Yoelsis García Mayea, Ph.D., is graduated in Biology by the University of Havana (Cuba) in 2010. His final degree work was carried out investigating the role of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in the development of atherosclerosis. He afterwards worked for 2 years as a researcher in the area of bee genetics at the Institute of Beekeeping Research in Havana, where he collaborated closely with the Center of Molecular Immunology and the Center for Fisheries Research in Havana, publishing his first article related to the potential use of bee products against atherosclerosis. In 2015 Yoelsis was awarded a predoctoral fellowship from the Vall d'Hebron Hospital Research Institute (VHIR) (Barcelona), where he carried out the necessary research to successfully defend his PhD Thesis in Genetics (University of Barcelona) in 2020.
During his predoctoral period he published 10 scientific articles in medium-high impact indexed biomedical journals and has participated in 4 national/international competitive projects. His research has been mainly focused on biomedical oncology research, more specifically on the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the acquisition of resistance to chemotherapeutic treatments. As a postdoctoral researcher Yoelsis has continued his research career at the VHIR, and more recently he has been awarded a "Margarita Salas" grant from the University of Barcelona, which will allow him to spend 1 year as a postdoctoral researcher at VHIR and 17 months at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In September 2024 he has been rehired as a postdoctoral researcher at VHIR to continue his research line. Yoelsis and his collaborators have recently filed a European patent on new compounds capable of reversing the acquisition of resistance to cisplatin chemotherapy. His current research is focused on optimizing these drugs for clinical applications. Moreover, he has participated in 19 published scientific articles and has collaborated on 7 competitive projects.