BEATRIZ SILVA
Profile:
Cell biologist and PhD with expertise in peroxisome biology, organelle interactions, high-throughput drug screening, and disease model development. Trained across leading European research institutes under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network Fellowship, with a track record in CRISPR-based cell line engineering, zebrafish models, and multi-parameter assay development. At Exobiosphere, Beatriz holds an FNR Industrial Fellowship as part of the OH(T)SIZON project - a joint initiative with the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB, Prof Michael Heneka and Prof Carole Linster) - focused on advancing neuroinflammation drug discovery in microgravity. She configures and validates the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) for evaluating anti-inflammatory compounds using multi-parameter readouts of inflammatory signaling, cytokine production, organelle function, and cell viability, with a focus on pathways implicated in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Alongside the fellowship, she contributes to Exobiosphere's broader in vitro biology pipeline - designing cell-based assays, supporting 3D and organoid model development, optimising high-throughput screening workflows, and analysing experimental data to build a scalable, space-ready drug discovery platform.
Work History:
2025 - CURRENT: EXOBIOSPHERE | LUXEMBOURGResearch Scientist / FNR Industrial Fellow
Leads the OH(T)SIZON project as FNR Industrial Fellow, configuring and validating Exobiosphere's Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory compounds both on Earth and under simulated microgravity. Uses multi-parameter readouts covering inflammatory signaling, cytokine production, organelle function, and cell viability to assess compound efficacy. The project targets mechanisms relevant to neuroinflammation -- including NLRP3 inflammasome activation -- implicated in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In her broader Research Scientist role, she designs and runs cell-based assays, supports 3D and organoid model development, optimises high-throughput screening workflows, and analyses experimental data to advance Exobiosphere's space-ready drug discovery platform.
2023 - 2026: Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg & McGill University, Montreal, CanadaPostdoctoral Researcher
Conducted postdoctoral research on the QuLuPEX project -- developing in vitro and in vivo models to identify new therapeutic approaches for Zellweger Spectrum Disorders (ZSD) -- under the supervision of Dr Carole Linster (LCSB) and Prof Nancy Braverman (McGill). Performed functional high-throughput cell-based screening assays to identify candidate drugs for ZSD, contributed to the characterisation of a novel ZSD in vivo zebrafish model, and developed genetic rescue experiments. Integrated zebrafish and cell-based models to support translational drug discovery pipelines. For 8 months (August 2023 to April 2024), conducted cellular assays at Dr Braverman's laboratory in Montreal to directly support ZSD drug validation. Also assisted masters and PhD students throughout their research projects. Led a successful 200,000 EUR grant from ELA International (2024-2026) entitled Towards mechanism-based therapeutics for Zellweger Spectrum Disorders.
2019 - 2022: Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter | United KingdomGraduate Research Assistant (Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher)
Funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (PerICo), Beatriz designed and generated an endogenously tagged NanoLuc reporter cell line using the CRIS-PITCh system to enable sensitive, high-throughput testing and screening of compounds in peroxisome-related pathways. She characterised newly identified isoforms of a peroxisomal protein involved in organelle contact sites, providing mechanistic insights relevant to neuroinflammation and metabolic dysfunction. She also supported undergraduate students in their graduate and summer research projects, and received the Best Poster Presentation award at the Biosciences Research Conference (2022).
2017 - 2018: Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), University of Aveiro | PortugalMaster Thesis Researcher
Investigated alterations in peroxisomal metabolism under human cytomegalovirus infection and explored a potential membrane association with the endoplasmic reticulum as part of the antiviral response. Optimised a Fourier Transformed InfraRed Spectroscopy (FTIR) protocol for mammalian cell analysis. Included a 5-month placement at the Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany (March to July 2018) in the laboratory of Dr Markus Islinger.
EDUcation:
University of Exeter, United KingdomPhD in Biological Sciences
University of Aveiro, PortugalMSc in Molecular Biomedicine
University of Beira Interior, PortugalBSc in Biomedical Sciences
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
1. Heins-Marroquin U, Hodzic Z, Cruciani G, ... Silva B.S.C. et al. (2025) Pex1 loss-of-function in zebrafish is viable and recapitulates hallmarks of Zellweger spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 18:1634536.
2. Costello J.L., Koster J., Silva B.S.C. et al. (2023) Differential role for ACBD4 and ACBD5 in peroxisome-ER interactions and lipid metabolism. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 299(8):105013.
3. Silva B.S.C., Schrader T.A., Carmichael R.E., Schrader M. (2023) Generation of reporter cell lines for endogenous expression analysis of peroxisome proteins. Methods Mol Biol., 2643:247-270.
4. Silva B.S.C., DiGiovanni L., Kumar R., Carmichael R.E., Kim P.K. and Schrader M. (2020) Maintaining social contacts: The physiological relevance of organelle interactions. BBA Molecular Cell Research, 1867(11):118800.
5. Santos F., Magalhaes S., Henriques M.C., Silva B. et al. (2018) Understanding Prostate Cancer Cells Metabolome: A Spectroscopic Approach. Current Metabolomics, 6(3):218-224.