Marco Alves is an MSc student in Biomedicine at the University of Minho, where he investigates therapeutic strategies for central nervous system repair. His current research focuses on the potential of new compounds to modulate oligodendrocyte cells and promote remyelination following spinal cord injury, integrating in vitro and in vivo approaches to evaluate their therapeutic relevance.

His training has provided a multidisciplinary background across neurobiology, immunology, and metabolism. During his MSc, he studied how differentiation cues and genetic background shape macrophage activation in tuberculosis, and in other project explored the effects of mesenchymal stem cell-derived secretome in an in vitro model of spinal cord injury. Previously, in the BSc project, he investigated how microbiome-derived metabolites modulate intestinal epithelial cell metabolism, including mitochondrial function, lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress.

Through these experiences, he has developed strong experimental skills in primary cell cultures, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and molecular biology techniques. He is particularly interested in understanding how glial cell states can be modulated to enhance regeneration and functional recovery in the injured CNS, and aims to pursue a PhD working with translational therapeutic strategies.