Jacinta Serpa holds a degree in Biology from the University of the Azores (December 1997) and earned her PhD in Human Biology, with a specialization in glycobiology and gastric cancer, from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (December 2005). With over 20 years of experience in cancer biology, she has been a faculty member at NOVA Medical School since 2008 and a researcher at the Portuguese Oncology Institute (IPOLFG) since 2006. Her research is primarily focused on cancer metabolism, particularly the metabolic reprogramming that enables cancer cell survival in specific microenvironments, and the metabolic alterations that influence therapeutic response. Since 2015, she has led the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Laboratory at NOVA Medical School (NMSFCM) and IPOLFG. Current research in her lab centers on identifying metabolic biomarkers for chemoresistance and disease prognosis, as well as discovering therapeutic targets derived from metabolic vulnerabilities. Metabolomics plays a key role in this strategy, offering insights into tumor-specific metabolic pathways. Moreover, metabolism-based therapies could be an efficient way of improving personalized medicine in cancer.

Cindy Mendes is a Junior Researcher in Biomedical Sciences at NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal, where she conducts her research within the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Group at the Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa (IPOLFG). Her work has been focused on understanding metabolic rewiring in cancer, particularly how alterations in lactate and redox metabolism drive tumor progression and therapy resistance in cancers, including non-small cell lung, breast, and ovarian carcinomas.

Her research specifically investigates how cancer cells manipulate lactate shuttle systems and redox homeostasis to maintain cellular energy production, mitigate oxidative stress, and support survival under metabolic pressure. She explores how the interplay between lactate metabolism and redox balance creates unique therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be targeted using innovative nanomedicine approaches. Her work includes applying specialized nanoparticle platforms designed to selectively deliver therapeutic agents that disrupt these critical metabolic networks.

By combining fundamental research into cancer metabolism with advanced therapeutic design, her work helps bridge the gap between laboratory discovery and clinical translation. This contributes meaningfully to the growing field of metabolism-based oncology, offering new potential strategies for treating aggressive, treatment-resistant cancers. Her approach highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting cancer's metabolic adaptations, particularly through lactate and redox pathways, to develop more effective treatments for patients with limited therapeutic options. Her contributions to this field have been recognized through publications and presentations at international scientific conferences.