Hilda Petrs Silva holds a degree in Biological Sciences, Medical Modality, from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of Florida, United States, focusing on the clinical application of gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases of the retina, and a PhD in Biological Sciences-Biophysics from the Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics at UFRJ. She is a specialist in gene therapy, with an emphasis on rAAV vectors. She has experience in the construction, large-scale production, and manipulation of these vectors. Her expertise also covers the areas of cell biology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, with work in neurodegeneration, retina, and genetic manipulation with CRISPR-Cas9. She was invited as a visiting researcher at the universities of Goettingen, in Germany, and Cornell, in New York. She implemented the first national center for the production of AAV vectors at the IBCCF. Her main projects are focused on gene therapy for degenerative diseases, with an emphasis on glaucoma, using rAAV vectors and technologies to improve the modulation of gene expression and viral transduction in vivo.” She is currently an associate professor at IBCCF at UFRJ, Head of the Gene Therapy and Viral Vectors Laboratory, a Level 2 scholarship holder for Productivity in Technological Development and Innovative Extension from CNPq, and a Scientist of Our State-FAPER.