Maria Angelica Cortez, Ph.D.

Maria Angelica Cortez earned her bachelor’s in biomedical sciences from the University of Franca in São Paulo, Brazil, before pursuing a master’s in Cancer Biology at the University of São Paulo (USP). At USP, she focused on the mechanisms of therapy resistance in lymphoblastic and myeloblastic leukemias. Dr. Cortez continued her studies at USP, earning a Ph.D. in cancer biology, where she investigated therapy resistance mechanisms in solid tumors involving microRNAs. Following her Ph.D., she became a postdoctoral fellow at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she furthered her research on how cancer cells develop resistance to therapies, including immunotherapy.

In 2024, Dr. Cortez joined the Morrison lab at Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) as research assistant professor. Her current research is dedicated to exploring the complex relationships between bone marrow innervation and cancer. Her work aims to shed new light on the complex interactions that underpin cancer progression and resistance to treatments, potentially paving the way for innovative therapeutic strategies.