Philosophy

“Life on Earth, and soon perhaps beyond it, is odd, tricky, and weirdly confusing; but life is also beautiful, serendipitous, and full of opportunity—altogether worth exploring and protecting through your own journey and unique gifts.”

I AM

A cuban woman, loving mother, and soulmate

I LIVE

In the vibrant city of London, a melting pot of cultures

I WORK

In the biggest research institute in Europe

I LOVE

Motorcycles, running, boxing, and making music

-2024-

I’m a Translation Scholar in the DNA Recombination and Repair laboratory of senior group leader Dr. Stephen West at The Francis Crick Institute in London, UK. The focus of the lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination (HR), a DNA damage repair pathway that cells use to maintain genomic stability.

My postdoctoral research explored the molecular dynamics of chromosomal fragility at genome regions termed common fragile sites (CFS). During my postdoc, I invented a diagnostic platform to assess the DNA repair capacity of tumour samples and I’m currently funded by the Chris Banton Foundation, which is dedicated to accelerating the translation of Crick discoveries and ideas into societal benefit, including the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease.

Training

I was born in La Habana, Cuba, and emigrated to the United States where I received my Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomechanics from the University of Florida. My studies continued at the University of Miami, where I earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, followed by postdoctoral studies at The Francis Crick Institute. With over 16 years of wet-lab experience, my background in laboratory research and project development is robust, particularly in the field of DNA damage and repair. I've applied my engineering and biological research skills to discover novel therapeutic combinations for urological cancers, develop diagnostic and prognostic markers, characterize DNA damage repair proteins, understand replication stress-induced genomic instability, and innovate tools for oncological patient stratification.

CSEN

In 2021, I co-founded and co-chaired the Crick Science Entrepreneur Network (CSEN) with a group of talented budding scientists. Our mission is to promote entrepreneurship within the Crick environment and the wider scientific community, fostering dialogues between researchers and industry leaders to explore the commercial potential of their scientific work.

As Co-Chair, I played a crucial role in shaping the culture, ethos, and decision-making paradigms of CSEN. Within our first year, we organized over 15 instructional events at the Crick, collaborated with the Crick’s translation team to launch the Crick Innovation Challenge, and were nominated for one of the Crick’s Annual Awards. In 2022, I was honored as a runner-up for the Sir David Cooksey Prize in Translation and named an Early Career Translation Fellow. By 2023, I was awarded the Sir David Cooksey Prize in Translation for my contributions to cancer diagnostics and my leadership within CSEN.

Video by Steven Potvin, Digital Content Officer, The Francis Crick Institute