Director at Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico, Spain.
Dr. Ivo Glynne Gut is an internationally recognized genomics expert, known for pioneering contributions in genome analysis, technology development, and translational research. Born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1960, he holds dual Swiss and British nationality and is fluent in German, English, French, and Spanish. Over a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, he has significantly influenced cancer genomics, rare diseases, epigenetics, and single-cell biology. Dr. Gut is currently the Director General and CEO of the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG) in Barcelona, a leading genome analysis center in Southern Europe.
🎓Academic Background:
Dr. Ivo Glynne Gut embarked on his academic journey in the field of chemistry at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry in 1985, laying a strong foundation in the chemical sciences. Demonstrating a keen interest in the physical aspects of chemistry, he pursued and completed a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the same institution in 1990. His doctoral studies equipped him with a profound understanding of the physical principles underlying chemical systems, setting the stage for his future contributions to genomics and molecular biology.
Profile:
💼 Professional Experience:
Dr. Ivo Glynne Gut is a renowned expert in genomics with a career spanning both academia and large-scale research infrastructures. He served as the Director of the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG) in Spain, where he led high-throughput sequencing efforts for large genomic projects. Prior to that, he was a key scientist at the Centre National de Génotypage (CNG) in France, contributing to major European and international genomics initiatives. Dr. Gut has played a pivotal role in advancing personalized medicine, population genomics, and cancer research through his leadership and innovative approaches in genome analysis. His work bridges cutting-edge technology development with impactful biomedical applications.
🧪 Scientific and Research Excellence:
Dr. Gut’s scientific journey has been defined by a consistent drive to develop and apply innovative technologies to solve complex biomedical problems. His work has led to the creation of gold-standard tools, such as bisulphite pyrosequencing for DNA methylation analysis, and to the foundation of Epigenomics AG, which commercialized the Septin9 blood-based test for colon cancer detection. He played a key role in several landmark genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and was instrumental in uncovering critical genetic mutations in various cancers, including lung cancer, melanoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). His recent focus on single-cell genomics has opened new frontiers in understanding immune cell dynamics in health and disease.
🌍 International Collaborations and Initiatives:
Dr. Gut’s influence extends globally through his participation in and leadership of major international initiatives. These include the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC), and the 1+Million Genomes Initiative. He has chaired quality control working groups, led genomic infrastructure projects like RD-Connect and EASI-Genomics, and participated in European flagship programs in cancer and rare disease research. His involvement has shaped global best practices in genomic data analysis and policy.
🧠 Areas of Expertise:
His areas of specialization include genomics, bioinformatics, cancer biology, rare diseases, high-throughput sequencing, DNA/protein analysis methods, and the development of omics technologies. His interdisciplinary expertise has allowed him to lead from both technological and clinical fronts.
🏆Honors and Recognition:
Dr. Gut’s excellence has been widely recognized, notably with the “Stars of Europe” Prize awarded to the READNA consortium he coordinated. He also holds several prestigious fellowships and has served on influential scientific advisory boards for institutions including Genome Canada, ELIXIR, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). His patented inventions (24 in total) have had significant translational impact, further exemplifying his role as a bridge between discovery and real-world application.
🏥 Leadership and Institutional Impact:
As founding director of CNAG, Dr. Gut has overseen its evolution into a powerhouse of genomic research, managing a team of over 130 professionals and an annual budget of €14 million. Under his leadership, CNAG has achieved ISO certifications, produced over 400 studies annually, and contributed crucial genomic infrastructure and insight to the Spanish healthcare system, particularly in cancer and rare disease diagnostics. His role encompasses scientific strategy, operations, human resources, finance, and stakeholder engagement with ministries of research and health.
Publications:
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Lambert JC, Heath S, Even G, Campion D, Sleegers K, Hiltunen M, … Gut IG. Genome-wide association study identifies variants at CLU and CR1 associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Genetics. 41(10):1094-1099, 2009. (Cited by 4396)
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Barrett JC, Hansoul S, Nicolae DL, Cho JH, Duerr RH, Rioux JD, Brant SR, … Gut IG. Genome-wide association defines more than 30 distinct susceptibility loci for Crohn’s disease. Nature Genetics. 40(8):955-962, 2008. (Cited by 3314)
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Alexandrov LB, Kim J, Haradhvala NJ, Huang MN, Tian Ng AW, Wu Y, … Gut IG. The repertoire of mutational signatures in human cancer. Nature. 578(7793):94-101, 2020. (Cited by 3096)
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Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes. Nature. 578(7793):82-93, 2020. (Cited by 2707)
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Moffatt MF, Gut IG, Demenais F, Strachan DP, Bouzigon E, Heath S, … A large-scale, consortium-based genomewide association study of asthma. New England Journal of Medicine. 363(13):1211-1221, 2010. (Cited by 2519)
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Rhie A, McCarthy SA, Fedrigo O, Damas J, Formenti G, Koren S, … Gut IG. Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species. Nature. 592(7856):737-746, 2021. (Cited by 2443)
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International network of cancer genome projects. International Cancer Genome Consortium. Nature. 464(7291):993, 2010. (Cited by 2431)
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SEARCH Collaborative Group, Gut IG. SLCO1B1 Variants and Statin-Induced Myopathy — A Genomewide Study. New England Journal of Medicine. 359(8):789-799, 2008. (Cited by 2361)
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Lappalainen T, Sammeth M, Friedländer MR, ‘t Hoen PAC, Monlong J, … Gut IG. Transcriptome and genome sequencing uncovers functional variation in humans. Nature. 501(7468):506-511, 2013. (Cited by 2148)
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Moffatt MF, Kabesch M, Liang L, Dixon AL, Strachan D, Heath S, … Gut IG. Genetic variants regulating ORMDL3 expression contribute to the risk of childhood asthma. Nature. 448(7152):470-473, 2007. (Cited by 2023)
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Puente XS, Pinyol M, Quesada V, Conde L, Ordóñez GR, Villamor N, … Gut IG. Whole-genome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Nature. 475(7354):101-105, 2011. (Cited by 1980)
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Hung RJ, McKay JD, Gaborieau V, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Zaridze D, … Gut IG. A susceptibility locus for lung cancer maps to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes on 15q25. Nature. 452(7187):633-637, 2008. (Cited by 1514)
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Newton-Cheh C, Johnson T, Gateva V, Tobin MD, Bochud M, Coin L, … Gut IG. Genome-wide association study identifies eight loci associated with blood pressure. Nature Genetics. 41(6):666-676, 2009. (Cited by 1465)
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Quesada V, Conde L, Villamor N, Ordóñez GR, Jares P, Bassaganyas L, … Gut IG. Exome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations of the splicing factor SF3B1 gene in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nature Genetics. 44(1):47-52, 2012. (Cited by 1306)
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Dixon AL, Liang L, Moffatt MF, Chen W, Heath S, Wong KCC, Taylor J, … Gut IG. A genome-wide association study of global gene expression. Nature Genetics. 39(10):1202-1207, 2007. (Cited by 1184)
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Puente XS, Beà S, Valdés-Mas R, Villamor N, Gutiérrez-Abril J, … Gut IG. Non-coding recurrent mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Nature. 526(7574):519-524, 2015. (Cited by 1094)
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Gerstung M, Jolly C, Leshchiner I, Dentro SC, Gonzalez S, Rosebrock D, … Gut IG. The evolutionary history of 2,658 cancers. Nature. 578(7793):122-128, 2020. (Cited by 1066)
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Prado-Martinez J, Sudmant PH, Kidd JM, Li H, Kelley JL, … Gut IG. Great ape genetic diversity and population history. Nature. 499(7459):471-475, 2013. (Cited by 1009)
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Heyn H, Li N, Ferreira HJ, Moran S, Pisano DG, Gomez A, Diez J, … Gut IG. Distinct DNA methylomes of newborns and centenarians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109(26):10522-10527, 2012. (Cited by 932)
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Tost J, Gut IG. DNA methylation analysis by pyrosequencing. Nature Protocols. 2(9):2265-2275, 2007. (Cited by 868)