Biography
María Martínez López holds a PhD in Molecular Biosciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and is an expert in dendritic cells and the mechanisms regulating communication between the nervous and immune systems. Her research investigates how signals such as stress modulate the activity of these cells and may influence processes related to cancer development and progression. During her PhD, she identified key functions of the Mincle receptor in Leishmania immune evasion and in the recognition of the gut microbiota. These findings, published in Immunity, earned her the UAM Extraordinary Doctorate Award and the Lyceum Science–Banco Santander Young Women Researchers Award. She has developed her research career at institutions including the University of Oxford, CNIC and the Champalimaud Foundation. In 2026, she joined the CaixaResearch Institute as a Junior Group Leader.
Research lines
Study of the communication between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems and of how stress modulates immune responses, with the aim of identifying new therapeutic targets in cancer, autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases.
María Martínez López holds a PhD in Molecular Biosciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and is an expert in dendritic cells and the mechanisms regulating communication between the nervous and immune systems. Her research investigates how signals such as stress modulate the activity of these cells and may influence processes related to cancer development and progression. During her PhD, she identified key functions of the Mincle receptor in Leishmania immune evasion and in the recognition of the gut microbiota. These findings, published in Immunity, earned her the UAM Extraordinary Doctorate Award and the Lyceum Science–Banco Santander Young Women Researchers Award. She has developed her research career at institutions including the University of Oxford, CNIC and the Champalimaud Foundation. In 2026, she joined the CaixaResearch Institute as a Junior Group Leader.
Study of the communication between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems and of how stress modulates immune responses, with the aim of identifying new therapeutic targets in cancer, autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases.