Dr. Jesús Prieto, Full Professor of General Pathology at the University of Navarra, has been appointed president of the committee International of the American Society for Gene Therapy. He is the first Spaniard to occupy the position, which he will hold until 2007. Dr. Prieto is director of the department of Internal Medicine of the University Clinic and of the area of Gene Therapy and Hepatology of the research center Applied Medicine (CIMA).

The American Society for Gene Therapy was established in 1996 and has 3,000 members. It is the largest medical and scientific organization dedicated to the understanding, development and application of gene- and nucleic acid-related therapies, as well as to promote the Education professional and public in this field. Its journal, Molecular Therapy, publishes the most relevant international work on subject gene transfer, regulation and finding ; cell therapy, experimental models, genetic disease correction and clinical trials.

Outstanding scientific work

Dr. Jesús Prieto (Oviedo, 1944) graduated and received his MD and PhD in Medicine from the University of Valladolid and completed his training at the Royal Free Hospital in London. In 1979 he joined the University of Navarra as director of the department of Internal Medicine. His research work has focused on the study of the mechanisms of liver diseases and the development of new therapeutic procedures for hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver tumors. Professor Prieto set up the Division of Hepatology and Gene Therapy at the University of Navarra, from where several clinical trials, pioneers in Europe, on treatments for liver and digestive tumors are being developed.

Among the positions he has held are those of president of the Spanish association for the Study of the Liver, member of the Scientific committee of the European association for the Study of the Liver, founder of the Spanish Society of Gene Therapy and member of the Scientific committee of the French National Agency for the research on AIDS and viral Hepatitis.

He has also received distinctions such as the doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Porto, the Gran award of the Bial Foundation for Excellence in Medical research and the award "Candida Medrano de Merlo" for his contributions on Gene Therapy in liver cancer. As result of this assistance and research work, he has published more than 200 original papers in prestigious English-language journals and 60 articles in Spanish journals, has written 25 chapters in books of the specialization program, directed more than 40 doctoral thesis and edited seven books.