Carlos Simón is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Valencia (Spain), Senior Lecturer PT, BIDMC Harvard University, USA, and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, USA.
His main clinical and scientific interest focuses on understanding human embryonic implantation, a critical process to the survival of the species, by considering the embryo, the maternal endometrium, and their cross-communication as crucial elements.
He discovered a transcriptomic signature of human endometrial receptivity using microarray technology (PMID: 20619403), which was later confirmed by single-cell RNA sequencing (PMID: 32929266). Clinical translation of this research resulted in a patent for the creation of the endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) to diagnose the personalized window of implantation in infertile patients. He provided evidence of a decidualization defect in the endometrium of women with severe preeclampsia, a pathology detectable at the time of delivery and persisting for years (PMC: 5635883). Furthermore, he also discovered the footprint encoding this defect (PMC: 8553341). He next demonstrated that the human uterine cavity is not sterile by reporting the existence of the endometrial microbiome (PMID: 27717732) and its functional implications in pregnancy (PMC: 8725275). He also discovered the existence and provided functional proof of concept for the existence of human endometrial stem cells; of note, these findings are being translated into the first advanced cellular therapy for Asherman’s Syndrome (PMID: 27005892) (EudraCT Number: 2016-003975-23). For the human embryo, he created a prediction model for aneuploidy in early embryo development revealed by single-cell analysis (PMID: 26151134), deciphered the clinical impact of embryo mosaicism (PMCID: PMC8715143), and discovered the origin and composition of human embryo cell-free DNA (PMID: 29471395) and its clinical implications (PMID: 32470458). His team derived, characterized, and registered ten human embryonic stem cell lines now in the Spanish National Stem Cell Bank. (PMID: 20018958). His pioneering work in this field made possible the creation of the Valencia Node of the Spanish Stem Cell Bank in 2004. Finally, he addressed cross-communication between the maternal endometrium and the embryo (PMID: 29390102), discovering that maternal microRNAs might act as a transcriptomic modifier of the pre-implantation embryo (PMID: 26395145).
His commitment to excellence in research is demonstrated by the publication of over 500 papers (PubMed) in peer-reviewed journals with an accumulated impact factor of 2,233.44. His papers have received around 30,000 citations, and he has a Google Scholar H-index of 89. He has edited 21 books in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and supervised 38 Ph.D. theses. Several scientific societies and institutions have awarded his research, including the Rey Jaime I Medical Research Award in 2011, the ASRM Distinguished Research Award in 2016, and the Lilly Foundation Biomedical Research Award in 2021.
His commitment to excellence in clinical care is demonstrated by his instrumental role as a clinician and scientific director in establishing the clinical practice and research program of the IVI from 1994 to 2018 (www.ivirma.es). As an inventor and entrepreneur, his research has generated 17 patent applications that enabled the creation of Igenomix S.L. in 2011. He was a founder and chief science officer (CSO), leading a scientific/medical team of 120 Ph.D. students worldwide until Igenomix was acquired by Vitrolife in 2021, a biotech company devoted to precision medicine in reproductive health through advanced reproductive genetic diagnoses with an international footprint on all continents.