Team members

Proud to introduce our talented and passionate team members, whose dedication and expertise are driving innovation in the field of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and retinal research!


Inês Sousa 

Inês is currently working on Prime Editing strategies for EYS-associated retinal disease. She brings solid expertise in molecular biology and cell culture techniques, contributing to the development of advanced human-based disease models.

Daniela Patrício 

Daniela is responsible for managing multiple hiPSC lines and implementing differentiation protocols to generate retinal organoids, photoreceptor precursor cells, and endothelial cells. Her work is essential for developing robust and physiologically relevant human retinal disease models.

Mara Torres

Mara is an enthusiastic master's student leading the implementation of minigene assays in our lab to explore the splicing consequences of genetic variants. She is actively testing a Prime Editing strategy for an intronic EYS variant, playing a key role in advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms.

Daniel Martins

Daniel is a Biochemistry BSc student contributing to our studies on the EYS gene. He is currently working on characterizing the localization of EYS protein in post-mortem human retinas, supporting our efforts to better understand its role in retinal structure and disease.

Daniela Paulino

Daniela is a Biochemistry BSc student working on implementing a qPCR panel to validate our strategy for differentiating hiPSCs into endothelial cells. Her work is crucial in refining our protocols and ensuring the accuracy of our cellular models.

Sara Pedro

Sara is a Biomedical Engineering BSc student working on implementing a qPCR panel to validate our strategy for differentiating hiPSCs into photoreceptor precursor cells. Her contribution is key in ensuring the effectiveness of our differentiation protocols for retinal disease models.

Alumni

  • Jatin Kukreja (Sept. 2024 – July 2025;  SCORE programme)
  • Oluji Chukwunalu (Nov. 2023 – July 2024; MSc in Molecular and Translational Neuroscience)
  • Tommaso Borghi (Feb. 2024 – June 2024; BSc in Biomedical Engineering)
  • Elena Lazzari (Feb. 2024 – June 2024; BSc in Biomedical Engineering)
  • João Henriques Sousa (Feb. 2024 – June 2024; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • João Jesus (June 2023 – July 2023; MSc in Molecular and Translational)
  • Oluji Chukwunalu (June 2023 – July 2023; MSc in Molecular and Translational)
  • Sofia Carvão (Feb. 2023 – May 2023; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Ignacio Leiva (Feb. 2023 – March 2023; SCORE programme)
  • Ghaith Alrayyes (Sept. 2022 – Oct. 2022;  SCORE programme)
  • Inês Rego (Sept. 2022 – July 2023; MSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology)
  • Aykhan Majidli (July 2022 – Aug. 2023; SCORE programme)
  • Daniela Silvério (Feb. 2022 – July 2022; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Maria Eufrásio (Feb. 2022 – July 2022; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Dalila Lopes (May. 2022 – June 2022; MSc in biomedical research)
  • Ângela Soares (May. 2022 – June 2022; MSc in biomedical research)
  • Inês Rego (April 2021 – July 2021; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Beatriz Santos (May 2021 –  Sept. 2021; BSc in Biotechnology)
  • Isabel da Costa (Feb. 2020 – July 2020; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Elena Santos (April 2020 – May 2020; BSc in Biotechnology)
  • Pedro Picado (Feb. 2019 – June 2016; BSc in Biochemistry)
  • Alexandra Cruz (May 2019 – June 2016; MSc in biomedical research)
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