Gerusa is a Brazilian pharmacologist, with a Ph.D in Molecular Pharmacology from Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) and master's degree in Toxicological Biochemistry from Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM, Brazil).
With a strong background in preclinical research, Gerusa has worked on projects searching for natural and synthetic products with analgesic and neuroprotective properties since her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM, Brazil). During her Ph.D, she investigated the modulation of spinal cord pain transmission and analgesic properties of natural peptide toxins purified from the venom of the Brazilian spider Phoneutria nigriventer, aiming to design therapeutic agents to treat pain. After obtaining her Ph.D, she continued engaged in the pharmacological research of peptide toxins and calcium channel blockers in pain circuits, as a postdoctoral researcher in Juliano Ferreira's lab, at Federal University of Santa Catarina (LabNeuro, UFSC, Florianopolis, Brazil) and in Anthony Dickensons's Lab, at University College London (House of Pain, UCL, London, UK), where she gained experience in in-vivo electrophysiology. After a career break, she joined Nicola Tirelle's team at IIT, in 2024.
At Polbiom, her ultimate goal is to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile of nanoparticles, as therapeutic carriers. She also investigates the efficacy of nanoparticles together with known anticancer drugs in the therapy-resistance in neuroglioblastoma cells.