Luana Mendonça Dias Santana

Dentist with a Masters degree and currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Oral Rehabilitation at São Paulo State University (UNESP Araraquara), including a Ph.D. period of dual-degree/cotutelle program at the College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan (Canada), funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES). Her research focuses on oral microbiology, with an emphasis on innovative antimicrobial strategies targeting resistant biofilms, such as photodynamic therapy combined with salivary peptides. She has experience in cell culture, molecular biology, proteomics, 3D oral mucosa models, and fungal-bacterial microbial interactions. Recipient of the IADR Colgate Award for Research in Microbiology (2024 North America), she has also co-supervised undergraduate research students in Brazil and Canada. Her work is driven by a strong translational and interdisciplinary approach, aiming to bridge laboratory discoveries with clinical applications in prosthodontics and dental practice. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)