Ylenia Jabalera has been honoured at the 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ Awards for her research into precision gene editing
The awards aim to highlight female talent in the face of the funding gap, as more than 60% of female researchers in Spain cite a lack of resources as their main obstacle
Ylenia Jabalera, an Ikerbasque researcher at CIC bioGUNE, has been recognised at the 20th edition in Spain of the L’Oréal-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ awards, a leading international programme that promotes female talent in the scientific field and supports high-impact research projects in biomedicine, sustainability and health.
Dr Jabalera has been recognised for developing an innovative precision gene-editing strategy that improves the safety and efficacy of future advanced therapies. Her research, carried out at CIC bioGUNE, uses molecular evolution tools to recover ancestral proteins capable of modifying DNA and introducing beneficial genetic changes at specific points in the genome, without the need to cut the double helix.
This approach represents a significant advance in personalised medicine and opens up new possibilities for the treatment of rare diseases and neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS. In this context, gene editing is establishing itself as a key technology for the medicine of the future, and the research carried out at CIC bioGUNE is also driving new strategies in oncology, aimed at strengthening the immune system’s response to cancer.
In addition to its impact on health, this technological approach has potential applications in fields such as biotechnology and agricultural production, contributing to an overall improvement in quality of life and the development of sustainable solutions.
The project is being carried out in accordance with strict ethical criteria, prioritising patient safety, therapeutic efficacy and equitable access to future clinical applications. In this regard, the research excludes germline modification and aligns with international standards in the field of biomedicine.
