2025 | Early Career Investigator (ECI) Short-term Scientific Stay Award (S3A)
The Winner:
María Belén Toledo Cutillas, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sassari, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Histology, Sassari, Italy, is the winner of the 2025 PCE Early Career Investigator Short-term Scientific Stay Award.
As part of her award, she will join Prof. Pedro Real at GENYO – Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research to further advance research in pancreatic cancer.
The project:
During her short-term scientific stay at GENYO under the supervision of Prof. Pedro Real, María Belén Toledo Cutillas will work on an innovative project focused on improving early diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The project explores liquid biopsy techniques, specifically analysing platelets and their extracellular vesicles (EVs), which closely interact with tumour cells and carry molecular signatures that reflect disease progression. By identifying key biomarkers within these EVs from patient blood samples and PDAC cellular models, the project aims to develop a simple blood test to detect PDAC at an earlier stage, track disease evolution, and guide personalised treatment strategies. In addition, the study of platelet–tumour interactions may open new avenues for therapies targeting metastatic processes, the leading cause of PDAC mortality.