18th edition of the L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science

The four young Portuguese researchers who won the 18th edition of the L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science, a joint initiative between L'Oréal Portugal, the UNESCO National Commission and FCT, which has been held in Portugal since 2004, were announced today, March 23.

Research into cancer, microcephaly, addictive behaviors and the preservation of aquatic birds are the areas of the four award-winning projects. Edna Correia - CESAM, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon; Carina Cunha - Institute for Research in Life and Health Sciences, University of Minho; Sandra Tavares - i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health; and Sara Bandarra - Algarve Biomedical Center - Research Institute, Association for the Development of the Academic Center for Biomedical Research and Training in the Algarve, saw their research projects awarded a prize of 15,000 thousand euros each.

The researchers, who hold doctorates or post-doctorates in their areas of specialization and are aged between 32 and 35, were selected from more than 72 candidates by a scientific jury chaired by Professor Alexandre Quintanilha.

SANDRA TAVARES

Researcher at i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health

With a post-doctorate in Cancer Biology from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, Sandra Tavares' research aims to simulate small tumors in the laboratory to help treat triple-negative breast cancer. This represents around 15% of the incidence of invasive breast cancers and, due to its level of aggressiveness and rapid metastasization, there are few targeted therapeutic options.

CARINA SOARES-CUNHA

Researcher at the ICVS - Institute for Research in Life and Health Sciences (ICVS) of the University of Minho

Understanding and preventing addictive behaviors necessarily involves studying the brain and gaining a deeper understanding of the nucleus accumbens - one of the areas responsible for the sensation of pleasure that is generated after an external stimulus. Carina Soares-Cunha, a post-doctoral researcher in Neuroscience at the Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, USA, aims to identify the groups of specific neurons that are activated when exposed to natural rewards or drugs of abuse and that can be found in this region of the brain. On the one hand, he wants to know the objective location of these neurons and, on the other, to distinguish those that respond to natural rewards from those that react to chemical stimuli.

SARA CARVALHAL

Researcher at the Algarve Biomedical Center

Rare diseases are a major challenge for the scientific and clinical community. Microcephaly and genetic alterations in regulators of mitosis - the process by which cells multiply - are common to several rare diseases, which is why Sara Carvalhal, Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Dundee, UK, wants to understand the relationship between rare diseases and mitosis and study how these regulators of mitosis work in the neurological system.

EDNA CORREIA

Researcher at CESAM - Center for Environmental and Maritime Studies

Can the rice paddies of the Tagus Estuary provide food for humans and be home to other species? Finding an answer to this challenge of balancing the management of rice paddies and the conservation of biodiversity is what Edna Correia, who has a PhD in Biology and Ecology of Global Change from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, wants to do with her research. To this end, she intends to understand how artificial wetlands such as rice paddies can contribute to the preservation of birds traditionally associated with natural wetlands. And also to identify the impact of these birds on rice production.

In Portugal, the L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science have already honored 61 young researchers.