Bruna Rodrigues Muys, M.Sc., Ph.D

Before working in posttranscriptional regulation as an undergraduate student, Dr. Rodrigues Muys researched the biochemistry of alkaline phosphatase generated by a thermophilic fungus. She was motivated to pursue a career in academia, leading to a master's degree focusing on molecular cancer genetics and non-coding RNAs. She characterized long non-coding RNAs enriched in the placenta as important for migration and invasion. As a graduate student, Dr. Rodrigues Muys investigated miR-450a, a microRNA that suppresses tumors in ovarian cancer. In her work, she identified its function in rewiring cell energy metabolism in ovarian cancer cells.

During postdoctoral training, Dr. Rodrigues Muys mainly worked on RNA-binding proteins contributing to colorectal cancer (CRC). For example, her work found that ZMAT3 acts as a tumor suppressor in CRC by inhibiting the splicing of variant exons of CD44, a stem cell marker that controls tumorigenesis. She also discovered that MATR3, another RNA-binding protein, acts as an oncogene in CRC by regulating microtubule dynamics via CDC14B splicing, leading to a higher proliferation rate in CRC.