Raquel de Oliveira Souza

Graduated in Biological Sciences from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF, 2021) and certified as a Pharmacy Technician by SENAC-RJ (2013), she has built a multidisciplinary career in the fields of immunology, microbiology, parasitology, and botany. Her scientific journey began between 2017 and 2018 with research in phytochemistry and pharmacobotany, sparking a deep interest in the therapeutic potential of natural compounds.In 2018, she joined the Department of Molecular Biology at UFF, where she delved into host-parasite interactions using Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma rangeli, and the insect vector Rhodnius prolixus. During the same period, she collaborated with LIDIG-UFF on projects focused on the immunology of infectious diseases, with an emphasis on maternal-fetal microchimerism.From 2019 to 2021, she was a PIBIC/CNPq fellow at LATEV-Fiocruz and LACIFF-IFF, contributing to the development of a high-performance bioassay platform for the diagnosis of flaviviruseswork that led to her undergraduate thesis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she received advanced microbiology training at the Scientific Platform Pasteur USP (SPPU), as part of the FAPESP-funded project Integrated strategy for the study of infectious agents causing emerging and/or neglected vector-borne diseases of global impact.She earned her Masters degree in Sciences from the University of São Paulo (USP, 2025), with a focus on the Biology of Host-Pathogen Interaction. Her FAPESP-funded research explored the modulation of the humoral and cellular immune response induced by Mayaro and Chikungunya viruses in coinfected micean innovative and timely approach in the context of emerging arboviruses.Simultaneously, she expanded her academic background by pursuing a degree in Chemistry Education (UniBF, 2025) and a Bachelor's in Information Systems (Unifatecie), aiming to bridge the gap between exact and biological sciences, and to integrate technology and biotechnology in cutting-edge research.She is currently beginning her Ph.D. in the Interunit Graduate Program in Biotechnology at USP, where she is developing a highly promising and globally relevant project: "Development of a Broad-Spectrum RNA Replicon Vaccine against Influenza Virus A (IVA)", focused on designing a next-generation vaccine platform with broad protection against Influenza A viruses. With this new chapter, she reaffirms her commitment to cutting-edge science and to addressing major public health challenges. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)