On November 27th, on the occasion of his retirement, Professor Miguel Quintanilla gave a lecture entitled "lessons learned from the model of chemical carcinogenesis in mouse skin" in the auditorium of the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols".
Professor Quintanilla joined the former Institute of Enzymology of the CSIC to do his doctoral thesis at the end of the 1970' s, and after a productive postdoctoral stay at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, he joined the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas of the CSIC in 1987 after obtaining a position as a tenured scientist. Miguel was one of the young scientists who introduced in Spain the novel techniques of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, and was part of the generation that launched the current Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols", a joint CSIC-UAM center.
Professor Quintanilla's scientific career has been very brilliant, with seminal contributions in molecular oncology that have made a significant contribution to understanding the origin of cancer and the mechanisms involved in tumor progression. In his seminar he commented on the origins of the IIBm and showed his gratitude to his early teachers, especially Prof. Antonio Sillero. With his traditional sense of humor and wit, he explained the model of chemical carcinogenesis in mouse skin and how his group was asking new questions whose answers were discovering new proteins involved in the tumor process and opening new perspectives to understand it and to find effective therapeutic treatments in the future.
His seminar was a lesson in first-rate science, but also in the principles that should guide a good scientist, continuous curiosity, thoroughness, the ability to collaborate with colleagues, never letting discouragement and affection for the institution, his beloved IIB. He also dedicated some time to transmit another of his passions, teaching. To his predoctoral and postdoctoral students, to the students of the numerous master courses he has lectured or to his trips to Central America to collaborate with University Departments in El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Professor Quintanilla has given the best of himself during his long and fruitful career and is an indisputable reference of our institute. The IIB would like to express its deep gratitude to Miguel and wish him all the best in this new stage he is starting.