Our professionals
Dr. Mariano Ponz
Principal Investigator of the Oncogenes and Effector Targets group.
Specialist in Medical Oncology
Primary focus on the evaluation and treatment of pancreatic and biliary tract tumors.
Professional career
MD (2004) and PhD in Medicine (2011), University of Navarra. Specialist in Medical Oncology (2009, Clínica Universidad de Navarra).
He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) (Dr. Mien Chie Hung, 2011-2012). After his stay in Houston, TX, he completed a second fellowship as a Clinical Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (NY, USA) (Dr. Dave Tuveson, 2012-2015). During his postdoc, he focused on the study of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and also completed a rotation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA), also focused on patients with this condition, under the supervision of Dr. Kenneth Yu.
In October 2015, he joined the Department of Medical Oncology at Clínica Universidad de Navarra as a clinical collaborator within the Gastrointestinal Tumors Area.
He is part of the Solid Tumors Program at the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA, University of Navarra).
He is currently a consultant and focuses on the treatment of pancreatic and biliary tract tumors and on the Phase I Unit, serving as principal investigator in multiple trials in these areas.
RESEARCH AREAS
- During his time as a Clinical Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he worked with Dr. Tuveson to establish an organoid model (a 3D organotypic culture model) for studying pancreatic adenocarcinoma. With the aim of implementing this model at the University of Navarra and helping patients, he currently co-leads a research group together with Dr. Silvestre Vicent at the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), seeking to apply this model to the study of pancreatic tumors and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. The pancreatic and biliary tract cancer research line has grown in recent years thanks to grants and private donations from patients and their families.
- At present, there are several investigator-initiated and externally funded clinical trials in both pancreatic cancer and biliary tract cancer, as well as different, more translational laboratory projects. The group’s goal is to join efforts from CIMA and CUN through CCUN to identify new drugs or combinations that help patients with these diseases by improving survival and quality of life.
AREAS OF INTEREST
- Pancreatic cancer and biliary tract cancer.
- Drug development in preclinical and early clinical phases. Analysis of response/sensitivity biomarkers using in vitro and in vivo models and patient-derived samples.
Activity
In research
- Has contributed to more than 60 lectures/presentations at national and international conferences.
- Has contributed to the publication of more than 50 articles.