Professor Rita Pacheco (DEQ/ISEL), lecturer and researcher at the Centre for Structural Chemistry (CQE), was a member of the T2T – Precision Translational Photothermal Therapy project team, which was distinguished in the Pharmaceutical Research category of the BINOV Awards 2026 , promoted by the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society.

Led by the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon/iMed.ULisboa, the project is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration involving researchers from the Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering (IBEB), the Centre for Structural Chemistry (CQE), and IPO Lisboa/iNOVA4Health. T2T explores an innovative nanomedicine-based approach targeting anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of thyroid cancer. The strategy is based on the development of nanoparticles capable of converting light energy into heat, with the aim of exploring the potential of photothermal therapy in selected tumour models.

Within the scope of this project, the ISEL lecturer is involved in biochemical characterisation and the interpretation of cellular response mechanisms, assessing the biological responses of tumour cell models to the photothermal approach. Her contribution has helped advance the understanding of the effects of this therapeutic strategy and its potential future applications.

Commenting on the distinction, Rita Pacheco highlighted the importance of the collaborative work carried out by the team: “It is a privilege to be part of this project. This distinction also recognises the value of multidisciplinary teamwork, in which the integration of different scientific areas and expertise is essential to bringing experimental research closer to clinical challenges and exploring new therapeutic possibilities for diseases for which treatment options remain limited.”