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. During the final year of her MSc degree, Mariana did an internship at the company Metatissue – Biosolutions, Lda., where she did a thorough comparison of the influence of 3D biological matrices on cell cultures, specifically hPLMA and Matrigel. The work of her master’s project was presented at the TERMIS European Congress 2025. In 2025, Mariana worked as a Junior Researcher in Biotechnology at Metatissue, developing comparative studies of the main company’s product, hPLMA, with competing products.
Currently, Mariana is a PhD student at Metatissue, where she is focused on creating a microphysiological system that mimics the human synovium. This system will ultimately enable drug screening for rheumatoid arthritis.
Besides her passion for scientific research, Mariana also enjoys swimming, reading, and doing photo/video editing.