Description
Inflammation is an important clinical and research topic, involving a complex set of interactions among soluble factors and cells that can arise in any tissue in response to an injury. This process normally leads to recovery and to healing, however, if targeted destruction and assisted repair are not properly phased, inflammation can lead to persistent tissue damage.
Biomarkers are functional, molecular/biochemical indicators of physiological or pathological processes. A crucial area of personalized medicine is to use biomarkers to provide vital information in determining disease prognosis, in predicting response to therapies, in establishing baseline risk and also adverse events and drug interactions.
The mission of this group is to investigate cellular mechanisms of disease in order to establish novel biomarkers and conveying multiple inflammation induced pathologies during the whole human lifespan, unraveling pathways linked to each specific disease. As a multidisciplinary team we fully intend to link our clinical understanding of disease and the interplay between disease and biomarkers.
Our group encompasses a wide range of expertise in medicine, cellular and molecular biology, cancer, reproductive science and immunology.
We have established national international collaborations with different research groups (University of Toronto; Instituto Português de Oncologia Porto; Nova Medical School,CINTESIS - Center for Health Technology and Services Research University of Porto Porto Portugal, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Montpellier France).
Key targets of our group currently include aging, allergy, dentistry, obesity, diabetes, urological and brain cancers, pregnancy disorders, respiratory and renal diseases.
Integrated Members
Completed the PhD in Health Sciences Program in 2015 by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Master in Medicine in 2009 by the University of Coimbra and Degree in Medicine in 1999 by the University of Coimbra. She is a Graduated Hospital Assistant in Gynaecology / Obstetrics at the Hospital and University Centre of Coimbra, Professor at the University of Coimbra Faculty of Medicine and Researcher at the University of Coimbra.
She has published 23 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has 4 book chapter(s). Supervised 2 doctoral theses, 18 Integrated Master's Thesis(s) in Medicine and co-supervised 2. Participates and/or has participated as Investigator in project(s) on preterm birth.
Works in the area(s) of Medical and Health Sciences with emphasis on Basic Medicine (General Pathology and Immunology) and Obstetrics and Gynecology- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, having held 17 conferences as invited speaker; and drafted 24 clinical protocols of action (19 in the institution and 5 national recommendations).
Main Research Area: inflammation, preterm birth, pregnancy, labour, immuno-inflammatory
Degree in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Coimbra. PhD in Pathology in 1995 at the University of Coimbra where she is a Full Professor of Pathophysiology. She teaches Pathophysiology in the pre-gratuated Master Integrated Medical School - Faculty of Medicine University of Coimbra; in several master's degrees and in the PhD program at the Faculty of Medicine and coordinates the distance course "Active and Healthy Aging", aimed at training formal and informal caregivers. Head of the Institute of General Pathology. She published 136 original scientific articles in ISI journals, 26 book chapters and 7 books. Supervised 8 doctoral theses and co-supervises 3, 36 master's dissertations and co-supervised 72.
Main Research Area - pathophysiology, aging, profile of portuguese aging population
Completed the Title of Aggregate in 2016 by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, PhD in Medicine/Pneumology in 2008 by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Invited Associate Professor at the University of Coimbra, Senior Graduate Assistant at Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra EPE and Director of Immunoallergology department of Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra EPE. Was President of the Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SPAIC). Has 160 articles published in specialized journals with an H index of 37 (Scopus); 15 book chapter(s) and 3 book(s)Coordination. Received 25 award(s) and has 320 original scientific works presented at scientific meetings and published as abstracts in journals in the field of allergy.
Main Research Area: Area(s) of Medical and Health Sciences with an emphasis on severe asthma
Graduate Assistant of Nephrology and Director of the Department of Nephrology, Urology and Renal Transplantation, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC), Coimbra, (Portugal); Invited Associate Professor with tenure exam of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC). She graduated in Medicine from FMUC in 1988 and completed her PhD in Medicine/Nephrology at FMUC on January 6th, 2003. She has been an invited Professor at FMUC (Immunology) since 2008, invited Associate Professor at FMUC and Coordinator of Immunology Unit of Dental Medicine Master at FMUC since September 2014. She was designated Nephrologist responsible for the peritoneal dialysis program of the Nephrology Service of the CHUC (2006-2017); She was Coordinator of the Hemodialysis Unit of the CHUC from January 2018 to April 1, 2021. She was appointed Clinical Director of Hospitals of the University of Coimbra (2003-2005) and Sub-Director of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (2009-2012 e 2015).
For a decade, she was President of the Ministry of Health’s National Dialysis Monitoring Commission (2008-2018).
Her focus of expertise/research has been the Immunology of tissue and organ transplantation and immune tolerance; Immunity associated with advanced chronic kidney disease and its treatment (dialysis or transplant).
Main Research Area: immune response, kidney transplantation, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, survival
José Luís Monteiro Alves, graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Concluded the Neurosurgery residency in 2013 at Coimbra´s University Hospital, followed by a Fellowship Program at the Department of Neurosurgery, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Earned his PhD in Medical Science in 2021 and is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra.
Is a member of both Portuguese and European Society of Neurosurgery and of the Portuguese Association of Neuro-Oncology.
Dr Alves´ research interests include Brain Trauma, Neuroinflammation and Neuropeptides, brain tumors and brain edema.
He is the principal author and co-author of 14 manuscripts in peer-reviewed and high impact journals and 1 book chapter.
Main Research Area: neurotrauma, neuroinflammation, animal models, oncology
Ongoing projects (available for collaboration or students):
Neuropeptide response in Traumatic Brain Injury
Neuropeptide influence in peri-tumoral brain edema
Degree in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, in 1981.
PhD in Internal Medicine – Micronutrients and Diabetes, in 2000 at the University of Coimbra.
Associated Professor of Internal Medicine.
Teaches Introduction to Medical Practise, Clinical Nutrition and Pear Teaching in the pre-graduated Master Integrated Medical School - Faculty of Medicine University of Coimbra, in several Master degrees and in the PhD program at the Faculty of Medicine
Coordinates the Clinical Nutrition specialization course.
Senior Specialist in Internal Medicine.
Head of the Internal Medicine Service at the Coimbra University Hospital Center, Portugal.
Published 42 original scientific articles in ISI journals and 4 book chapters.
Supervised 2 doctoral theses and co-supervised 3, 75 master's dissertations and co-supervised 12.
Main Research Areas - multimorbidity, clinical Nutrition, systemic autoimmune diseases, systemic sclerosis, aging.
Ricardo Leão M.D., Ph.D., graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Concluded Urology residency in 2013 at Coimbra´s University Hospital. From 2014 to 2017, completed the Uro-Oncology Fellowship Program at the Division of Urology, University of Toronto, Canada; through the North American Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) match (American Urological Association).
Beyond his clinical work, performed basic and clinical research at the University of Toronto and earned a PhD degree (individual FCT Grant SFRH/BD/102232/2014) in January 2019.
Dr Leão is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra.
He seats in international committees as a panel member of the European Association of Urology (EAU) for Testicular Cancer Guidelines, Associate Member of the EAU Section of Oncological Urology (ESOU) and member of European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)-EURACAN Testicular Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Dr Leão is a clinician-scientist with interest in uro-oncology, focused on biomarkers as predictors for cancer relapse and progression.
He is the principal author and co-author of more than 50 manuscripts in peer-reviewed and high impact journals. Currently he serves as Guest Editor for Frontiers in Oncology, Journal of Clinical Medicine and Life journals.
Main Research Area: prostate cancer, bladder cancer, testicular cancer, kidney cancer, biomarkers, miRNA, proteomics, immune response, extracellular vesicles
Paulo Rodrigues-Santos is the Head of Research and Science Communication at the Institute of Immunology, Invited Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Director of the Immunology and Oncology Laboratory of the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra (Portugal).
He developed his work on Immunogenetics under the supervision of Professor Gottfried Mauff at Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany. He worked on Transplantation Immunobiology as Head of the Functional Genomics Laboratory at the Center for Histocompatibility of the Centre (Coimbra, Portugal).
He was Chair of the Education Committee of the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI), Board Member of the European Complement Network (ECN) and Vice-President of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI).
He is Founder and Coordinator of the Portuguese Group of Immuno-Oncology (gpI-O), a joint working group of the Portuguese Society for Oncology (SPO) and the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI).
Main Research Area -Immune Monitoring in Oncology. Study of innate immunity, especially of innate lymphoid cells (ILC), and its clinical application in immunotherapy.
Sofia do Vale Pereira (SVP) MSc, MD, graduated in Biology (Scientific) in the Faculty of Sciences & Technology- University of Coimbra (FCTUC), Portugal.
She completed her Master in Science (MSc) in Cellular Biology, more precisely in the area of Immunobiology of Liver Transplantation also on FCTUC.
She graduated in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Coimbra (FMUC), Portugal and concluded General & Family Physician residency at ARS Centro working as a Medical Doctor (MD) in Centro de Saúde da Lousã, ARS Centro.
At the same time SVP developed work as a Senior Teaching and Research Support Technician in General Pathology Laboratory at FMUC.
There being responsible both in terms of performing specific clinical analyses for the community, laboratory management; as well as in research and teaching support in Pathophysiology discipline, design, execution, processing and data treatment of the laboratorial component of the Institute research projects (namely Final medical students Thesis, MSc life science students and PhD medical students).
She is author and co-author of manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals with impact factor with numerous citations and has received awards and honors for some work developed.
Main Research Area: Aging; Immune Monitoring; Immune response; Allergology; Flow Cytometry; Primary Health Care; General Practice; Preventive Medicine; Inflammation; Pre-term Birth.
Vera Alves is a Senior Technician at the Faculty of Medicine of University of Coimbra (FMUC) and Invited Assistant of Immunology in FMUC.
Graduated in Biochemistry in 1991 at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra.
She was a collaborator at the Immunology Institute of FMUC from 1991 to 1996.
In 1996 she was invited to become Assistant of FMUC.
Since 2018, she also holds a position as a Senior Technician at FMUC.
She is FMUC`s manager of the cytometry platform.
Published 58 articles in specialized journals and received 7 prize(s) and/or honors.
Main Research Area: immune response, immune-monitoring, flow cytometry, cell sorting, translational research
Colaborators
Ana Raquel Santiago is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC) and she is the Coordinator of the Animal Facility of FMUC and the President of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) of FMUC.
She has been interested in the contribution of glial cells and neuroinflammation to retinal neurodegeneration and the identification of therapeutic strategies for retinal diseases targeting neuroprotection and neuroinflammation control.
Main Research Area: neuroinflammation, retinal degenerative diseases, neuro-immune interactions, neuroprotection, microglial
She graduated in Dentistry from the Faculty of Dentistry of Lisbon in 1989 and completed her PhD in Dentistry/Periodontology at the Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra in 2006.
She got the title of Specialist in Periodontology from the Portuguese Dental Association (2018).
She's Assistant Professor of Periodontology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, where she is the Director of the Institute of Periodontology.
Is an integrated member at the Center for Research in the Environment, Genetics and Oncobiology (Cimago), collaborating with the group Human Genome Variation in Health and Disease, and at the Center for Innovation and Research in Oral Sciences (CIROS), both from the Faculty of Medicine.
Additionally, she's a member collaborator of the Center for Functional Ecology – Science for people of the planet, at the group Forensic Anthropology and Paleobiology, from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, all at the University of Coimbra.
Main Research Area: periodontology (periodontal medicine, periodontal regeneration, peri-implantitis) and oral cancer.
PhD Sudents
Jani Sofia Jesus Almeida (JSA) is enrolled in the PhD programme in Health Sciences (FCT scholarship) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC), and she collaborates with the immunology institute (FMUC) and the Immunology and Oncology Laboratory at the Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology (CNBC) to develop her PhD project.
JSA completed her Masters in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), and she worked for 4 years as research technician at the Immunology and Oncology Laboratory (CNBC).
Areas of interest: Immunology, Immuno-oncology, Aging, Cell Biology, Flow Cytometry and Bioinformatics.
Main Research Area: immuno-oncology, immune monitoring, aging, flow cytometry, soft tissue sarcoma.