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I hold a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Coimbra, which I completed in September 2023 following the public defense of my thesis. For my dissertation, I wrote a monograph exploring the potential of long non-coding RNAs in pancreatic cancer. During this process, I became increasingly aware of the potential that molecular and gene therapy approaches hold for the future of healthcare. My dedication and enthusiasm for these innovative fields were reflected in my final evaluation, where I earned a score of 19 out of 20. Currently, my research is rooted in molecular biology and pharmaceutical biotechnology. I am a research fellow at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC), working within the Gene and Stem Cell Therapies for the Brain group as part of the CInTech consortium. My work focuses on mRNA technologies, extracellular vesicles, and CRISPR-based systems, with extensive hands-on experience in the production and characterization of these cutting-edge tools. I have contributed to several scientific posters presented at international conferences and have co-authored manuscripts that are currently under review. Beyond the lab, I’m deeply passionate about science communication—sharing knowledge—which I believe is one of the most powerful tools for progress.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Francisca Santos Silva

Citation names

  • Silva, Francisca
  • Santos Silva, Francisca

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
4E18-C4EB-0989
ORCID iD
0009-0008-6881-8470

Email addresses

  • franciscasilva@cnc.uc.pt (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Gene-based Diagnostics and Therapeutic Interventions
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Biomaterials
  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Cell Biology
  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Molecular Biology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
Spanish; Castilian Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1)
English Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2)
French Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Upper intermediate (B2)
Education
Degree Classification
2026/01/01 - 2030
Ongoing
 Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Doutoramento)
University of Coimbra, Faculty of Pharmacy, Portugal
"Extracellular Vesicle-mediated CRISPR mRNA Delivery to the Brain" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2024/04 - 2024/04
Concluded
 Introduction to Laboratory Safety (Outros)
Piestar, United States
2024/04 - 2024/04
Concluded
 Introduction to Biological Safety Level 2 Training (Outros)
Piestar, United States
2018/09/09 - 2023/09/25
Concluded
 Integrated Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Mestrado integrado)
Major in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
"New perspectives for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer: the role of long non- coding RNAs" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2022/08 - 2022/08
Concluded
 Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel (Outros)
Rice University, United States
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2024/03/15 - 2025/12/31 Researcher (Research) Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Others

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2023/10 - 2024/04 Pharmacist in Community Pharmacy Farmácia dos Olivais, Portugal
2023/04 - 2023/06 Trainee in Pharmaceutical Industry, Manufacturing Unit Generis Farmacêutica SA, Portugal
2023/01 - 2023/03 Trainee in Community Pharmacy Farmácia São José, Portugal
2021/09/01 - 2021/09/30 Trainee in Community Pharmacy Farmácia Rocha, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2026/01/01 - Current Extracellular Vesicle-mediated CRISPR mRNA Delivery to the Brain
2025.05452.BD
PhD Student Fellow
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Massachusetts General Hospital, United States
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
2024/04/15 - 2025/12/31 CInTech: Technological Hub for Innovation, Translation and Industrialization of Complex Injectable Drugs
C644865576-00000005
Research Fellow
Ongoing
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Santos Silva, Francisca; Valdeira, A. S. C.; Paulo, Cristiana; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Miranda, CO; Rita Perfeito; et al. "Advancing Circular RNA Therapeutics via Cost-Effective Production, Rational Sequencing Design, and Nucleotide Modifications". Paper presented in 13th International mRNA Health Conference, 2025.
  2. Valdeira, A. S. C.; Santos Silva, Francisca; Paulo, Cristiana; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Miranda, CO; Rita Perfeito; et al. "Rational design and modified nucleotides enable cost-effective production of therapeutic circular RNA". Paper presented in 29th Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Human Genetics, 2025.
  3. RODRIGUES, M. T.; Paulo, Cristiana; Valdeira, A. S. C.; Santos Silva, Francisca; Marques, Bruno; Simões-Henriques, Carla; Gaspar, Laetitia S; et al. "Comparative Evaluation of mRNA Delivery Strategies in HEK293T Cells and Human Dermal Fibroblasts Using Linear, Self-Amplifying, and Circular RNA". Paper presented in 13th International mRNA Health Conference, 2025.
  4. RODRIGUES, M. T.; Paulo, Cristiana; Valdeira, A. S. C.; Santos Silva, Francisca; Marques, Bruno; Simões-Henriques, Carla; Gaspar, Laetitia S; et al. "Assessment of mRNA delivery approaches in HEK293T cells and Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDF) with linear mRNA, self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA), and circular RNA (cRNA)". Paper presented in 29th Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Human Genetics, 2025.
  5. Marques, Bruno; Simões-Henriques, Carla; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Paulo, Cristiana; Perdigão, PRL; Sónia P. Duarte; Miranda, CO; et al. "Optimizing Self-Amplifying RNA Production: A Comparative Study of IVT Methods, Rational Sequence Design, and Nucleotide Modifications". Paper presented in 13th International mRNA Health Conference, 2025.
  6. Simões-Henriques, Carla; Marques, Bruno; Paulo, Cristiana; Pereira, Dina; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Rita Perfeito; Sónia P. Duarte; et al. "Cost-Effective Optimization of Linear mRNA Synthesis: IVT Conditions, Sequence Engineering, and Nucleotide Modifications". Paper presented in 13th International mRNA Health Conference, 2025.
  7. Simões-Henriques, Carla; Marques, Bruno; Paulo, Cristiana; Pereira, Dina; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Rita Perfeito; Sónia P. Duarte; et al. "Cost-effective linear mRNA production through optimized in vitro transcription, rational sequence engineering, and chemically modified nucleotides". Paper presented in 29th Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Human Genetics, 2025.
  8. Marques, Bruno; Simões-Henriques, Carla; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Paulo, Cristiana; Perdigão, PRL; Sónia P. Duarte; Miranda, CO; et al. "Optimized cost-effective production of self-amplifying RNA for RNA therapeutics: in vitro transcription conditions, sequence engineering, and chemically modified nucleotides". Paper presented in 29th Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Human Genetics, 2025.
  9. Dina Maria da Silva Rodrigues Pereira; Ana Sofia de Castro Valdeira; De Luca, Pasqualino; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Sara Isabel Monteiro Lopes; Pedro Ricardo Lucas Perdigão; Santos Silva, Francisca; et al. "Enhancing circular mRNA yield through in vitro transcription optimization". Paper presented in 12th mRNA Health Conference, 2024.
  10. Sónia P. Duarte; Rita Perfeito; Catarina Sofia Oliveira Miranda; RODRIGUES, M. T.; Paulo, Cristiana; Dina Maria da Silva Rodrigues Pereira; De Luca, Pasqualino; et al. "Functional assays to optimize transfection efficiency for linear, circular and self-amplifying mRNA". Paper presented in 12th mRNA Health Conference, 2024.
  11. De Luca, Pasqualino; Pedro Ricardo Lucas Perdigão; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Dina Maria da Silva Rodrigues Pereira; Bruno Filipe Pinheiro Marques; Sara Isabel Monteiro Lopes; Alexandra Melo; et al. "Maximizing mRNA vaccine production by optimizing in vitro transcription processes". Paper presented in 12th mRNA Health Conference, 2024.
  12. Gaspar, Laetitia S; Bruno Filipe Pinheiro Marques; De Luca, Pasqualino; Dina Maria da Silva Rodrigues Pereira; Pedro Ricardo Lucas Perdigão; Sara Isabel Monteiro Lopes; Rita Perfeito; et al. "Cost-Effective Optimization of Self-Amplifying mRNA Production: Comparative Analysis of Commercial Kits and In Vitro Transcription Conditions". Paper presented in 12th mRNA Health Conference, 2024.
  13. Catarina Oliveira Miranda; Perfeito, Rita; Sónia P. Duarte; Paulo, Cristiana; RODRIGUES, MARIANA TEIXEIRA; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Pereira, Dina; et al. "Comparative analysis of transfection kits for linear, self-amplifying, and circular RNA". Paper presented in ESGCT 31st Annual Congress, 2024.
  14. Gaspar, Laetitia S; Marques, Bruno; Pereira, Dina; De Luca, Pasqualino; Pedro Perdigão; Lopes, Sara; Perfeito, Rita; et al. "Maximizing Yield and Functionality in saRNA Production: A Comparative Study of Commercial Kits and In Vitro Transcription Conditions". Paper presented in ESGCT 31st Annual Congress, 2024.
  15. De Luca, Pasqualino; Lopes, Sara; Pereira, Dina; Gaspar, Laetitia S; Marques, Bruno; Pedro Perdigão; Melo, Alexandra A.; et al. "Optimizing in vitro transcription methods for enhanced mRNA-based therapeutics". Paper presented in ESGCT 31st Annual Congress, 2024.
  16. Pereira, Dina; Valdeira, A. S. C.; Santos Silva, Francisca; Gaspar, Laetitia S; De Luca, Pasqualino; Pedro Perdigão; Lopes, Sara; et al. "A comparative analysis of commercial kits for enhanced circular mRNA production: yield, profile, and in vitro assessment". Paper presented in ESGCT 31st Annual Congress, 2024.
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. "Internship Reports and Monograph Entitled"New perspectives for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer: the role of long non- coding RNAs"". Master, Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, 2023. https://hdl.handle.net/10316/112712.
Working paper
  1. Kevin Leandro; David Rufino-Ramos; Sara M. Lopes; Paulo Santos; Ana Carolina Silva; Ana Rita Fernandes; Carina Henriques; et al. Corresponding author: Luis Pereira de Almeida. 2025. "Extracellular vesicles mediated delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 RNPs for therapeutic gene editing in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (under revision in Biomaterials)".
  2. Santos Silva, Francisca; Sousa, Cátia; Mendes, Alexandrina Ferreira . Corresponding author: Mendes, Alexandrina Ferreira. 2023. "Long non-coding RNAs: New Perspectives for the Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer".
Activities

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2025/10/22 - 2025/10/29 Participation as a member of a multidisciplinary team that developed and pitched a project in a health innovation and entrepreneurship programme, with a focus on design thinking.
Workshop
 Innovation Days Program 2025 attending i-Days Cantanhede
EIT Health, Germany
2025/07/26 - 2025/07/27 Participation in PNEV 2025 – 3rd Meeting of the Portuguese Network on Extracellular Vesicles, held on June 26 and 27 in Faro, Portugal.
Conference
 3rd Meeting of the Portuguese Network on Extracellular Vesicles (PNEV 2025)
Portuguese Network on Extracellular Vesicles (PNEV), Portugal
Distinctions

Award

2023 Merit Board for top the 5% students