Francisco J. M. Mojica (Elche, 1963) earned his degree in Biology from the University of Valencia in 1986. After completing his PhD, he undertook several postdoctoral research stays. In 1997, he returned to the University of Alicante as an Associate Professor of Microbiology and founded the Molecular Microbiology research group, which focuses on the study of CRISPR systems (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). He was the first to discover these sequences and correctly assign their physiological role.

CRISPR sequences contain fragments of DNA from invading genetic elements such as viruses and plasmids, which bacteria and archaea incorporate into their own genome. In doing so, they acquire a kind of chemical memory of past infections, allowing them to become immune to future invasions by the same agents.

The immune response of the system is provided by a mechanism derived from the incorporated sequences, which guides Cas proteins (CRISPR-associated sequences) to recognize and cut the DNA of newly invading elements.

When manipulated appropriately, the CRISPR system can be used to edit genomes of all kinds in a highly precise and specific way, making its potential applications in biomedicine and biotechnology virtually limitless.

In 2015, Science magazine named the CRISPR system its Breakthrough of the Year. Cell magazine, in an article written by Prof. Eric S. Lander of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, highlighted the key contribution of Dr. Francisco J. M. Mojica to the discovery and functional assignment of the CRISPR system.

His scientific contributions have received growing national and international recognition, including the Scientific Merit Distinction from the Valencian Government and the prestigious “Rey Jaime I” Award for Basic Research in 2016.