Aparecida Maria Fontes is an associate professor in the
Genetics Department at the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University
of São Paulo (FMRP-USP). She graduated in Biological Sciences from FFCLRP-USP,
and completed her Master’s and PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at FMRP-USP. She undertook two post-doctorates abroad at Case Western Reserve University (USA), focusing on Developmental Genetics and Cancer Gene Therapy. She was a researcher
at the Hemocentro Foundation of Ribeirão Preto (2003–2013), working with stem
cells, cancer, and hemophilia A and B. She developed activities as a visiting
professor at MIT (USA), the Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines
(France), and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italy), and as a research
fellow at the Institut d'Études Avancées de Lyon (France). Her research focuses on gene therapy for rare diseases (Gaucher disease), oncogenetics
(medulloblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia) and mRNA-based therapies for
COVID-19. She is a member of the Brazilian Society of Genetics (SBG), the
American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), the RNA Society, and the
European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT). She has received around 20
academic awards and distinctions, including the Mercosur Prize for Science and
Technology (2012) and the Travel Award at the International Working Group on
Gaucher Disease (2024).
