Affiliation: University of Cambridge, MRC-MBU, UK

Pedro Silva-Pinheiro is a Staff Scientist at the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit in Cambridge, UK. He received his BS in Genetics and Biotechnology and a MSc in Molecular Medicine from the University of Porto, Portugal. During his MSc, Silva-Pinheiro was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship allowing to carry his research at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, US, studying the effects of mitochondrial DNA mutations in lipid metabolism. Then, he joined the group of Massimo Zeviani in the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD studentship. During his PhD, Silva-Pinheiro focused on the pathogenesis and development of therapies for mitochondrial diseases using mouse models. Currently, Silva-Pinheiro’s research interests lie on the development and application of new methods for manipulation of the mitochondrial DNA (TALE nucleases and base editors - DdCBEs), allowing for the generation of new models of mitochondrial disease and novel therapeutic platforms.