2025/07/07

June Ereño-Orbea, recognized with the National Award from the Specialized Group of Biological Chemistry of the RSEQ for Emerging Research Leaders

Dr. June Ereño-Orbea has received the National Award from the Specialized Group of Biological Chemistry of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ) for Emerging Research Leaders, in recognition of her outstanding scientific career and innovative work in the field of glycoimmunology.

Her research focuses on understanding how glycans and immune receptors modulate the response against cancer, opening new paths for the development of personalized therapies.

CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, is pleased to announce that Dr. June Ereño-Orbea, Ikerbasque researcher, Caixa Junior Leader and leader of the Cancer Glycoimmunology Group, has been awarded the National Award from the Specialized Group of Biological Chemistry of the RSEQ for Emerging Research Leaders, in its sixth edition.

This prestigious recognition highlights Dr. Ereño-Orbea’s distinguished scientific career in the emerging discipline of glycoimmunology, which studies the role of glycans, sugars present on the cell surface, in regulating the immune system. Her integrative approach combines chemistry, structural, cell and molecular biology, together with immunology, focusing on the study of Siglec receptors as potential therapeutic targets for cancer immunotherapy.

As part of this award, Dr. Ereño-Orbea has been invited to deliver a plenary lecture at the upcoming GEQB ChemBio Group Meeting, to be held in San Sebastián in 2026.

Dr. Ereño-Orbea earned her bachelor’s and PhD degrees in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). She completed her postdoctoral training at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids, Canada), where she characterized the CD22 receptor (Siglec-2), key in regulating B cells and therapies such as CAR-T. She joined CIC bioGUNE in 2019 as an Ikerbasque researcher and, since 2024, leads the Cancer Glycoimmunology Laboratory. Her work has been recognized with distinctions and awards, such as the BBVA Foundation Leonardo, the Ramón Areces, and the Mizutani Foundation Grants, as well as the Canadian Banting Fellowship, among others. She actively collaborates with leading international institutions as well as with several Basque scientific ecosystem entities.

Her group investigates how tumor microenvironment conditions, such as hypoxia and immunosuppressive signals, affect T cell functionality, essential for an effective immune response against cancer. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the laboratory also explores the role of Siglec receptors as glycan-mediated immune checkpoints, whose activation can suppress the immune response against tumors. Using tools such as X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, antibody engineering, and rational protein design, their goal is to understand these interactions at the molecular level and develop more effective, precise, and personalized cancer therapies.

From CIC bioGUNE, we extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Ereño-Orbea for this recognition of her excellent research work.

About CIC bioGUNE
The Centre for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organization conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, chemical, molecular and cell biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge on the molecular bases of disease, for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About Ikerbasque
Ikerbasque - Basque Foundation for Science - is the result of an initiative of the Department of Education of the Basque Government that aims to reinforce the commitment to scientific research by attracting, recovering and consolidating excellent researchers from all over the world. Currently, it is a consolidated organization that has over 350 researchers/s, who develop their work in all fields of knowledge.

About BRTA
BRTA is an alliance of 4 collaborative research centres (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE y CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technology centres (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker y Vicomtech) with the main objective of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque corporate fabric.

With the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group and the Provincial Councils of the three territories, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between the research centres, strengthen the conditions to generate and transfer knowledge to companies, contributing to their competitiveness and outspreading the Basque scientific-technological capacity abroad.

BRTA has a workforce of over 4,000 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country's R&D investment, registers an annual turnover of more than 300 million euros and generates 100 European and international patents per year.

Spanish version