Margarida (Guida) Ruas

Margarida received her PhD from Imperial College London, for her work on cancer research at the CRUK LIF Institute, and she pursued her interest in cancer research by taking a post-doctoral research position within Professor Tony Kouzarides' group at the John Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge.

Since 2002, her research interests have focused on fundamental aspects of endo-lysosomal biology, working with Professor Antony Galione at the Department of Pharmacology in Oxford. Her contributions have led to the development of molecular tools, cellular assays, and animal models that enhance our understanding of lysosomes as crucial signalling hubs. During this time, she held a Todd Bird Junior Research Fellowship in Biochemistry at New College Oxford. 

In 2021, Margarida joined the Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, to set up and lead a team of biologists investigating endo-lysosomal pathways. Their collective goal is to validate targets for therapeutic intervention and spearhead early drug discovery projects focused on rectifying organelle dysfunction, a key contributor to neurodegenerative phenotypes.