She holds a graduate degree in Pharmacology-Biochemistry at Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (1983), a master degree in Biochemistry from Universidade Federal de São Paulo (1991) and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Universidade Federal de São Paulo (1994). She has experience in Biochemistry, focusing on Enzymology, acting on the following subjects: snake venom; metalloproteinase; serine proteinase; proteomic analysis of snake venoms and of the effects of toxins upon cultured cells, platelets and mouse skin.