Leonor Cancela

Leonor Cancela is a Full Professor at the University of Algarve's Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, leading the Comparative, Adaptive and Functional Skeletal Biology research group. She holds an Agregação (2003) and PhD (1985) in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Her work focuses on skeletal biology using zebrafish models, marine organism physiology, and therapeutic target discovery. Current projects include studying CDKL5 deficiency disorders, Keutel Syndrome pathophysiology, and bone biology in deep-sea fish. She coordinates multidisciplinary teams investigating aquaculture nutrition, microRNA regulation, and parasitic diseases. Active in scientific outreach, she has presented at events like the 2025 ERC-PT seminar on biomedical applications of zebrafish.

Education highlights include studies at University Paris VI (1981-1985). She has led over 10 research projects funded by national/international grants, with recent emphasis on circular economy solutions for aquaculture (INOVACEL) and vitamin K's role in fish skeletal development (SPECIAL_K). Her work bridges marine biology with human health, applying findings to osteoporosis research and drug discovery.