Name Carlos Simon | Role Gynaecologist | |
Carlos Simon (Buñol, province of Valencia, 1961) is a Spanish clinical researcher, gynaecologist and obstetrician.
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He was born in Buñol (Valencia). He is married and father of four children. His vocation was to become a doctor. He financed his university studies through government scholarships and vacation work.
He became Scientific Director of Igenomix S.L. since the company was created.
He became Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Valencia (UV) in 2007, Associate Clinic Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Stanford University in 2013 and Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas in 2014.
Career
He took a degree in Medicine and Surgery at the Valencia University (UV) in 1985 obtaining the qualification of Distinction Cum Laude and Extraordinary Degree Award. He obtained a Predoctoral Scholarship Holder at the Regional Ministry of Education, Regional Government of Valencia. Doctor in Medicine and Surgery at the Valencia University (UV) with Distinction Cum Laude in 1986.
He gained the speciality of Obstetrics and Gynaecology After approving the examination MIR in 1987 with number 116, and did his medical residency at the Obstetrics and Gynaecologist Department at the Clinic Hospital University of Valencia between 1987 and 1990, under the leadership of Professor Fernando Bonilla. He was Associate Doctor at this same department until September 1991.
In order to train as a researcher, he left his clinical place and got a Postdoctoral fellowship by the Ministry of Education and Science, General Foreign Subprogram, to do his training research in Reproductive Endocrinology in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the Stanford University, California (United States) since 1991 until 1994.
After completing his clinical and research training and for the past 20 years he has focussed his career in the applied reproductive medical research and regenerative medicine.
In 2004, due to his groundbreaking work in Spain about stem cells, he was named Director of the Valencia Nodo of the National Stem Cell Bank placed in the Principe Felipe Research Centre, he was also named coordinator of the regenerative medicine area until 2007 and scientific director of the same centre since 2009 until 2011.
He has been a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Stanford (USA), Yale (USA), Hong Kong (China) and Adelaide (Australia).
In 2011 Carlos Simón was honoured with the King Jaime I Prize of medical research thanks to a pioneering study about the endometrial receptivity alterations in human (ERA), one of the most important causes of infertility in the world.
He is a Corresponding Academician of the “Royal Academy of Medicine; Valencia", a member of “The Strategic Advisory Board of the Department of Development and Regeneration, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)”, counselor scientific advisor of “Ovascience (Boston)” and “The Advisory Board”.
He has a long-standing career as a Professor which goes from the College of Medicine at the University of Valencia to the Stanford University where he has worked as a tenured lecturer, Associate Professor and as a director and professor of national and international masters and post degree courses.
Honors and awards
National
International
Scientific production
Since 1991 he has contributed with his pioneering works to the research and clinical solution of the problems that produce infertility which is suffered by the 10% of the couples in reproductive age in the world. He has worked on the clinical demonstration and molecular mechanisms which control the deleterious effect of the high levels of oestradiol hormone changing the regular clinical practice and initiating the concept of “mild stimulation”. By employing the technique of microarrays he identified the transcriptomic sequences of the genes involved in the human endometrial receptivity, by publishing his discoveries in 20 papers as the first or last author, the former is the most quoted in the scientific journal Molecular Human Reproduction. The clinical translation of his results has led in a patent about the creation of a customized array named endometrial receptivity array (ERA) for the molecular diagnosis of the endometrial receptivity in infertile patients (Fertil Steril. 2011). All the same, he has created a data base bank with free access about the endometrial receptivity managed by the University of Valencia. Finally thanks to the funding of an excellence project PROMETEO to research the origin of the endometrial stem cells in human, he has been the first scientific in discovering that the endometrial stem cells isolated are able to reconstruct the human endometrium.
Since 2001 his works in human embryology have allowed him to expand his research in the field of pluripotencial cells, resulting in the derivation, characterization, publication and registration in the National Bank of Stem Cells Lines. He was the pioneer of the diverting of the first human embryonic stem cell lines in Spain (Simon C et al., Fertil Steril 2005). He has participated with the lines VAL showing the lack of genetic diversity of the stem cells most often used in the world (Mosher JT et al. N Engl J Med 2009).
His works have been funded as a Main Researcher in 18 competitive projects conceded by governmental institutions at the national level (FISS, SAF…), 4 financed by the Valencian Ministry of Education including 2 PROMETEO (Project granted to prestigious scientists), 1 by the Basque Ministry of Industry and 16 projects of public bodies, international companies and American universities.
He has organized 14 international conferences and 1 national conference in Reproductive and Regenerative Medicine. He is a Scientists Consulter at the World Health Organization as a membership of the Human Reproduction Programme Scientific and Ethical Review Group since 1998 y Spanish representative at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).
The scientific impact of his work is reflected in the publication of 408 articles published in international journals which bring an accumulated impact factor of 1.667,545. His works have received a total of 14.816 quotations with an average of 36 quotations per article. His H index is 68 and he has edited 15 books published in English, Spanish and Portuguese and 20 monographic notebooks, being one of the most prolific Spanish scientists. He has been Director of 33 doctoral thesis all of them with "Summa Cum Laude" qualification, including 5 excellence doctoral prizes and 4 European PhD. As an inventor, his research has resulted in 13 patents, bringing him to create the biotechnology company Igenomix SL. which currently has laboratories in Valencia, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Los Angeles, Miami, Dubai, New York City, Mexico DF, Montreal and Istambul.
He has been a speaker guest in 474 conferences in national and international congresses.
All this has contributed Dr. Carlos Simón to become a prominent national and international figure in the assisted reproduction field.