Miguel Torres Sánchez

Director of the Department of Cardiovascular Development and Repair at Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, CNIC

Miguel Torres graduated in Biology (1986, Complutense University of Madrid) and obtained his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1991, Autonomous University of Madrid) for his studies on Drosophila developmental Genetics. During his postdoctoral stay with Peter Gruss at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (1992-96, Göttingen, Germany), he contributed to elucidating the function of Pax transcription factors in mammals and established a Program of insertional mutagenesis in Embryonic Stem Cells.

After being appointed as CSIC Research Scientist at the Spanish National Center for Biotechnology, CNB (1996-2006, Madrid), he built an internationally recognized team specialized in the study of transcription factors in vertebrate embryonic development. His studies on the role and regulation of the TALE transcription factors have led to new models of limb patterning and vascular development.

His recent studies in Cell Competition have led to the first identification of endogenous Cell Competition in Vertebrates.