Luiz Fernando Zerbini received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in 1999. He completed his postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School in 2003. Since January 2021, Dr Zerbini has been the Acting Director at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town, South Africa. His areas of research include regulation of gene expression by transcription factors, the role of receptor tyrosine kinases, and omics approaches in cancer research. Additionally, his group has developed an innovative research project focused on the genetic makeup of the African population. His research has been widely supported by several funding organizations, such as NIH USA, DoD USA, NRF South Africa, and the European Union 2020.