Metatissue
Catarina, Co-Founder and CEO holds a BSc degree in Applied Chemistry from NOVA FCT – Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and Doctoral Degree in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, and Stem Cells at UMinho (2013). In 2014, she received an FCT Post-doctoral grant to develop a project focusing on patterning chitosan hydrogels to control cellular function for enhancing endogenous cardiac repair. In April 2016, she moved to UAVR to join the COMPASS RG, where she currently holds the position of Assistant Researcher. Her academic profile boasts 41 peer-reviewed papers in international journals with over 1500 citations. Since Catarina founded Metatissue, she has been one of the 50 female entrepreneurs supported by the European Innovation Council’s Women Leadership Programme. She received mentoring and coaching during the past year through the EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS). Since May 2022, she has also been a Board member of the European Female Founders Forum.
João Mano, Co-Founder & CSO, Is a full professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Aveiro and Principal Investigator at CICECO Associate Laboratory – Aveiro Institute of Materials, where he founded and is directing the COMPASS RG. João Mano is an internationally recognized expert on a range of research topics that include soft matter-based biomaterials, nano/micro processing technologies, self-and directed assembly, biomimetics, cells and tissue engineering and polymer/surface chemistry. João F. Mano is the author of 650+ original research or review papers in international journals (25600+ citations), about 40 book chapters, and 5 patents as the senior inventor. In September of 2021, João Mano was distinguished with the George Winter award which is considered the most prestigious biomaterials award in Europe.
Ana Rufino, Senior Scientist, Holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy. From February 2019 to January 2023, Ana Rufino was a researcher at LAQV-REQUIMTE at the University of Porto. She has published over 20 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, covering the scientific areas of drug discovery, pharmacology, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry. Starting in February 2023, Ana Rufino has held the position of Senior Researcher at Metatissue. In this role, she is responsible for Research and Development (R&D) activities, which include the design and validation of protein-derived products. Additionally, she is tasked with testing cellular behaviour to ensure the optimal performance of these products.
Sara Santos, Junior Researcher, her master’s thesis focused on the development and characterization of human-derived hydrogels as platforms for cell culture. In particular, she developed our PLMA100 – that can be used to form hydrogels. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student at the COMPASS Research Group working on the development of platelet lysates-based platforms for myocardial tissue regeneration. More specifically, she is working on the development of platelet lysates-based bioinks to be used in 3D bioprinting of novel human-based structures for cardiac tissue engineering.
Dulce Costa, Head of Quality, Holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, a Post-Graduation in Human Engineering – Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician, and an IRCA certified course as a Lead Auditor for ISO 9001:2015. She has more than 20 years of experience in coordinating the work of multidisciplinary teams in the Quality, Regulatory, and Production areas of Biotechnology, Cosmetics, and Automotive sectors. She possesses solid expertise in quality management and continuous improvement tools, risk management, and problem-solving techniques. Dulce Costa has more than 10 years of experience as a Quality Director in GMP environments, particularly in the manufacturing of sterile investigational medicinal products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as in validation and qualification activities. For 4 years, Dulce Costa worked as a consultant, providing advice and training on GMP Regulatory & Quality assurance to Life Sciences/Pharma/Medical devices companies.
Fabiana Pereira, Manufacturing Technician, obtained her master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Aveiro. Her dissertation, developed in collaboration with Metatissue, dealt with the scale-up of hydrogel manufacturing processes using human platelet lysates as raw materials, with applications targeted for 3D cell culture. She is currently working with Metatissue on the scale-up of different laboratory processes, development of new products (R&D), and social media management.
Inês Oliveira, Junior Researcher, obtained her master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Aveiro. She had the opportunity to conduct her thesis at Metatissue. During this period, Inês was responsible for the development, design, and characterization of a new platform derived from Human Placenta dECMs for applications in 3D cell culture, disease modeling, and tissue engineering. This experience has provided her with comprehensive knowledge in 2D and 3D human cell culture, molecular biology techniques, and innovative tissue engineering approaches. Currently she’s working with Metatissue on the production and optimization of the Placenta Methacryloyl product.