Rúben Fernandes is an academic and researcher in the field of Biomedicine, specializing in cancer and metabolism research, nanomedicine, and infectious diseases. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Genetics, and Immunology from the University of Vigo, he has established himself as a leader in his field. He currently holds the position of Full Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Fundação Ensino e Cultura Fernando Pessoa (FFP). At FFP, he serves as the coordinator of the Biomedical and Health Sciences Center. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Clinical Studies at Hospital Escola Fernando Pessoa. Before his current position, He held the role of Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto for nearly two decades. During his tenure, he established and led the Laboratory of Medical and Industrial Biotechnology (LaBMI), a renowned research unit focused on cancer, microbes, and viruses. Actively involved in funded research projects, he has participated in 8 projects in the past 5 years. He served as the Principal Investigator (PI) in 5 projects and as a co-PI in 2 others, focusing on areas such as aptamers for theranostics in prostate carcinoma, immune profiling of patients with SARS-CoV-2, and the optimization of COVID-19 diagnosis.