Marcel Vergés Aiguaviva

Marcel Vergés Aiguaviva is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Sciences at the University of Girona (UdG), where he has been a faculty member since 2015. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and serves as a Senior Researcher in the Cardiovascular Genetics Research Group (GenCardio) at the Dr. Josep Trueta Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI). His academic and research career spans institutions including the University of Barcelona and the University of California, San Francisco.

His primary research interests include:

• Cardiac arrhythmias and Brugada Syndrome
• Protein trafficking in polarized cells
• Voltage-gated sodium channels (Na_V1.5 and β2 subunit)
• Post-translational modifications (N-glycosylation, S-palmitoylation)
• Retromer complex function in endosomal sorting
• Molecular mechanisms of ion channel localization

His recent publications (2017–2024) reveal a strong focus on the molecular regulation of the Na_V1.5 channel, particularly how the β2 subunit's trafficking is modulated by glycosylation, palmitoylation, and structural domains, with direct implications for cardiac excitability and arrhythmogenesis. Several of his articles are editorials and reviews, indicating leadership in the field.

Scientific awards and recognitions include:

• Premi Extraordinari de Doctorat (UdG)
• International Doctorate Distinction for supervised thesis

He has secured multiple research grants, including from the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2021-126721OB-I00, 2022–2025), FECYT (crowdfunding project), and internal UdG funding. He has supervised PhD students such as Eric Cortada and Yasmina Cuartero. He is also actively involved in medical education, having led tutoring programs and conducted studies on PBL assessment and student retention. He serves as a peer reviewer for over 30 manuscripts and is an editorial board member for MDPI journals.

He is associated with the following labs and research teams:

• Cardiovascular Genetics Research Group (GenCardio), IDIBGI
• Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UdG