After getting her PhD in Biochemistry (Biomembranes and Membrane Modes) Maria Eugénia Cruz started her working group at the National Laboratory of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (LNETI) in Lisbon (1983). The main focus of the research was the design, development of lipid nanoparticles (mainly liposomes) for therapeutic purposes, a pioneer research area in Portugal. She won important research grants, such as that of FLAD in collaboration with the M.D. Anderson College of Medicine (Houston), the Science Programme and the Nato Science for Stability (in collaboration with the Universities of Lisbon and Coimbra, the Military Laboratory and Helsin-Produtos Farmacêuticos, Lda). Those achievements allowed acquiring modern laboratory equipment, animal house and radioisotopes facilities. The main research areas were the prophylaxis and treatment of infectious diseases, cancer and inflammation using nanoformulations as drug carriers. Collaboration was established with main groups of the area, as the Universities of London, Alberta, Munich, Utrecht and Houston. She has supervised several PhD, master and graduation theses, published more than 100 papers and oral communications and filled 18 patents. Her group was a founding member of iMed.ULisboa, being later integrated in the Faculty of Pharmacy of Lisbon. At present, while retired she continues collaborating with iMed integrated at present in the Antonio Almeida Lab. The main areas of interest are the technological advances for the construction of more specific, less toxic and more stable nano drug delivery systems and the study of the immune response.