Carlos López-Otín

Carlos López-Otín is one of Spain’s most internationally recognized scientists and a major voice in cancer, aging, and genomics research. He is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oviedo and has conducted research at institutions such as Harvard University, the Sorbonne, the University of Lund, and New York University.

He co-led Spain’s contribution to the International Cancer Genome Consortium and has discovered over 60 human genes involved in rare diseases, cancer, aging and longevity. His work has been cited nearly 100,000 times, making him the most cited Spanish scientist in his field and the only one ranked among the top 75 worldwide by citation impact.

López-Otín is a member of the European Academy and the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain, and holds honorary doctorates from several Spanish and international universities. He has received numerous distinctions, including the European FEBS Prize in Biochemistry and the Santiago Ramón y Cajal National Research Prize.

In recent years, his research has led to major discoveries: new syndromes of accelerated aging, pro-longevity bacteria, genetic causes of sudden death, hereditary autism and melanoma, mechanisms of cellular reprogramming, and insights into SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Beyond the lab, López-Otín is a committed science communicator. He has given over 500 talks and is the author of the best-selling Trilogy of Life: Life in Four Letters, The Dream of Time, and Selfish, Immortal and Travelling Beings.