Mariana Dias holds a BSc in Biochemistry (2022) and an MSc in Clinical Biochemistry (2024), both from the University of Aveiro. Her BSc final project, entitled “Preparation and characterization of poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles for the encapsulation of cytostatic compounds”, resulted in a video presentation at the 3rd International Electronic Conference on Applied Sciences and a published original article in Gels. During the final year of her MSc degree, Mariana completed an internship at Metatissue – Biosolutions, Lda., where she conducted a thorough comparison of the influence of 3D biological matrices on cell cultures, specifically hPLMA and Matrigel. During her academic years, Mariana presented scientific posters and attended several conferences such as SupraLife, South Summit Madrid, and the EUROoCS Summer School. In addition, she recently co-authored a paper in Nature Reviews Bioengineering focusing on Metatissue’s products. The work from her master’s project was also presented at the TERMIS European Congress 2025. In 2025, Mariana worked as a Junior Researcher in Biotechnology at Metatissue, developing comparative studies of the company’s main product, hPLMA, with competing solutions. Currently, Mariana is enrolled in an industrial PhD at Metatissue, where she is focused on creating a microphysiological system that mimics the human synovium.