She graduated in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Faculty of Pharmacy in 1998 and completed her PhD in Human Biology by the Faculty of Medicine in 2004, both at the University of Porto. Ana Preto was a PhD student of the PhD Program GABBA and performed the PhD in IPATIMUP in collaboration with the Department of Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK (2000/2004). From 2004 to 2007 had a Post-Doc position at IPATIMUP.