From traditional cultivation to 3D: Innovations for the most relevant cell models (Portuguese)

Marcia Ferraz, Phd. has a Veterinary degree from the University of São Paulo (2010), a master degree in Genetics and Animal Reproduction from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2013) and a PhD from Utrecht University in the Netherlands (2018). From 2017 to 2020, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian National Zoo (USA). In 2020, she received the prestigious Sofja Kovalevskaja Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and between 2021 and 2024, she was a permanent professor (W2) at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich (Germany). She is currently a scientific researcher at the Toronto Zoo (Canada), where she develops innovative technologies in reproductive biotechnology applied to the conservation of wild species. Her research integrates veterinary medicine, biotechnology and molecular biology to develop dynamic reproductive models with applications in human health, animal production and wildlife conservation. She was a pioneer in creating the first oviduct-on-a-chip model, and her group is a reference in the use of microfluidics and bioprinting in reproductive tissue engineering. In addition to her scientific work, she led one of the first university laboratories in Germany to obtain the My Green Lab certification, contributing to the promotion of a global culture of sustainability in science.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/5204846013100417

From Genomic Blueprints to Bioactive Molecules: Chemical Biology of Bacterial Secondary Metabolites (English)

Nadine Ziemert is a Professor at the University of Tübingen, where she leads the Translational Genome Mining group at the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine. Her research focuses on natural product biology, microbial genomics and ecology, and bioinformatics, with the goal of discovering and characterizing novel bioactive compounds from microbial genomes and metagenomes. She has developed several widely used bioinformatic tools, including ARTS (Antibiotic Resistant Target Seeker), autoMLST for phylogenomic classification, and BGC Atlas for comparative analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters in environmental datasets. Her work examines the evolution and ecological distribution of BGCs and uses genome-guided approaches to identify natural products, with a particular emphasis on antibiotic resistance and drug discovery.

https://nlink.at/ZiemertLab

Drug Design (English)

Professor Conor Caffrey is the Director of the Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California San Diego. The CDIPD's mission is to advance preclinical drug discovery and development for, and education regarding, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which primarily affect low- and middle-income countries. Conor completed his PhD studies in molecular and biochemical parasitology at the University College Dublin in Ireland in 1994, and then performed post-doctoral studies at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and the University of California San Francisco. After a faculty position the University of Wales in the UK, Conor returned to UC San Francisco in 2001 to lead his own group within the newly-formed CDIPD. In 2015, Conor relocated his team to UC San Diego. In addition to federal and philanthropic research project support, the CDIPD routinely hosts national and international trainees supported by a variety of agencies, not least Brazilian scholars who are funded by FAPESP, CNPq and CAPES. The Center offers didactic and hands-on training in pre-clinical drug discovery and development for a number of NTD pathogens, and is engaged in capacity-building projects with institutions in Africa and South America. 

https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/faculty/caffrey

CRISPR/Cas: From theory to application (Portuguese)

History of advanced therapies (Portuguese)

Full Professor at the Paulista School of Medicine of the Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP). He was coordinator of the National Institute of Gene Therapy (2023-2024). He served as president of the Brazilian Association of Cell and Gene Therapy (ABTCEL-GEN) between 2021 and 2023, and as vice-president between 2019 and 2021. Co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Center for Gene Therapy (CINTERGEN) at UNIFESP, he was director of this center from its foundation in 2004 until 2010. During this period, he developed the first vector used for clinical gene therapy in Brazil. He was a member of the Advanced Therapies Technical Chamber of ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) and CTNBio (National Biosafety Commission), where he contributed to the drafting of regulations on the use of gene therapy in Brazil. He has been a specialist representative of the National Network of Specialists in Advanced Therapies (RENETA-ANVISA) since its creation. He has a degree in Chemistry, a master and doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of São Paulo, and a post-doctorate in Biophysics from UNIFESP. He did his post-doctorate in Gene Therapy at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, between 1992 and 1994, and he has been working in this area in Brazil ever since. His main lines of research include gene therapy for ischemic and genetic diseases, cancer and DNA vaccines.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/0069955147703693

Gene therapy for Epidermolysis Bullosa (Portuguese)

She holds a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences - Medical Modality from the Federal University of São Paulo (2008), a master's degree in Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology) from the Federal University of São Paulo (2011) and a PhD in Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology) from the Federal University of São Paulo (2016). She is currently a researcher at the Research Institute of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, developing a gene therapy project using CRISPR/Cas9 for sickle cell anemia and base editing for Epidermolysis Bullosa. She has experience in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, and genetics, working especially on gene and cell therapy projects for monogenic diseases

https://lattes.cnpq.br/5245997826862324

Molecular Screening for Diagnosis, Monitoring and Therapeutic Decision-Making in Thyroid Cancer (Portuguese)

She has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Passo Fundo (1986), a Master's degree (1991) and a PhD (1995) in Genetics from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Visiting Professor at Duke University (2002-2003) and Assistant Research Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School (2005). Member of the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Thyroid Endocrinology and Endocrinology. Ad hoc reviewer for CNPq, FAPESP and the journals Clinical Endocrinology, Endocrinology, Thyroid, BMC Cancer, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Journal of Endocrinology, Cancer Research, Neoplasia, Endocrine-Related Cancer, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Member of the Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) since 1996, Corresponding member of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) since 2005, member of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology (SBEM) since 2009, member of the Brazilian Society of Genetics since 2009. She was Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Structural and Functional Biology at UNIFESP (2009-2014), Vice-Coordinator of the Graduate Chamber, São Paulo Campus, UNIFESP (2012-2015), Director of the Thyroid Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology (2013-2014 and 2015-2016), Secretary of the Thyroid Department (2017-2018). She is a member of the LATS Executive Committee (2007-2011, 2015-2019), received the LATS Young Researcher Award in 2001 and the LATS Senior Researcher Award during the 15th International Thyroid Congress, Orlando, USA (2015). Papers presented by graduate students under his guidance received LATS Young Researcher Awards in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2017. He is currently Associate and Full Professor of Genetics, Deputy Head of Genetics, Director of the Laboratory of the Genetic Bases of Thyroid Tumors, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP, Campus SP) and President of LATS (2023-2025).

https://lattes.cnpq.br/1384038091754225 

From Doctorate to the Pharmaceutical Industry: Lessons from a Transition between Research and Regulation (Portuguese)

Professional with solid academic background and extensive regulatory experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from UFGD, Master's and Doctorate in Chemistry with emphasis on Organic Synthesis from UNIFESP, with part of the doctorate completed at Temple University (USA). Has worked for over 5 years in the regulatory area, with expertise in CMC, technical documentation, and DMF/ASMF evaluation for the qualification of API suppliers. Solid experience in preparing dossiers in CTD format, CADIFA submissions, registration of new products with ANVISA, and regulatory lifecycle management. Strong command of national and international guidelines (RDCs, ICH, FDA, EMA, among others), ensuring regulatory compliance and quality in processes aimed at the Brazilian and global markets.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/5016162413844100 

What about now, PhD? The challenges of a professional life after defense (Portuguese)

From Assistant to Replacement: The Impact of AI on Research and Development in Biology and Chemistry (Portuguese)

He holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the Federal University of Pernambuco (1991), a master's degree in Chemistry from the Federal University of Pernambuco (1994), a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Florida (2001), and postdoctoral degrees from the Technische Universität München (2004) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2006). He is currently an associate professor at the Federal University of ABC. He has experience in the field of computational simulation in chemical and biological systems, working mainly on the following topics: molecular dynamics and ab initio reactive dynamics, intermolecular interactions, and theoretical description of REDOX processes.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/0541197114012424 

How Machine Learning is Transforming Chemistry?  (Portuguese)

Marcos G. Quiles is an Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. He received his BS degree, with honors, in 2003 from the State University of Londrina, Brazil, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2004 and 2009, respectively. From January to July of 2008, Quiles was a Visiting Scholar in the Perception and Neurodynamics Lab at The Ohio State University, Columbus-OH-US. From January to December of 2017, Quiles was an Academic Visitor at the University of York, York-UK. He was awarded a Brazilian research productivity fellowship from the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq). Currently, he is a Co-PI of the Computational Materials Design Division (CMD) of the Center for Innovation on New Energies (CINE), a research center funded by Fapesp and Shell.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/8867164774240536 

Modern medicinal chemistry techniques in the search for bioactive anti-parasitic compounds.(Portuguese)

Associated professor at FCF-USP. Founder and leader of LITEC, the Laboratory for the Integration of Experimental and Computational Techniques in Drug Design. His projects are focused on Medicinal Chemistry through the use of computational tools and artificial intelligence in the search for or elucidation of the mechanism of action of bioactive molecules. He is an active member of the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ), having served on the Board of Directors of the Medicinal Chemistry Division (Director 2022-2024, Vice-Director 2020-2023 and Treasurer 2018-2020) and also on the SBQ Board of Directors and is currently an alternate member of the society's fiscal council.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/1463048040306555 

Between two worlds: what I have learned as a scientist outside Brazil (Portuguese)

Marina Trombetta Lima is an assistant professor and Rosalind Franklin Fellow in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the University of Groningen (RUG) in the Netherlands. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of São Paulo and expanded her training as a Fulbright scholar at the National Cancer Institute (USA) and as a postdoctoral researcher at Kyoto University (Japan), the University of Groningen (RUG), and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Her research seeks to understand how the microenvironment of aging tissues contributes to susceptibility to age-related diseases, with a special focus on neurodegenerative disorders and cancer.

https://lattes.cnpq.br/4730620837936758 

From Science to Market: Trajectory, Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities (Portuguese)

Director of international medical affairs with over a decade of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in oncology medical affairs and field-based scientific engagement. Demonstrated international leadership capabilities and a strong track record in developing medical strategies, driving evidence generation, and implementing impactful external medical education initiatives. Experienced in shaping scientific narratives and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams. Recognized for adaptability, a hands-on approach, and a commitment to cultivating high-performing, collaborative Medical Affairs teams.

linkedin.com/in/ricardo-leite-phd-09ba7b64