Jorge Meléndez protests as director of the National Institute of Genomic Medicine

The Secretary of Health, Jorge Alcocer Varela, protested the new director general of the National Institute of Genomic Medicine (Inmegen), Jorge Meléndez Zajgla, elected by the Governing Board of this institute.

The ceremony was carried out with the presence of the head of the Coordinating Commission of National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals (CCINSHAE), Gustavo Reyes Terán; the general director of Coordination of the National Institutes of Health, Carla del Carmen Toledo Salinas; members of the Governing Board, as well as directors and general directors of institutes and hospitals.

In his message, Meléndez Zajgla pointed out that it is time to apply the science that has been developed at the institute, in products and services for the national medical community and for patients throughout the country. "It is very important that Inmegen's work is translated into implementation science in order to have a tangible impact on the health of Mexicans."

The new general director of Inmegen, who took office for the 2023-2028 period, also stated that he will strengthen transparency in all the institute's activities, and considered it essential that citizens and the scientific community fully trust Inmegen and use appropriate resources allocated to the institution.

He reaffirmed his conviction that the work of the National Institute of Genomic Medicine has the potential to generate a significant impact on the health and well-being of society. "Working together, with open and transparent communication, we will drive scientific excellence and innovation."

Jorge Meléndez Zajgla is a surgeon from the Anahuac University; He obtained Master's and Doctorate degrees in Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He is a researcher in Medical Sciences "F", attached to the Inmegen Functional Genomics laboratory and a member of the National System of Researchers (SNII) Level 3, in addition to being a full member of the National Academy of Medicine.

In 2007, the research line "Functional Genomics" began, which includes projects aimed at elucidating the genomic bases of human diseases, among other topics. The results of his research have made an important contribution to studies in the diagnosis and treatment of various types of cancer.

Meléndez Zagla has published more than 120 research articles in international and national journals and eight book chapters; In addition, he has been cited nearly 14,000 times in articles published in prestigious specialized journals such as Science, Nature, PNAS, JBC, Oncogene, and EMBO Reports.

He is editor of the journals Scientific Reports, Clinical and Translational Oncology, Frontiers in Genetics, and Frontiers in Oncology, among others. He has directed 34 theses, including five postdoctoral ten doctoral theses, four master's, five specialty and 12 undergraduate.

He is a professor or tutor of the postgraduate courses in Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences at UNAM, including tenured professor of the High Specialty Course of Genomic Medicine in Cancer UNAM-Inmegen. He has received nine awards and distinctions, such as the “Marcos Moshinsky” Chair and the “Heberto Castillo” Award. He highlights his participation as a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium, the largest global initiative to elucidate the cancer genome.

His lines of research focus on genomic medicine, cancer, cell death, stem cells, gene editing, and transduction cascades.

(Visited 6 times, 6 visits today)