Beatriz Monteiro is a Master’s student in Metabolism – Biopathology and Experimentation at the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, following a BSc in Biochemistry (16/20) from the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto and the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar. She is currently in the first year of her Master’s programme, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying human disease. 

During her undergraduate studies, she developed her final research internship at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, where she worked on the project “Cellular models for the functional study of new variants in a lysosomal storage disease”. Her work focused on assessing the functional impact of NPC1 gene variants associated with Niemann-Pick type C disease, through the development of a cellular model with potential diagnostic applications. 

This work involved techniques such as site-directed mutagenesis, PCR, cell culture, transfection, immunofluorescence and Western blot, and was awarded the highest grade (20/20). This research resulted in a first-author publication in the journal Genes and was presented at three scientific meetings (one international and two national). 

She was distinguished with the award for best poster communication in the field of Health Sciences at the 18th Encontro de Investigação Jovem of the Universidade do Porto. She also completed a research internship at the Instituto de Física dos Materiais Avançados da Universidade do Porto, where she performed chemical and structural characterization of meteoritic samples using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. 

Alongside her academic training, she has completed advanced courses including “Management of immune-related complications of cancer immunotherapy” (3 ECTS, Université Paris-Saclay) and “Obesity, Diabetes and Adipose Tissue” (2 ECTS, Universidade de Coimbra), strengthening her background in immunology and metabolism. 

Beyond research, she has demonstrated strong engagement in the scientific community as a member and current honorary member of the Núcleo de Estudantes de Bioquímica da Universidade do Porto, through which she co-organized academic events such as the IX and X Jornadas de Bioquímica at the Universidade do Porto, as well as active participation in multiple scientific workshops, seminars and conferences. She is also actively involved in mentoring undergraduate students in Biochemistry, supporting their academic and personal development throughout their degree. 

She is currently integrated at the i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, within the Stem Cells in Regenerative Biology and Repair (SCriPT) group, where she initially joined as a volunteer research trainee. She will start her Master’s thesis in September under the supervision of Doctor Perpétua Pinto do Ó, focusing on the development of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and the hematopoietic system. 

Her current research interests focus on the development of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and the hematopoietic system, particularly at the interface with metabolism and immunology, aiming to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating these processes in health and disease. She is especially interested in how metabolic and immune pathways influence stem cell function and fate, with the goal of contributing to innovative approaches in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.