Team Spotlight: Susana Hernandez, MSc

Meet Susana Hernandez, Immunocine’s Director of Cell Therapy. Based in Cancun, Susana blends deep scientific expertise with a lifelong passion for helping others—whether she’s overseeing personalized Dendritic Cell Treatments or dreaming of a farm full of rescue animals.

With an impressive academic background and a heartfelt motivation rooted in her own family’s health history, Susana brings both precision and purpose to everything we do at Immunocine.

Where are you from?

I was born in Mexico City, but I’ve spent most of my life in beautiful Cancun.

Where did you study, and what was your major or specialization?

When I finished high school, there weren’t any medicine-related programs in Cancun. I had the chance to attend several medical schools, but I chose a different path—I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). Later, I completed a Master’s in Clinical Biomedicine, also at UDLAP, and followed that with a Master’s in Bioethics from Universidad Anáhuac México. I’m a pharmacist, a biotechnologist, and a translational medicine researcher.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Spending time with my family and staying active are the ways I recharge. I love going to the beach, swimming, and doing pilates.

Fun fact people might not know?

I’m a huge animal lover—I care for three dogs and two cats. One day, I’d love to live on a farm and play with chickens while I wait for lab processes to finish!

Also, when I was six, I used to crush flowers and leaves to make what I believed were “creams” and “gels” that could heal people. You could say I’ve been drawn to therapeutic solutions since day one.

Oh—and I’m a massive World of Warcraft fan. My husband and I love playing together, though I’ve had to uninstall it… let’s just say it’s a dangerous time-management trap!

Favorite spot to hangout in Cancun?

Definitely the beach. My favorite is Marlin Beach in the Hotel Zone. It has the perfect waves and plenty of space to unwind.

Favorite restaurant in Cancun?

Yamamoto. It’s a cozy Japanese restaurant I always return to.

Favorite book or movie?

Pride and Prejudice—both the book and the movie. No matter how many times I revisit the story, I always discover something new. It never gets old.

What inspired you to join the field of medicine?

When I was 13, I read about genetic engineering and how it could change a patient’s fate. That idea floored me. Until then, I thought people were stuck with the genes they inherited, and with a family history of cancer, that felt especially limiting.

I didn’t pursue medical school because surgery wasn’t for me. I was always more interested in the pharmacological and therapeutic side of medicine. I wanted to develop solutions that could directly alter someone’s prognosis.

Can you describe your role at Immunocine Cancer Center?

I’m the Director of Cell Therapy. My team and I are responsible for manufacturing Immunocine’s Dendritic Cell Treatments (IDCTs). We process tumor tissue and immune cells to create highly-personalized therapies. I also lead our research and development efforts to continually improve the quality and efficacy of what we deliver.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

I get to work with an extraordinary team, doing exactly what I’ve always dreamed of—using science to help people. It’s incredibly fulfilling.

How does the Immunocine Dendritic Cell Treatment (IDCT) protocol stand out in cancer care?

Each IDCT is completely personalized. Every tumor is different, and we use its specific molecular fingerprint to train a patient’s immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer. It’s a cutting-edge approach that brings hope, especially when traditional methods haven’t worked.

Most of my time is spent in the clean room, so I don’t interact with patients often. But I follow their stories closely. One that stands out is Brock’s journey. He was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, and his response to the IDCT was incredibly inspiring.

Also, as part of the cell therapy team, we look for immune system responses after treatment. For example, flu-like symptoms post-treatment are actually a good sign—it means the immune system is waking up. Sometimes patients even report localized pain near the tumor site, possibly due to immune cells like white blood cells concentrating there.

In melanoma cases, we’ve even seen hair turn white, which could be from the immune system targeting melanin-producing cells. These subtle signals are powerful reminders that something real and important is happening at the cellular level.