Leonor Costa holds a B.Sc. in Applied Biology (2024) from the University of Minho and a postgraduation in Molecular Genetics. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedicine at the University of Minho and conducting her master’s dissertation at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, as part of the Translational Neurogenetics team. She is supervised by Sara Duarte-Silva and Marta D. Costa.

Her research focuses on the role of somatic CAG repeat instability in Machado-Joseph Disease. Using the CMVMJD135 mouse model, she is investigating tissue-specific and longitudinal variation in CAG repeat length to understand its contribution to selective neuronal vulnerability and disease progression, providing insights into MJD pathogenesis.