Neide Vieira (40 years old, PhD), Researcher in the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho. Over the past years I have been highly dedicated to study the molecular mechanisms underlying pathophysiological processes, such as those occurring in cancer, infectious & neurological disorders, in a quest to identify disease-related molecular biomarkers and therapeutical approaches. For that purpose I have been using a wide array of organisms (fungi, protozoan parasites, rodents, nematodes) and human tissue/cell samples, as well as in vitro approaches, and biosensors. In the past years I have been particularly dedicated to understand the interplay between protein homeostasis (proteostasis), AGING and STRESS, due to the strong implications of endocytic dysregulation in both processes; and taking into consideration the negative effects of AGING and STRESS on plasticity and behavioral performance. More specifically, I have been focusing on how AGE- or STRESS-related defects in proteostasis resulting from SNXs' cargo miss-regulation can negatively affect the central nervous system, influencing behavior and triggering pathology. I have established strategic collaborations to study the Snx27+/- and floxed SNX27 mouse models (Singapore/USA) and have been using several Caenorhabditis elegans and rodent models as well as in vitro approaches, to do so. Presently, I am leading this line of research in ICVS, and have supervised several students' rotations final projects (>22), 3 master thesis and 1 PhD. I have attracted >100k in funding, particularly a 2016 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant (individual call) from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, USA, to dissect SNX27 role in the brain (2017-2021), and an FCT grant to explore SNX27 interplay with stress, plus distinct individual awards (>100k). I have published 16 manuscripts, majorly in Q1 journals, accumulated IF 71, in outstanding journals as JCB (2), TransPsychiatry, CMLS, with h-index 8, 392 citations. Specifically, we've published a work that assessed the impact of metabolic changes on rodent's mood, behavior and response to STRESS (IF-5,5). We highlighted SNX3 primordial role in the nervous system function and its link with animal survival upon exposure to environmental STRESSors (IF-7). I am also the 1st & CORRESPONDING AUTHOR of a comprehensive review concerning SNXs role in the nervous system (Mol. Neurobiology) and in 2024 I will publish 3 LAST/CORRESPONDING AUTHOR manuscripts that are in preparation/submitted, +1 on hold due to patent submission). Recently through collaborative work I have also developed and published interesting findings concerning immune system aging, and ciliary protein trafficking in sensory neurons (JCB IF>10). In parallel, I've been actively involved in projects concerning infectious diseases, such as malaria and COVID-19 (1 in preparation), and in the development of molecular diagnostic tools (2017). Ultimately, I aim to validate disease-related biomarkers relevant for clinical disorders and to understand the molecular mechanisms involved for targeted therapeutics/personalized diagnostics development. For that purpose I have also been actively engaged in the development of new generation molecular diagnostic/therapeutic tools which led to the incorporation of IPLEXMED (2021) and to 1 National and 1 International Patent application, I am a Co-founder, CMO & Co-Inventor. IPLEXMED has attracted >500k in national and international awards and equity, including: winner of 1st Hackathon Great Expectations INL-ICVS; winner of the most disruptive business project in the health sector in the North of Portugal and Galicia (Código+), winner of Empreender Braga 2021, winner of 7th Acceleration Program, Startup Braga (2022), Born from Knowledge (Bfk) award from ANI, of the EIT Health RIS Innovation call and Innostars Awards (2022; 2023), and of the She Loves tech Southern Europe region (2023).