Nature Research Custom Media asked Carolini Kaid, co-founder and chief scientific officer of iOZ Biotech, about her working life. Her responses shed light on the benefits of working in Brazil, her struggle to be heard as a woman in a leadership position, and a pioneering project to harness Zika virus as a weapon against tumours of the central nervous system.

How would you describe your group’s scientific mission?

Our primary mission is to use science to solve the impossible challenges of human health, creating therapies that are accessible to those who need them most.

Since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a scientist, even though I came from a poor background in Brazil and lacked access to the best educational resources. My vision was to bring solutions to society’s most difficult challenges. After working hard to enter the country’s top university, I encountered the reality of brain tumours — diseases for which, even after more than 100 years of research, effective solutions remain elusive. That moment marked the beginning of my pursuit, since 2010, to find therapeutic solutions for brain tumours.

Read more at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-024-00428-1