Avencia Sanchez-Mejias

Avencia has a PhD in Molecular Biology and a Master’s in Biomedical Research from the University of Seville. Avencia has had a solid career in clinical genetics, molecular oncology and synthetic biology at research centres tied to university hospitals in several countries, including Spain, the United States and Singapore.

Avencia did her post-doc at the National University of Singapore and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In 2018, she joined the Translational Synthetic Biology Lab at Pompeu Fabra University, led by Dr Marc Güell.

In recent years, Avencia has focused on transferring the knowledge generated in these institutions to society through her entrepreneurial project, Integra Tx. Founded with Dr Marc Güell, Integra Tx is a Barcelona-based company that is creating the latest-generation gene-editing tools to make advanced therapies safer and more effective.

Avencia is committed to helping develop female talent and encouraging coming generations to go into STEM fields. In 2021, she was chosen to take part in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs programme promoted by Foment del Treball and the US Consulate in Barcelona.