# Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO)

Source: https://onco.cc/institutions/cnio/  
OnCo record `cnio` (Institution). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Spain's national cancer research centre, founded by RAS pioneer Mariano Barbacid and known for oncogene, telomere and senescence biology.

## Summary

The CNIO was created in 1998 with Mariano Barbacid, who had isolated the first human oncogene (HRAS) in 1982, as founding director; María Blasco (telomeres and telomerase) directed it from 2011 to 2025. Its groups made foundational contributions to KRAS-driven pancreatic and lung cancer models, cellular senescence (Manuel Serrano), replication stress (Óscar Fernández-Capetillo), melanoma metastasis (Marisol Soengas) and structural biology, and its Experimental Therapeutics Programme discovers small molecules for academic and industry partners. Clinical research units embedded in Madrid hospitals, including the H12O-CNIO lung unit and breast and prostate units, translate discoveries into trials. The centre runs a familial cancer clinical unit and a large biobank.

## Fields

- Kind: Institution
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: Spanish National Cancer Research Centre; CNIO
- City: Madrid, ES
- Type: research-institute
- Website: https://www.cnio.es/en/

## Sources

- Homepage: https://www.cnio.es/en/
- Research programmes: https://www.cnio.es/en/research-innovation/

## Connected records

- cancers: [HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-hr-positive/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- fronts: [Drug Discovery Platforms](https://onco.cc/fronts/drug-discovery/), [Targeted Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/targeted-therapy/)
- technologies: [AI-driven drug & target discovery](https://onco.cc/technologies/ai-drug-design/), [CRISPR functional genomics](https://onco.cc/technologies/crispr-screens/), [KRAS & RAS inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/kras-inhibitors/), [Patient-derived xenografts](https://onco.cc/technologies/pdx-models/)
- targets: [KRAS](https://onco.cc/targets/kras/), [TP53](https://onco.cc/targets/tp53/)
- institutions: [Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre](https://onco.cc/institutions/12-de-octubre/), [Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC)](https://onco.cc/institutions/aecc/), [Vall d'Hebron University Hospital / VHIO](https://onco.cc/institutions/vall-dhebron/)
- terms: [Oncogene addiction](https://onco.cc/terms/oncogene-addiction/)
- people: [Fernando Peláez](https://onco.cc/people/fernando-pelaez/)
- bottlenecks: [The undruggable drivers](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-undruggable-targets/)

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