María Ángela Nieto Toledano

María Ángela Nieto Toledano (Madrid, March 1, 1960) is a Spanish scientist, doctor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She is recognized for her groundbreaking work in the fields of developmental biology and cellular biology.

She works at the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH).

Career She received her doctorate from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 1987 for his work on interactions of nucleic acid proteins.

In 1988 she worked at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas in Madrid, to study programmed cell death.

In 1989, she joined the National Institute for Medical Research in London, working with David Wilkinson where she isolated a number of genes involved in the morphogenesis of the nervous system. In 1993 In 1993, she obtained a position of Staff Scientist at the Cajal Institute in Madrid. Since then she has led a research group interested in cell movements during embryo development and adult pathologies.

In 2000, she was promoted to director of the Developmental Neurobiology Department and elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization.

In 2004 Nieto was promoted to research professor. That same year, she moved to the Institute for Neurosciences (CSIC-UMH) in Alicante.

Nieto's has done research on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process where epithelial cells, which are tightly connected and stationary, transition into mesenchymal cells, which are more mobile and invasive. This phenomenon is critical in understanding developmental processes, as well as in cancer metastasis, tissue regeneration and disease in adults.

Her research on the SNAI1 gene family, its activation and relationship with disease has been well received, including its involvement in the formation of different tissues and organs during embryonic development, and how its reactivation in later developmental stages or in adulthood can result in various illness, such as tumor progression, fibrosis, and bone disease.

Nieto's contributions have been fundamental in explaining how cells change their identity during development, tissue repair, and in diseases like cancer. Her work has helped clarify the role of EMT in the progression of various cancers, making her a key figure in cancer biology research.

EMT was initially accepted by developmental biologists but not by oncologists. However, it has become one of the main cancer research subjects. (discussed in Nieto, Ann. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol., 2011 and Nieto et al., Cell, 2016).

Memberships Member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences since 2020. Member of the Academia Europaea. Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). 2015: Selección Española de la Ciencia (Spanish Selection of Science). 2016: Nephrology research award; Fundación Renal Española IAT 2017: Rotary Club Alicante Award 2017: Premio México de Ciencia y Tecnología by the Mexican Government. 2018: Lilly Foundation award for Preclinic Biomedical Research. 2018: Cancer Research Award, by the Asociación Española de Investigación sobre el Cáncer. 2018: Premio Alberto Sols for 'Best research work' 2016–2017. 2019: IMPORTANTES Award from the . 2019: 'Santiago Ramón y Cajal' in Biology, from the Spanish Government. 2021: L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards for Europe.