Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show Dr Carolini Kaid, PhD - Co-Founder & CSO - Vyro Bio - Oncolytic Viruses For Drug Resistant Cancers
Dr. Carolini Kaid, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder & CSO at Vyro Biotherapeutics (https://en.vyrobio.com/), a Brazilian biotechnology company focused on developing cancer-killing, or ‘oncolytic’ viruses (OVs) designed to target pediatric and adult brain cancer. Dr. Kaid is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Center for Human Genome and Stem Cell Studies, at The University of São Paulo (USP), a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, which is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution (https://bv.fapesp.br/en/pesquisador/6...). Dr. Kaid has her Ph.D. in Cancer Genetics, a Master's degree in Cancer Biology, and an undergraduate degree in Genetics, all from USP. Dr. Kaid completed 10 years of experience in cancer biology research, including CNS tumor research, tumor stem cells, and advanced therapies. During her MsC, Dr. Kaid worked with miR-367 as a biomarker for aggressive pediatric cancer and potential therapeutic target, which led to the 2015 Award of Scientist and Entrepreneur of the Year, by Nanocell Institute. As a PhD student, under the mentorship of Dr. Oswaldo Keith Okamoto, she acquired a broad background in pre-clinical models, with specific training and expertise in cell culture, brain histology, molecular genetics, stereotaxic surgery, and stereology. Her PhD Thesis, was awarded with Brazil's Best PhD Thesis 2020, resulting in two patent applications and pre-clinical findings that opened opportunities for future translational studies to evaluate new putative biomarkers of aggressive stem-like tumor cells in refining diagnosis, patient stratification, and early detection of relapsed disease. Her work also revealed novel therapeutic approaches, using an miR-367 inhibitor and the oncolytic Zika virus, both targeting the stem-like tumor cells that could benefit patients affected by CNS tumors lacking effective treatment. Recently, as postdoctoral fellow at Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, under Dr. Mayana Zatz supervision, she continues to investigate alternative immunotherapies with a focus on oncolytic viruses and is coordinating a veterinary clinical trial using the oncolytic Zika virus in dogs with advanced brain tumors.