Patrícia Dias Mendonça Rijo

Patrícia Dias Mendonça Rijo is an Associate Professor at the School of Health Sciences and Technologies, Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon. Specializing in Medicinal Chemistry, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacognosy with a focus on Natural Products, she leads the Laboratory of Natural Bioactives (Bio.Natural) at CBIOS Research Center. Her work spans anticancer drug discovery, antibiotic resistance reversal, and skin health applications.

• 7 COST Action and CYTED international networks participant
• Associate Editor: Phytomedicine (Elsevier), Frontiers in Pharmacology
• Director of Research and Innovation at CBIOS

Her research emphasizes terpenoids (particularly abietane diterpenoids from Plectranthus species) for multidrug-resistant cancer therapy, antibiotic coordination frameworks, and gut-skin axis modulation. With over 140 peer-reviewed publications, three patents, and 300 conference communications, she pioneered science outreach through initiatives like the Bio.Natural Research Meeting and New European Bauhaus projects.

Key scientific contributions include:

• 2022-2024: Development of Plectranthus-derived nanoparticles for glioblastoma targeting
• 2023: Discovery of antibiotic-enhancing metal-organic frameworks
• 2024: Mechanistic studies of PKC isoform modulation by diterpenoids

She has coordinated 14 science outreach projects and organized 23 scientific events including the Global Women’s Breakfast (IUPAC). Her work appears in ACS Omega, Scientific Reports, and Frontiers in Pharmacology.