Soares Milena B. P.

Soares is a senior researcher at the Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and a full professor at Senai Cimatec in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She earned her Bachelor of Science in genetics and her PhD in immunology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, completing a visiting fellowship at Harvard University. She is a senior research Fellow of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, a member of the Academy of Sciences of Bahia, and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on translational medicine, with the goal of developing new diagnostic tools, therapeutic drugs, and advanced therapeutic products. Her work primarily targets neglected and unmet medical needs, including Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and spinal cord injury. A pioneer in the field of ATMPs in Brazil, Soares was an expert advisor with the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency and the Ministry of Health. In her career, she has led collaborative research with national and international institutions, mentoring a new generation of researchers and health professionals, making a significant contribution to scientific capacity-building in Brazil.