Ana Jorge Martins holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry (2025, University of Minho). She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedicine at the University of Minho and conducting her master’s thesis at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), as part of the Translational Neurogenetics team, under the supervision of Dr. Tiago Dantas and Professor Patrícia Maciel, with guidance from MSc Sara Guerreiro. Her project, entitled “Involvement of Neuronal Primary Cilia in Cortical Interneuron Development and Migration in Down Syndrome”, focuses on investigating the role of these signaling organelles in the development and migration of cortical interneurons in Down syndrome. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and brain tissue from a Down syndrome mouse model, she aims to contribute to a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental alterations associated with the condition.
Ana Jorge Martins holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry (2025, University of Minho). She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedicine at the University of Minho and conducting her master’s thesis at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), as part of the Translational Neurogenetics team, under the supervision of Dr. Tiago Dantas and Professor Patrícia Maciel, with guidance from MSc Sara Guerreiro. Her project, entitled “Involvement of Neuronal Primary Cilia in Cortical Interneuron Development and Migration in Down Syndrome”, focuses on investigating the role of these signaling organelles in the development and migration of cortical interneurons in Down syndrome. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and brain tissue from a Down syndrome mouse model, she aims to contribute to a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental alterations associated with the condition.
During development, embryonic neural stem cells known as radial glial progenitors (RGPs) generate most neurons and glia in the neocortex in a highly regulated fashion. RGPs are highly elongated cells, extending an apical process to the ventricular surface and a basal process that reaches the pial surface of the brain.
