Academic and research career
Batlle joined the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in 2004 as an ICREA Research Professor and Principal Investigator. He later became Programme Coordinator of the Cancer Science Programme and a member of the IRB Barcelona Executive Committee. [2]
His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive colorectal cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. His laboratory investigates the relationship between intestinal stem cells and tumor development, as well as the evolution and plasticity of metastatic cells. [3]
Batlle’s early work identified the transcription factor Snail as a repressor of the E-cadherin gene during epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key process in cancer invasion and metastasis. [4] His group later established the connection between intestinal stem cells and colorectal tumorigenesis and revealed the architecture and cellular hierarchy of colorectal tumors. [5]
In subsequent research, Batlle and his team uncovered the role of the TGF-beta signaling pathway in stromal cells in promoting immune evasion and metastatic colonization. [6] In 2022, Batlle’s group identified the cell of origin of metastatic relapse in colorectal cancer. [7]
Batlle has collaborated with the pharmaceutical industry to translate his laboratory findings into potential cancer treatments. One of the most notable examples is the development of petosemtamab (MCLA-158), an antibody targeting cancer stem cells, in collaboration with MERUS N.V. [8] The antibody showed therapeutic activity in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. FDA. It is currently being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials.
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