Caffarel Lab > Team > Paloma Petit

Paloma Petit

Predoctoral researcher

Paloma Petit is a third-year PhD researcher in the Breast Cancer Group led by Dr. Caffarel at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biogipuzkoa (San Sebastián, Spain). She earned her BSc in Biotechnology from Universidad CEU San Pablo (Madrid, Spain) in 2020, and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (2022) from Maastricht University (Netherlands). During her master’s she conducted her thesis research at the Rega Institute (Leuven, Belgium) in collaboration with the Biomed Institute (Hasselt, Belgium), investigating the effects of multiple sclerosis treatments on neutrophil function, work which she developed thanks to a grant from the Stichting MS Research foundation. During these years she developed a strong interest in immunology and cancer immunotherapy. Her PhD research has been supported by the Investigo Programme (European Union), Fundación Jesús Gangoiti Barrera. Paloma’s current research focuses on the role of IL1RAP protein in modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) in breast cancer and its impact on tumor progression, metastasis, and immunotherapy responses. She investigates how IL-1 signaling shapes the immune landscape of primary tumors and metastatic sites, characterizing pro-inflammatory cell responses and evaluating the therapeutic potential of IL1RAP blockade using the monoclonal antibody Nadunolimab. During these years she has presented her research at international conferences including EACR and ASEICA. She has also participated in the coordination of the group ‘ASEICA predoc’ from the ASEICA joven group.  To know more about her, you can follow her scientific Bluesky account (@immunopetit.bsky.social).