Patrícia Bezerra, PhD
Roughly eight years of dedicated cancer research experience, with a focus on breast cancer
About Patricia
Dr. Patrícia Bezerra is PHP Biotech’s Scientific Leader and Head of Research & Development, directing the company’s discovery and preclinical science. She is a biotechnology scientist with roughly eight years of dedicated cancer research experience, with a particular focus on breast cancer — the therapeutic center of gravity for PHP Biotech’s lead program in triple-negative breast cancer.
Dr. Bezerra holds a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and has built a notably interdisciplinary research foundation spanning reproductive biology, immunology, enzyme immobilization, and fermentation technologies. She was a fellow of Brazil’s competitive Science Without Borders Program (2013–2014), during which she trained at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Florida Institute of Technology in the United States. In the same period she completed an internship at the Experimental Medicine Research Center at Rinat–Pfizer in South San Francisco, working on Type 2 Diabetes research — early exposure to industry-grade translational science.
She subsequently joined Veritas Biotecnologia in Brazil, contributing to the development of new therapies and diagnostics for cancer and tuberculosis. Dr. Bezerra earned her PhD from the University of São Paulo (USP), with part of her doctoral research conducted at the University of Porto in Portugal, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at USP. This combination of Brazilian and international training, industry and academic bench experience, and a specialization in breast cancer biology directly underpins her leadership of PHP Biotech’s science.
As Head of R&D, Dr. Bezerra drives the scientific program behind PHP53-nb — a humanized camelid nanobody engineered to reactivate mutant p53 function and trigger apoptosis in tumor cells — and the GEN01-AD delivery platform. Her remit includes experimental design, coordination with external research laboratories and CROs, characterization of the 3-NAntC peptide payload, and the preclinical data package that will support the company’s move toward the clinic.
Credentials & Links
- EducationBSc, Biotechnology; PhD, University of São Paulo (USP) — doctoral research partly at University of Porto; postdoctoral fellowship, USP
- FellowshipScience Without Borders fellow (2013–2014): University of Nebraska at Kearney; Florida Institute of Technology
- Prior RolesRinat–Pfizer (intern); Veritas Biotecnologia
- ORCIDorcid.org/0000-0001-7860-3002
Selected Publications
- Bezerra, P.; Motti, E. F. 3-NAntC: A Potent Crotoxin B-Derived Peptide against the Triple-Negative MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Line. Molecules, v. 29, p. 1646, 2024.
- Franceschi, B. T.; Bezerra, P. H. A.; Torqueti, M. R. Antitumor effects of co-treatment of resveratrol with antitumor drugs in ER- and HER2-positive breast cancer cells are due to induction of apoptosis and modulation of estrogen receptor expression. Breast Cancer, 2024.
- Bezerra, P. H. A.; Amaral, C.; Almeida, C. F.; Correia-da-Silva, G.; Torqueti, M. R.; Teixeira, N. In Vitro Effects of Combining Genistein with Aromatase Inhibitors: Concerns Regarding Its Consumption during Breast Cancer Treatment. Molecules, v. 28, p. 4893, 2023.
- Bezerra, P. H. A.; Ferreira, I. M.; Franceschi, B. T.; Bianchini, F.; Ambrosio, L.; Cintra, A. C. O.; Sampaio, S. V.; Castro, F. A.; Torqueti, M. R. BthTX-I from Bothrops jararacussu induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines and decreases cancer stem cell subpopulation. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases, v. 25, p. e2019-0010, 2019.