College of Medicine

Research Area(s)

  • Genetics
  • Genome editing
  • Mitochondrial genetics
  • Drosophila genetics
  • Mitochondrial biology
  • Biomarkers
  • Cellular and molecular biology
  • Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Biosensors
  • Mood disorders
  • Psychosis spectrum disorders
  • Late-onset disorders
  • Translational medicine

About

Dr. Mendes-Silva obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences, Master's degree in Genetics, and Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from top ranked universities in Brazil. She worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.

As a basic science researcher, she brings a wealth of laboratory experience, focusing on identifying biomarkers associated with psychiatric disorders, particularly those linked to inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and senescence. Her primary goal is to deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction in mental illnesses, ultimately aiming to develop mitochondria-targeted therapies for affected patients. To achieve this objective, her research program employs a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing genetics (e.g., transcription-activator-like effector-linked deaminases (TALED) genome editing), bioinformatics (e.g., mitochondrial DNA sequencing analysis), animal models (e.g., Drosophila melanogaster), and bioengineering (e.g., biosensors).

Selected Publications

View Dr. Mendes-Silva's publications on google scholar.