENCODER Multicenter Study. Gastroenterology. 2026 Feb;170(2):330-343. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.08.013.
[2] Soto-Heredero G et al. KLRG1 identifies regulatory T cells with mitochondrial alterations that accumulate with aging. Nat Aging. 2025 May;5(5):799-815. doi: 10.1038/s43587-025-00855-9.
[3] Gómez de Cedrón M et al. Randomized clinical trial in cancer patients shows immune metabolic effects exerted by formulated bioactive phenolic diterpenes with potential clinical benefits. Front Immunol. 2025 Feb 17;16:1519978. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1519978.
[4] Gómez de Cedrón M et al. Metabolo-epigenetic interplay provides targeted nutritional interventions in chronic diseases and ageing. Front Oncol. 2023 Jun 19;13:1169168. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1169168.
[5] Fernández LP et al. Folliculin-interacting protein FNIP2 impacts on overweight and obesity through a polymorphism in a conserved 3' untranslated region. Genome Biol. 2022 Oct 31;23(1):230. doi: 10.1186/s13059-022-02798-5.