AlcoleaMaria Pilar United Kingdom

Maria Alcolea’s laboratory focusses on understanding the behaviour of epithelial stem and progenitor cells in health and disease. Combining genetic lineage tracing approaches with a novel 3D organ culture system and genomics, the Alcolea lab’s work has revealed the remarkable fate plasticity of the oesophageal epithelium. Their work has shown how cells are not only able to rewire their programme of cell behaviour in response to developmental cues, injury and early tumour formation, but has also demonstrated their ability to switch their identity well beyond physiological constraints under the right environmental cues. Investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing this dynamic cell behaviour, and the potential implications for early cancer development represent Maria’s main interests.

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Time	Session

09:20 10:55	Symposium: Early Onset Cancers EngCathy Co-Chair United States dos Santos DiasMatheus Co-Chair The Netherlands Genomic epidemiology approaches to elucidate the causes of Early onset colorectal cancer globally Perdomo VelasquezSandra Speaker France Proffered Paper: Geographic and age-related variations in mutational processes in colorectal cancer EACR25-1102 Díaz-GayMarcos Presenter Spain More Than Mutations: A Survival Guide for Nascent Tumours AlcoleaMaria Pilar Speaker United Kingdom Proffered Paper: Proffered Paper: Fibroblast specific endoglin deletion increases colorectal cancer tumorigenesis in a subset-specific manner EACR25-1472 AbudukelimuSubinuer Presenter Netherlands The burgeoning horizon of early-onset GI cancers EngCathy Speaker United States Auditorium VI+VII
14:25 15:15	Career Discovery Session 1A (open to EACR Early Career & Student Members, pre-registration required) CarracedoArkaitz Coordinator Spain OricchioElisa Coordinator Switzerland TABLE 1: Efficient and caring mentorship: how to make your research team flourish? JoyceJohanna A Moderator Switzerland TABLE 2: Leadership: Experience of a former EACR president DiveCaroline Moderator United Kingdom TABLE 3: Building Equitable Research Careers for Women IvaskaJohanna Moderator Finland TABLE 4: How to make your research transferable to the clinic ValienteManuel Moderator Spain TABLE 5: How to effectively lead a large research group and handle leadership responsibilities SamuelsYardena Moderator Israel TABLE 7: Experience of creating a biomedical start-up in parallel to leading a research team VallotCeline Moderator France TABLE 8: The challenges of opening your own lab KarthausWouter Moderator Switzerland TABLE 9: ERC funding opportunities for starting or establishing a research group in the EU or Associated Countries Veronica Caraffini Moderator TABLE 10: Lessons from My Journey: Navigating Data Science & Bioinformatics Careers in Pharma SinaNassiri Moderator Switzerland TABLE 6: Challenges of starting a new lab and becoming a PI abroad AlcoleaMaria Pilar Moderator United Kingdom Career Discovery Area