Paula Isabel Pereira Soares

Paula is currently a Junior researcher at Cenimat|i3N, in the Materials Science Department from NOVA School of Sciences & Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. In 2020, she was awarded with a Junior Research Contract under the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus - 3rd Edition sponsored by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.

Her main scientific activities are focused on the development of multifunctional magnetic devices for cancer theranostics application including magnetic hyperthermia, MRI and drug delivery. Other interests also include thermoresponsive microgels and colloidal electrospinning to produce multi-stimuli responsive magnetic membranes. She has published 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 3 book chapters. Paula also supervises students during their Master thesis (14 as supervisor and 18 as co-supervisor) and Ph.D. thesis (2 as a supervisor, 2 as co-supervisor), and give support to theorical and lab classes in the department, mainly Biomaterials and Introduction to biomaterials. Paula received her Master degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa in 2009. She worked as a Pharmacist in a community pharmacy where her main activities were related to customer service, recipes monitoring and vaccine administration. In 2012, Paula started her Ph.D. in Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences at Cenimat, supervised by Professor João Paulo Borges, Prof. Isabel Ferreira and Prof. Dr. Carlos Novo from IHMT. Her Ph.D. work focused on the development of multifunctional nanoparticles suitable for cancer theranostics. 

Since 2017, Paula is the Principal Investigator of a National Research Project, DREaMM (Ref. PTDC/CTM- REF/30623/2017) which focus on the development of dual-stimuli responsive magnetic membranes for cancer theranostics application. In 2020, she was also funded in Programa Pessoa – Translational Cooperation between Portugal and France in collaboration with Dr. Sebastian Blanquer from the Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, France. The project focus on the development of a magnetic-responsive 3D printed scaffolds. She is also a member of the research team of other projects. Paula develops her research work in collaboration with colleagues from CENIMAT|i3N and international research teams in parallel projects (IMM and CEDOC in Lisbon, CSIC in Madrid, Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, Université de Montpellier in France, UMCU in The Netherlands).

Paula Soares, Joana Romão, Ricardo Matos, Jorge Carvalho Silva, João Paulo Borges. Design and engineering of magneto-responsive devices for cancer theranostics: Nano to macro perspective. Progress in Materials Science, 116: 100742, 2021.

Adriana Gonçalves, Filipe V. Almeida, João Paulo Borges and Paula Soares, Incorporation of dual-stimuli responsive microgels in nanofibrous membranes for cancer treatment by magnetic hyperthermia, Gels, 7(1), 28, 2021.

Cezar Tipa, Maria T. Cidade, Tânia Vieira, Jorge Carvalho Silva, Paula Soares, João Paulo Borges, A new long-term composite drug delivery system based on thermo-responsive hydrogel and nanoclay, Nanomaterials, 11 (1): 25, 2021.

Ricardo J. Matos, Catarina I. P. Chaparro, Jorge C. Silva, Manuel A. Valente, João Paulo Borges, Paula Soares, Electrospun composite cellulose acetate/iron oxide nanoparticles non-woven membranes for magnetic hyperthermia applications, Carbohydrate polymers, 198, 9-16, 2018

Coro Echeverria, Susete N. Fernandes, Maria H. Godinho, João Paulo Borges, Paula Soares. Functional Stimuli-Responsive Gels: Hydrogels and Microgels, Gels, 4(2), 54, 2018.

Jaime Faria, Coro Echeverria, João Paulo Borges, Maria H. Godinho, Paula Soares. Towards the development of multifunctional hybrid fibrillary gels: production and optimization by colloidal electrospinning, RSC Advances, 7, 48972-48979, 2017

Paula Soares, Ana Isabel Sousa, Isabel Ferreira, Carlos Novo, João Paulo Borges. Towards the development of multifunctional chitosan-based iron oxide nanoparticles: Optimization and modelling of doxorubicin release. Carbohydrate polymers, 153, 212-221, 2016

Paula Soares, Diana Machado, César Laia, Laura Pereira, Joana Coutinho, Isabel Ferreira, Carlos Novo, João Paulo Borges. Thermal and magnetic properties of chitosan-iron oxide nanoparticles. Carbohydrate polymers, 149, 382-390, 2016.

Paula Soares, César Laia, Alexandra Carvalho, Laura Pereira, Joana Coutinho, Isabel Ferreira, Carlos Novo, João Paulo Borges. Iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized with a bilayer of oleic acid for magnetic hyperthermia and MRI applications. Applied Surface Science, 383, 240-247, 2016

Paula Soares, Ana Alves, Laura Pereira, Joana Coutinho, Isabel Ferreira, Carlos Novo, João Paulo Borges. Effects of surfactants on the magnetic properties of iron oxide colloids. Journal of colloid and interface science. 419, 46-51, 2014