The Valdecilla Institute for Health Research (IDIVAL) has recognized the work of seven young researchers in the latest edition of the NEXT-Val program (NEXT generation VALdecilla), an initiative that promotes translational research within Cantabria’s biomedical environment. Among the awardees is Daniel Álvarez, a postdoctoral researcher at IDIVAL, whose project addresses one of the body’s most costly mistakes: when the immune system, instead of protecting us, mistakenly attacks our own body.
NEXT-Val, endowed with nearly €150,000 in total and with a maximum of €25,000 per project, supports emerging researchers who have not yet led competitive grants, offering them the chance to take a step forward toward greater scientific independence and international projection. For Álvarez, this support represents a key boost to advance a research line that combines the precision of molecular biology with the long-term vision of translational medicine. “It’s a very beautiful career, often very frustrating… but if you love it, it’s worth it.”
Graduated in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Salamanca in 2012, Álvarez admits he did not always have a clear path. “I always liked natural sciences, but at one point I even thought about becoming an engineer. In fact, I could have studied many different things.” The turning point came during his degree, when he took molecular biology courses taught by professors who shared their own research with students. “That was what interested me the most in the whole degree, and that’s when I got into that field.”
In 2013, he began his residency in Clinical Immunology at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, one of Spain’s leading centers. From the start, he combined patient care with research and, during his third year, he began a PhD focused on autoimmune thyroid diseases—a line he did not choose at first but which eventually connected with his personal story: “It coincided with the fact that my mother had suffered from one of these diseases, so I also experienced it personally.”
His thesis, focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating autoreactive responses, led to publications in high-impact journals and collaborations with national and international groups. One of the key findings was demonstrating that thyroid follicular cells (TFCs) can inhibit the proliferation of autologous T lymphocytes through a contact-dependent process.
That discovery is the starting point of his current project, which seeks to characterize the phenotypic and transcriptomic changes of T cells after interacting with TFCs, identify the signaling pathways involved, and study what happens when these are blocked with specific neutralizing antibodies. Although he does not expect immediate clinical application, Álvarez emphasizes that the results could lay the groundwork for developing new immunomodulatory drugs. “If one day this helps improve—even just a little—the quality of life of people, that would be the best thing that could happen to me.”
He summarizes it in a direct and simple way: “Our immune system protects us from infections, but sometimes it makes mistakes and attacks parts of our own body. I study why that happens and how we could stop it so it causes less harm.”
Autoimmune diseases affect between 5% and 10% of the population, and while current treatments can slow their progression, they do not offer a definitive cure. That is why research like his, aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms, is so important to open new therapeutic pathways.
Throughout his career, Álvarez has had mentors who left a mark on him, such as his supervisor in Barcelona: “He was very approachable and kind, and intellectually brilliant. I learned a lot from him and was always impressed by how much he knew.” He also recalls a piece of advice from a colleague at Vall d’Hebron: “The PhD is 90% frustration and 10% joy. But that 10% is very powerful: when something works out, you remember why you do what you do.”
For him, that sense is magnified when there is contact with patients: although he knows his current research will not have an immediate effect on them, he understands that every advance is fundamental for the medicine of the future.
After a decade in Barcelona, Álvarez joined IDIVAL two years ago. The change not only gave him a new professional perspective but also greater life balance. “Here the work is very good, just like there, but at a different pace. At last I can reconcile my personal and professional life, and that’s something I really appreciate.”
Looking toward the future, he dreams that what he is doing today will eventually become applicable: “I’d like that in 20 years we can say this work contributed to something concrete and improved—even just a little—someone’s quality of life.”
