In 2024, I joined the Department of Biology at Edge Hill University to establish my independent research group. I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Biochemistry Programme Lead, and Head of the Cancer Neurobiology and Proteolysis Research Group. My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms driving cancer progression and treatment resistance, particularly cancer neurobiology, centrosome amplification and disruptions in proteostasis.

My scientific journey began with a degree in Pharmacy (2013), followed by a Master’s in Medical Sciences (2015) and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology (2019) in Brazil. My doctoral research investigated neurotrophin signalling in medulloblastoma, focusing on the anticancer effects of selectively inhibiting the BDNF/TrkB signalling pathway. This work contributed to my broader interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms that support the growth, survival and treatment resistance of brain tumours.

Following my PhD, I joined Lancaster University, where I worked as a Senior Research Associate and Senior Teaching Associate in Biomedical and Life Sciences. My postdoctoral research focused on the chemical biology and molecular cell biology of cancer, particularly the development of targeted protein degradation approaches against proteins involved in centrosome clustering. This included investigating KIFC1 as a potential cancer-specific therapeutic target and studying the cellular mechanisms that regulate its stability and function.

I remain a Visiting Researcher at Lancaster University and continue to collaborate with researchers in the UK and internationally. In 2022, I received the North West Cancer Research Rising Star in Research Award in recognition of my contribution to cancer research. Beyond research, I am committed to public engagement and science communication. I actively collaborate with cancer charities in the UK and Brazil, and regularly participate in outreach activities, including school visits, educational talks, and lab tours, to make science more accessible and inclusive.

I am particularly interested in understanding the molecular adaptations that allow cancer cells to survive, develop resistance to treatment and exploit cellular processes that are less critical to healthy cells.

A major area of my research concerns centrosome amplification, a common feature of cancer cells that can contribute to chromosomal instability, tumour heterogeneity and treatment resistance. Cancer cells with amplified centrosomes depend on clustering mechanisms to avoid lethal multipolar cell division. My work investigates the proteins that support this process and explores whether they can be targeted using small molecules and targeted protein degradation technologies.

My current research examines whether centrosome amplification contributes to therapy resistance in glioblastoma and whether centrosome-associated proteins represent targetable vulnerabilities in resistant cancer cells. This work combines molecular and cellular approaches, including gene-expression analysis, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, protein analysis, functional cell-based assays and bioinformatic analysis.

I am also interested in the relationship between cancer and the nervous system. Building on my earlier work on neurotrophin and glutamate receptor signalling in medulloblastoma and glioblastoma, I am developing research exploring cancer–neural interactions and their potential roles in tumour progression, plasticity and treatment response.

More broadly, my research interests include:

• Glioblastoma and paediatric brain tumours
• Centrosome amplification
• Targeted protein degradation and proteostasis
• Mitotic vulnerabilities in cancer
• Mechanisms of treatment resistance
• Neurotrophin and glutamate receptor signalling
• Cancer Neurosciences

I am Programme Lead for Biochemistry and Module Leader for Biochemistry and Metabolism and Techniques in Biochemistry. I also contribute to teaching Cell Biology and Advanced Tissue Applications and supervise research projects at undergraduate, MRes and PhD levels.

My research-informed teaching emphasises experimental design, quantitative data analysis, scientific communication and critical evaluation, helping students develop the practical and analytical skills required to work confidently as scientists.

Current and developing collaborations include:

• Lancaster University – centrosome biology, KIFC1 regulation and targeted protein degradation
• Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil – glioblastoma therapy resistance, mesenchymal reprogramming and centrosome dynamics
• Brazilian collaborators in paediatric cancer and neuro-oncology – neurotrophin and glutamate receptor signalling in medulloblastoma
• UK collaborators in cancer biology and translational model development – centrosome amplification, cancer-neural interactions and therapeutic target discovery

I welcome enquiries from prospective research students and collaborators interested in cancer cell biology, glioblastoma, centrosome biology, targeted protein degradation and cancer-neural interactions.