Angela Nieto, PhD, is a biochemist and molecular biologist. She earned her doctorate from the Autonomous University of Madrid in 1987, and completed postdoctoral research in Madrid and at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Her groundbreaking research transformed understanding of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an essential process during embryonic development, when cells change their characteristics and acquire the ability to move through tissues. Nieto’s research demonstrated how these same processes can contribute to cancer and fibrosis. EMT has become one of the main subjects of cancer research and led to new avenues of treatment. Nieto is a member of Spain’s Royal Academy of Sciences and has received some of Spain’s highest scientific honors, including the Rey Jaime I Award and the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award for Europe.
