Mariana Costa-Macedo is an MSc student in Biomedicine at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS)/School of Medicine, University of Minho. She completed her BSc in Biochemistry at the School of Sciences, University of Minho (2025), where her passion for science and biomedical research was consolidated. During her master's programme, she has expanded her expertise in oncology, genetics, immunology, and translational biomedical sciences. Throughout her academic journey, her research has focused on investigating the therapeutic potential of novel compounds in colorectal and pancreatic cancer, and more recently, on glioblastoma. These experiences have enabled her to develop strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills within multidisciplinary research environments.

Currently, Mariana is developing her master's thesis titled "Exploiting therapeutic vulnerabilities associated with HOXA9 and WNT6 co-expression in glioblastoma", supervised by Doctor Bruno M. Costa and Doctor Eduarda P. Martins at ICVS. This project aims to test whether a new therapeutic approach consisting of HOXA9/WNT6 dual inhibition is effective in GBM cell cultures and whether it can enhance immunotherapy efficacy.

Alongside her academic training, Mariana is actively involved in scientific outreach. She is a member of the Imaging and Outreach team of the Junior Section of the Portuguese Biochemical Society (SPB-JS) and has collaborated in the organization of ENEBIOQ'25 in Braga and the I Young Biochemist Meeting in Coimbra. Motivated by curiosity, she aspires to pursue a career in scientific research, contributing to innovative projects that bridge fundamental discoveries and clinical applications.