Aline Araujo Brasil

Graduated in Biomedical Sciences at University of Vassouras, Brazil. MSc and PhD in Biochemistry at Chemistry Institute (IQ) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil. From September 2015 to August 2016, Aline worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain at University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. She has a strong background (+10 years’ experience) in research reactive oxygen species (ROS) toxicity, aging processes, and the neurodegenerative aspects linked to Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by using the yeast S. cerevisiae as well as human cell lines. For 4 years, Aline was a postdoctoral researcher fellow at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, working on the following subjects: Sod1 inclusions formation by BiFC system, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration. In 2019, she was the first author of a notable scientific study which made important progress in understanding the conformation and accumulation of certain proteins involved in ALS. It was published at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), and had a major impact in both international and national press, being disclosed to O Globo (newsletter cover), TV Brasil and EurekAlert! Science News website. It allowed scientists worldwide to understand the interaction between normal and abnormal (mutant) Sod1 protein, which causes alteration of protein accumulation in the cell, thus contributing to the development of the disease. The discovery opened new perspectives for the treatment of ALS. Currently, Aline is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR). She is working on translational research projects by investigating neuroepigenetic changes that impact on child development.