Manel Esteller, Josep Baselga and Joan Massagué receive the XXVIII Catalonia International Prize from President Puigdemont

Yesterday night, the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), Carles Puigdemont, awarded oncologists Manel Esteller, Joan Massagué and Josep Baselga the 28th Catalunya International Prize “for his revolutionary task, especially on oncology research, with what they significantly contributed to the advances of global medicine”. These awards are given every year to people who contributed with their work to develop cultural, scientific or human values worldwide.

Manel Esteller, who is National Research Award 2015, teaches in the Department of Physiological Sciences of the University of Barcelona. Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), he is an international prestigious expert on the study of methylation (biochemical DNA modification) as an altering mechanism of the suppressing genes on human tumors, and focuses his research on studying the epigenetic modifications and development of new epigenetic drugs to treat cancer. Esteller was also honoured with the Rey Jaime I Prize on basic research (2013), XX Severo Ochoa Award for Biomedical Research (2013), the Vanguardia Science Award (2014) or the Medal Josep Trueta to health merit (2015) among other awards.

During the ceremony, which took place during a solemn ceremony in the Sant Jordi Hall of the Palau de la Generalitat, the three winners expressed their gratitude. Dr. Baselga has referred to the new immunological treatments, which he said "continue revolutionizing cancer therapies." As for Dr. Esteller, he asked that Catalonia "bears research in mind, recognizes research as an outstanding value for a country." And Dr. Massagué mentioned the ten principles on the basis of the science building, which he compared with the casteller world.

After congratulating the three winners and thanking them for their task, the president of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, said that the three scientists "represent the values and virtues that are needed to become a world reference in a field of study that is, in this case, oncological research. He added that the three "went outside Catalonia to investigate, to train, to discover and understand the world" and have become representatives of values such as "imagination, dare, effort, hard work, perseverance, tenacity and courage ".

138 applications from 57 countries

The Catalonia International Prize, created by the Government in 1989, is annually awarded to those who have contributed decisively through their creative work to support cultural, scientific or human values around the world. Last year, the British anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall received the Award.

In this edition of the Catalonia International Prize, a total of 138 entries from 57 countries were submitted by 246 institutions and by the same jury.

More information:

Dossier on the prize, which includes the speeches of the three winners