Vera Silva began her academic journey in 2013 with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences at Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde (IUCS). She later completed an MSc in Analytical, Clinical and Forensic Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto, where she specialized in ABC transporters and their mechanisms. After completing her MSc thesis, she joined the Sustained Advanced Materials project at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She subsequently worked as a researcher at the COMPASS Research Group, contributing to the development of biomaterials for the establishment of advanced 3D in vitro disease models. She also gained experience in biobanking and stem cell preservation procedures at Bebévida. Currently, she is a Research Fellow at the Centro de Investigação em Saúde e Ambiente (CISA@LAQV/REQUIMTE) within the BioNorthHealth project, contributing to the coordination of a multicentric research project, participant recruitment, biological sample processing and data management, while completing her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto. Her doctoral research focuses on the evaluation of multifunctional compounds with neuroprotective potential for neurodegenerative diseases, using advanced in vitro pharmacological and toxicological approaches. Throughout her academic and research career, she has worked with several cellular and biological models, including Caco-2, SW480, HaCaT, SH-SY5Y, HepG2, primary cortical neuronal cultures, and Caenorhabditis elegans. She has developed expertise in cell culture, flow cytometry, blood-brain barrier permeability models, cell viability assays, and in vitro pharmacological and toxicological evaluation. Her scientific interests include neurodegenerative diseases, cell biology, in vitro disease models, pharmacology, toxicology, and translational biomedical research.