Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza
Dr. Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza is an Ikerbasque Research Professor and head of the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Rare Diseases group at Biobizkaia Health Research Institute. She holds a Pharmacy degree from the University of the Basque Country, an MSc in Immunopharmacology from the University of Strathclyde, and a PhD from King’s College London on the molecular basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
After postdoctoral research at Imperial College London and University College London, where she contributed to the development and early clinical trials of eteplirsen—the first FDA-approved exon-skipping therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy—she established her own translational research team in 2013. Her work focuses on RNA therapeutics for rare diseases (particularly neuromuscular ones) and on biochemical outcome measures to advance clinical development.
Prof. Arechavala-Gomeza has led major international collaborations, including chairing the European COST Action DARTER (Delivery of Antisense RNA Therapeutics), leading a working group within the European doctoral network EFFecT, and contributing to the Spanish DM1 hub for therapy development in myotonic dystrophy. From 2020 to 2022, she served on the Basque Drug Research Ethics Committee, a role central to the evaluation of research projects in the region. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications cited over 5000 times and works closely with academic, clinical, industry, and regulatory partners across Europe and beyond.
