Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza, an Ikerbasque Research Professor, leads the Nucleic Acids Therapies for Rare Diseases (NAT-RD) group at Biobizkaia HRI. Trained as a pharmacist, she has an MSc in immunopharmacology and a PhD in the molecular basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As a postdoctoral researcher (Imperial College London and University College London), she participated and the first two clinical trials (both investigator-led) of the orphan drug eteplirsen, currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Since 2013, she has focused on the evaluation of therapies for neuromuscular diseases and has chaired the COST Action “Delivery of Antisense RNA ThERapeutics (DARTER)” to strengthen international collaboration in the field.
Passionate about science communication and mentorship, she actively engages in outreach in both English and Spanish and has been recognised with an Outstanding Mentor Award. With over 4500 citations, her publications include invited articles, book chapters, and an edited book. She also contributes to grant review panels, collaborates with regulatory agencies like the European Medicines Agency, and was a member of the Basque Ethics Committee for Drug Research (2020-2022). Her commitment extends to advocating the publication of “negative” results and she has edited special issues on the subject.
