Maria C. Pedroso de Lima is a Full Professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She received her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London, UK, and her Habilitation (Agregação) degree in Biochemistry from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She was Head of the Group "Vectors and Gene Therapy" at the CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Portugal. The research team provided a significant and important contribution to the design and development of nucleic acid/drug carriers, including viral and nonviral vectors, which have been successfully applied in 1) establishment of disease models; 2) study of disease mechanisms; and 3) generation of new molecular therapeutic approaches for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders and of prophylactic strategies. More recently, as Leader of the Group "Therapies Targeting Brain Diseases: Genomic and Lipidomic Approaches" at the CNC, her central mission has been to generate innovative and effective gene and lipid therapies for brain cancer, namely glioblastoma (GBM), employing novel functionalized delivery nanosystems for tumor-specific targeting, towards clinical translation. The research work of the team has been mainly focused on 1) evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of the developed targeted therapeutic approaches in cell and animal models of GBM; 2) investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of nucleic acid delivery and the molecular/cellular events associated to the therapeutic response; and 3) study of the role of GBM stem cells (GSCs) in tumor progression and identification of new molecular targets involved in the renewal and differentiation of GSCs. She published over 200 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and 33 international scientific book chapters, with over 8,670 citations (Scopus). She has authored over 300 communications presented in scientific meetings. She is co-inventor of 5 patents on non-viral drug/gene delivery and gene therapy, 4 of which approved in USA. She has edited/co-edited 2 books, one (Editor) published by Springer-Verlag and the other (Co-Editor) published by Translational Research Network. She is a reviewer for over 25 international scientific journals. She was Chair and member of the Scientific Committee of national and international conferences in the fields of membrane fusion and gene therapy and was the Director of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on the trafficking of intracellular membranes and membrane fusion. She has successfully supervised 4 post-doctoral researchers, 24 PhD students and over 30 Master students. She received the international 2013 Exiqon award for a grant proposal on the development and application of a targeted nanosystem for systemic delivery in a miRNA-based therapy towards glioblastoma. She is listed as one of the top 2% of cited scientists in 2021 and throughout her career (compiled lists by the Stanford University). She has served as evaluator of research proposals, both for the European Union and national governments (United Kingdom, Israel, Poland and Portugal). She has been responsible for national and international research projects funded by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division, European Union, CRUP and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).