Biography
I am a Principal Scientist at the Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab where, since 2020, I have been involved in distinct projects with a strong focus on bioprocessing to help advance the development of stem cell and immune cell-based therapies.
Ongoing and recent projects include 1) development of a tightly controlled process to manufacture CAR-T cells with targeted phenotype (CARTool project funded by FCT and iBETXplore-funded project CARTool2), 2) development of a differentiation platform to manufacture CAR-γδ T cells derived from hematopoietic progenitor cells (CARxALL project funded by the European Union); 3) translation the manufacture of a cell product, already commercialized and currently supported by culture in static systems, to production in stirred-tank bioreactors (ensuring its scalability) in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company, 4) implementation of scalable and chemically-defined manufacturing strategies of cell and cell-derived products, namely extracellular vesicles (CARDIOPATCH). I was the Project Manager of one EU-funded project, Program Manager of a contract research service with an industry partner and Principal Investigator of two projects aiming to develop innovative bioengineering approaches to manufacture CAR-T cells.
I hold a BSc in Biochemistry (FCUL) and a MSc in Bioengineering and Nanosystems (IST), after which I enrolled in the MIT Portugal Program to pursue a PhD in Bioengineering (collaboration between IST and Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-2017). After my PhD studies, I joined Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC) in London (2017-2020) where I focused on the development of novel bioprocesses to manufacture cell-based products, being also assigned the role of laboratory responsible of a lab dedicated to allogeneic cell therapies.
CV highlight: i) Four awards/distinctions, including the ACTIP Fellowship Award 2023-2024.