Dr Francisco Martínez-Jiménez, Head of the Computational Immunogenomics Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), has been awarded the inaugural Francisco Cobos Young Biomedical Researcher Award, a new distinction established by the Francisco Cobos Foundation to recognise scientific excellence among early-career researchers in biomedicine.
Endowed with €30,000, the award is being presented for the first time this year, coinciding with the 20th edition of the Francisco Cobos Foundation Awards. The initiative aims to recognise outstanding biomedical research and support the scientific careers of early-career Spanish scientists whose contributions to biomedicine have achieved international recognition.
The jury selected Dr Martínez-Jiménez for his contributions to computational cancer genomics, particularly in the identification of biomarkers capable of predicting resistance to cancer treatments in specific tumour types. His work has advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive tumour progression and therapeutic response, with the ultimate goal of developing new treatment strategies for patients with cancer.
Francisco Cobos Foundation Award Granted Ex Aequo
In this edition, the 20th Francisco Cobos Foundation Award, endowed with €50,000, was awarded ex aequo to Professor Guillermina López Bendito and Professor Juan Pedro Bolaños Hernández.
Professor López Bendito was recognised for her exceptional and highly innovative career in developmental neuroscience, with conceptual contributions of major international impact on the formation and plasticity of brain circuits. She is particularly noted for redefining fundamental mechanisms of prenatal sensory development and for the originality of her experimental approaches, which hold significant promise for neurodevelopmental research and regenerative medicine.
Professor Bolaños Hernández was recognised for his highly disruptive contributions to brain metabolism and glial neurobiology, which have had a strong international conceptual impact and have redefined key mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and cognition. His work also demonstrates significant biomedical potential through the identification of novel therapeutic targets and preclinical developments for neurological diseases, although direct clinical translation remains limited.
The decision was made by a jury composed of leading biomedical researchers and chaired by Professor Vicente Larraga Rodríguez de Vera, President of the Francisco Cobos Foundation.
The awards ceremony will take place in Madrid during the final quarter of 2026 as part of an academic event organised by the Francisco Cobos Foundation.
