Manel Esteller will join the Sant Pau Research Institute as a researcher on November 10

BarcelonaOncologist Manel Esteller will join the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) as a researcher on November 10, according to information obtained by ARA. This follows his departure from the Josep Carreras Research Institute (IJC), where he had worked since 2019 and from which he was ultimately forced to leave due to alleged irregularities in the institution's accounts, malpractice, and internal complaints. as reported by the ARA After a year and a half of research, Esteller will now head a newly created group on epigenetics and cancer and will retain his ICREA accreditation—the Catalan government's talent recruitment program—and therefore his position and salary as a researcher of scientific excellence.

From the very beginning, the Esteller's intention The plan was to combine research in Catalonia through the Sant Pau Research Institute with the cancer genomics research directorship at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) at Ohio State University (USA) through a leave of absence. ICREA confirmed to ARA that Esteller formally resigned from the US center on Thursday, citing "personal reasons" for remaining in Catalonia. This, coupled with the Sant Pau Research Institute's expressed interest in recruiting the oncologist to its research staff, ultimately tipped the scales. However, sources at the IJC consulted by ARA expressed surprise upon hearing the news, as Esteller had repeatedly told his team that joining the Sant Pau Research Institute, as this newspaper reported, was not an option. Sources familiar with the matter explain that the IJC leadership was informed of the change this Friday, as Esteller's team will have to move "immediately" to the center affiliated with the Hospital de Sant Pau.

Sources within the Catalan government have also expressed astonishment upon learning that the researcher will not be going to Ohio, as he had announced, and that he has been hired by the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau). However, this research center maintains that "Dr. Manel Esteller's affiliation with this institution is fully endorsed and authorized by the Catalan government" and also "by the ICREA Foundation, which is also under the Catalan government's jurisdiction." According to a statement released by IR Sant Pau, Esteller's new group at IR Sant Pau will be tasked with working "in synergy with other areas of the center." The center asserts that Esteller's addition represents "a strategic leap" for the institution and demonstrates its "commitment" to retaining Catalan scientific talent in the region, "consolidating Catalonia as a center of international excellence." "Their leadership and experience in creating international networks will help attract competitive funding and top-level researchers, consolidating the center as a European benchmark in biomedical research," the center argues.

When asked about the findings of the internal audit, which point to alleged malpractice, abuse of power, and accounting irregularities, IR Sant Pau maintains that they have "a robust and audited governance system that guarantees all research is conducted with the highest standards of ethics and integrity." They add that they also have "an anonymous internal reporting channel, conduct regular internal and external audits, and promote ongoing training in scientific integrity."

Esteller is an ICREA research professor, a position awarded by the Generalitat (Government of Catalonia) in recognition of scientific excellence. A 2024 study by Stanford University (USA) ranks him as the most influential cancer researcher in Spain and 124th in the world. He has also received numerous international and national awards, including the Gold Medal of Honor from the Parliament of Catalonia. Since the oncologist joined the IJC, the institution has grown exponentially—from 6 to 20 research groups—and achieved milestones such as obtaining accreditation as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence from the Ministry of Science. Despite his merit as a researcher, the audit conducted by KPMG reveals that Esteller used his reputation as a scientist to use resources for his research that did not belong to him and to favor it by hiring staff.