Prof. Silvia Conde

Silvia V. Conde is a Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at NOVA Medical School (NMS) and a Principal Investigator at NMS Research. She pursued her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the New University of Lisbon (Portugal) and in Biotechnology from the University of Valladolid (Spain) in 2007, studying the role of purines in hypoxic signaling in the carotid body (CB). Afterward, she dedicated her research to understanding the pathophysiological alterations in the CB and autonomic nervous system that are involved in cardiometabolic and respiratory human diseases. As a PI, she developed a new line of research on CB and dysmetabolism based on the pioneering idea that CB controls glucose homeostasis. She is interested in the characterization of pathophysiological biosignals, disease signatures, and fingerprints that will allow for the identification of targets for therapy, particularly bioelectronic targets. Her group discovered that high-frequency electrical stimulation of the carotid sinus nerve restores glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetes models. Her research within this field has led to two patents. In 2009, she was awarded the L’Oreal Medal of Honor for Women in Science in Portugal; since then, her group has won several prizes from the Portuguese Society of Diabetes and the Pulido Valente Foundation.