Prof. Dr. Rui Benedito
Functional genetics and Cardiovascular Biomedicine
Cardiovascular Biomedicine
Functional Genetics
Cell Biology/Molecular Biology
The Department of Prof. Dr. Rui Benedito develops innovative genetic technologies of broad relevance to biomedical research and is currently using them to understand and modulate cardiovascular biology and related disease processes.
Genetic mutations are changes in the DNA sequence that can disrupt normal biological functions and lead to various diseases. Some of these mutations are inherited, while others occur sporadically during embryonic development or later in life. Recent advances in genetic sequencing technologies have greatly accelerated the discovery of disease-causing mutations. However, identifying these mutations is only the first step; it must be followed by a careful assessment of how they alter cellular biology and contribute to disease.
Our research aims to model and understand, at very high resolution, how genetic mutations change the biology of individual mutant cells. We are developing new genetic technologies of broad relevance that allow us to induce these mutations in an effective, reliable, and trackable manner, thereby greatly facilitating the study of gene function in any single cell of a living organism.
By investigating how specific mutations alter gene function and the biology of individual cells, we can unravel the mechanisms behind a wide range of diseases—from inherited or acquired genetic conditions causing cardiovascular disease to cancer.
Vita
- 201997-2002: Studies in Microbiology and Genetics, Faculty of Sciences at University of Lisbon.
- 2008: Graduation Dr. phil.nat at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UTL.
- 2008 – 2012 : Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Department Tissue Morphogenesis, Germany.
- 2009 - Peter Hans Hofschneider Prize from the Max Planck Society for the outstanding achievement in Molecular Medicine.
- 2012 – 2025 : Assistant, Associate and Full Professor at the Molecular Genetics of Angiogenesis Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.
- 2013 - Werner Risau Prize from the German Society for Cell Biology
- 2014 - Fundacion Principe de Girona Prize 2014
- 2014 – European Research Council Starting Grant
- 2019 - European Vascular Biology Organization Award Lecture
- 2020 – European Research Council Consolidator Grant
- 2022 - Tucker Collins Vascular Biology Award – Harvard Medical School.
- Since 2025: Director department "Functional Genetics" at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster.
Selected references
Garcia-Gonzalez I, Gambera S, Rocha SF, Regano A, Garcia-Ortega L, Lytvyn M, Diago-Domingo L, Sanchez-Muñoz MS, Garcia-Cabero A, Zagorac I, Luo W, Fernández-Chacón M, Casquero-Garcia V, Francesca Lunella F, Torroja C, Sánchez-Cabo F, Benedito, R. iFlpMosaics enable the multispectral barcoding and high-throughput comparative analysis of mutant and wildtype cells. Nature Methods (2025) doi:10.1038/s41592-024-02534-w.
Garcia-Gonzalez I, Rocha SF, Hamidi, A, Garcia-Ortega L, Regano A, Sanchez-Muñoz MS, Lytvyn M, Garcia-Cabero A, Roig-Soucase S, Schoofs H, Castro M, Sabata H, Potente M, Graupera M, Makinen T, Benedito, R. iSuRe-HadCre is an essential tool for effective conditional genetics. Nucleic Acids Research (2024) doi:10.1093/nar/gkae472.
Fernández-Chacón, M., Mühleder, S., Regano, A., Garcia-Ortega, L., Rocha, S.F., Torroja, C., Sanchez-Muñoz, M.S., Lytvyn, M., Casquero-Garcia, V., Benedito R. (2023). Incongruence between transcriptional and vascular pathophysiological cell states. Nature Cardiovasc. Res. (2023) 10.1038/s44161-023-00272. Werner Risau Prize 2023 (for M. Fernández-Chacón) for outstanding study in vascular biology (DGZ).
Luo W, Garcia-Gonzalez I, Fernández-Chacón M, Casquero-Garcia V, Maria S. Sanchez-Muñoz, Mühleder S, Garcia-Ortega L, Andrade J, Potente M, Benedito R. Arterialization requires the timely suppression of cell growth. Nature (2021) 589: 437-441. Tucker Collins Vascular Biology Award 2022 - Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Pontes-Quero S, Fernández-Chacón M, Luo W, Lunella F, Casquero-García V, Garcia-Gonzalez I, Bansal M, Hermoso A, Benedito R. High mitogenic stimulation arrests angiogenesis. Nature Commun. (2019) May 1;10, 2016.
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