Hugo Fernandes
hugo.fernandes@uc.pt | ORCID
Activity:
I began my academic journey by obtaining a degree in Applied Biology from the University of Minho in Portugal. Subsequently, I successfully completed my PhD in Bone Tissue Engineering at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, where I made significant contributions to the understanding of human stem cell differentiation into osteoblasts. Following the completion of my doctoral studies, I engaged in post-doctoral research, where I implemented high-throughput screening technologies to investigate the role of small molecules in endothelial differentiation.
In 2011, I assumed the leadership of a research group at the University of Twente focusing on the development of translational technologies for tendon and ligament regeneration. In 2014, I transitioned to the University of Coimbra, where my research centered on exploring the role of miRNAs in modulating cell fate and engineering extracellular vesicles for miRNA delivery.
In 2020, I received the "Individual Scientific Employment Stimuli" award from the Foundation for Science and Technology to develop RNA-based technologies for Regenerative Medicine, particularly in the context of cardiovascular diseases.
Since 2023, I am Principal Investigator at the Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing at the University of Coimbra where I will focus on unraveling the molecular mechanisms governing cell fate decisions and intercellular communication during ageing.
Publication:
Fernandes H, Zonnari A, Abreu R, Aday S, Barão M, Albino I, et al. Extracellular vesicles enriched with an endothelial cell pro-survival microRNA affects skin tissue regeneration. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2022 Jun;28:307–27.
Ottaviani L, Juni RP, de Abreu RC, Sansonetti M, Sampaio-Pinto V, Halkein J, et al. Intercellular transfer of miR-200c-3p impairs the angiogenic capacity of cardiac endothelial cells. Molecular Therapy. 2022 Jun;30(6):2257–73.
de Abreu RC, Ramos C V., Becher C, Lino M, Jesus C, da Costa Martins PA, et al. Exogenous loading of miRNAs into small extracellular vesicles. J Extracell Vesicles. 2021 Aug 2;10(10).
de Abreu RC, Fernandes H, da Costa Martins PA, Sahoo S, Emanueli C, Ferreira L. Native and bioengineered extracellular vesicles for cardiovascular therapeutics. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2020 Nov 1;17(11):685–97.
Vazão H, Rosa S, Barata T, Costa R, Pitrez PR, Honório I, et al. High-throughput identification of small molecules that affect human embryonic vascular development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Apr 11;114(15):E3022–31.
Doorn J, Fernandes HAM, Le BQ, van de Peppel J, van Leeuwen JPTM, De Vries MR, et al. A small molecule approach to engineering vascularized tissue. Biomaterials. 2013 Apr;34(12):3053–63.
Barradas AMC, Fernandes HAM, Groen N, Chai YC, Schrooten J, van de Peppel J, et al. A calcium-induced signaling cascade leading to osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. Biomaterials. 2012 Apr;33(11):3205–15.
Yuan H, Fernandes H, Habibovic P, de Boer J, Barradas AMC, de Ruiter A, et al. Osteoinductive ceramics as a synthetic alternative to autologous bone grafting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2010 Aug 3;107(31):13614–9.
