Sara Pagans Lista

Sara Pagans Lista is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Girona. She is also a key researcher in the Cardiovascular Genetics Research Group at the Dr. Josep Trueta Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI). Her academic leadership extends to university governance, where she currently serves as Vice-Rector for Students, Mobility, and Employment (2021–present), having previously held roles as Academic Secretary and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

Education:

• Licentiate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (1997)
• PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (2003)

Her research spans molecular mechanisms of gene regulation, with a current focus on epigenetics in cardiovascular diseases and the role of non-coding genetic variants. Early work explored transcriptional regulation in Drosophila development, followed by postdoctoral research on HIV-1 transcriptional control at the Gladstone Institute (UC San Francisco), where she studied post-translational modifications of the Tat protein. Her recent work integrates epigenomics and proteomics to uncover disease mechanisms in cardiology.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trajectory in molecular cardiology and virology, with increasing emphasis on epigenetic and regulatory mechanisms in heart disease. Keywords include epigenetics, gene regulation, cardiovascular genetics, and virology, with subfields ranging from chromatin remodeling to non-coding RNA and metabolic-epigenetic crosstalk.

Scientific Recognition:

• Publication in PLoS Biology highlighted as 'Must Read' by Faculty of 1000 Biology

Sara Pagans Lista has served as Principal Investigator on national and European research projects, securing competitive funding to advance her work in cardiovascular epigenetics. She actively mentors researchers within her group and contributes to academic training through teaching in the Medicine and Molecular Biology Master’s programs. She also participates in scientific outreach via the Chair of Scientific Culture and Digital Communication at UdG.

She leads research within the Cardiovascular Genetics Research Group at IDIBGI, a multidisciplinary team focused on identifying genetic and epigenetic factors in heart disease. The group employs cutting-edge molecular and genomic techniques to translate basic findings into clinical insights.