Raquel Espin Palazon, assistant professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is the recipient of the faculty 2024 Early Achievement in Research Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Espin Palazon’s groundbreaking research in stem cell biology holds immense promise for the development of new therapies to treat chronic inflammation and blood diseases. She discovered that the same molecular mechanisms that regulate inflammation and clear infections in adults are essential for the birth of blood stem cells in embryos.
In her lab, Espin Palazon uses zebrafish as a model to uncover the cellular and molecular details of blood formation, both during development and throughout life. Because these are the same mechanisms that go awry in blood disorders such as myelodysplasia and leukemia, this knowledge will reveal how healthy bodies function and translate into improved treatments for blood disorders. “The fields of hematopoiesis and cell biology are changing because of Raquel’s accomplishments in research,” states a colleague.
Espin Palazon has published many outstanding peer-reviewed articles in top journals, been invited to give presentations at international meetings, served on four federal grant review panels and was awarded $3.55 million in competitive, mostly federal research funding. She has also been the recipient of multiple prestigious institutional, national and international awards. Overall, this is an exceptional accomplishment at her career stage.
Espin Palazon is highly recognized within the field of hematopoiesis nationally and internationally, as exemplified by her multiple invitations to speak nationally and internationally at conferences, workshops, universities and research hospitals. “Raquel demonstrates many of the values and qualities that are critical for success in an increasingly competitive and complex field,” states a colleague. “She is patient, values rigor over expediency, treats her trainees and colleagues alike with dignity and respect, and demonstrates a strong commitment to diversity, inclusiveness and ethical conduct. Overall, I would consider Raquel to be among the most promising and exciting junior faculty members in my field.”