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Alexandre Gonçalves is a researcher at the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto. He recently completed his PhD in Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Porto, where his research focused on therapeutic options for HFpEF management. He holds an MSc in Biomedical Research from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (2018) and a BSc in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra (2016). His research interests include cardiovascular therapeutics and physiology, the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac function, and, more recently, driven by his passion for undergraduate education, exploring innovative ways to enhance medical learning through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) platforms.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Alexandre Gonçalves

Citation names

  • Gonçalves, Alexandre

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
AA12-ACB1-4CE8
ORCID iD
0000-0002-5386-8378

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Upper intermediate (B2) Proficiency (C2)
French Beginner (A1) Beginner (A1) Beginner (A1) Beginner (A1)
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
Education
Degree Classification
2019/09 - 2025/10
Concluded
 Doutoramento em Ciências Cardiovasculares (Doutoramento)
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
"Ketones: A New Hope for a Failing Heart" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2016 - 2018
Concluded
 Investigação Biomédica (Mestrado)
Major in Área de especialização: Ciências Cardiovasculares
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
"T3 hormone as an effective therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: effects on Ca2+ transients and contractility" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 18.5 valores
2013 - 2016
Concluded
 Bioquímica (Licenciatura)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal
"n/a" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 16
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2018/03/01 - Current Researcher (Research) Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Portugal
2017/03 - 2017/04 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
Group of Ubiquitin-dependent Proteolysis and Intercellular Communication, Portugal
2017/02 - 2017/03 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics of Cardiometabolic and Renal Disorders, Portugal
2017/01 - 2017/02 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Portugal
2015/05/01 - 2015/07/01 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Química de Coimbra, Portugal
Centro de Química Biologica, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2018 - Current Caracterização do papel dos RNAs circulares no estabelecimento da fibrilhação auricular permanente
PTDC/MED-GEN/29389/2017
Researcher
2018 - 2019 Modulação da rigidez miocárdica diastólica pelo estiramento. Novo mecanismo fisiológico, implicações diagnósticas e terapêuticas na insuficiência cardíaca com fração de ejeção preservada
PTDC/DTP-PIC/4104/2014
Research Fellow
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Alves IN; Gonçalves, Alexandre; Araújo M; Leite L; Moraña-Fernández S; Morais, Juliana; Rodrigues, Alexandre; et al. "Long-term ketogenic diet increases heart hypertrophy and modulates glycemic control and physical endurance in a sex-dependent manner in aged healthy rats". Paper presented in CBFH Biennial Meeting 2023 | Biennial Meeting of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial Function & Cellular Biology of the Heart, 2023.
  2. Gonçalves, Alexandre; Miranda D; Sousa-Mendes, Cláudia; Silva, Carolina; Alves, IN; PEPPAS, PANAGIOTIS; Conceição G; et al. "Ketones' impact on a rat model of HFpEF". Paper presented in CBFH Biennial Meeting 2023 | Biennial Meeting of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial Function & Cellular Biology of the Heart, 2023.
  3. Gonçalves, Alexandre; Miranda D; Sousa-Mendes, Cláudia; Silva, Carolina; Alves, IN; PEPPAS, PANAGIOTIS; Conceição G; et al. "Ketones' impact on a dysmetabolic rat model of HFpEF". Paper presented in HFA Winter Research Meeting on Translational Heart Failure 2023, 2023.
  4. Rodrigues, Alexandre; Gonçalves, Alexandre; Araujo, Ricardo; Falcão-Pires, Inês. "The impact of nutritional ketosis in gut microbiome and the cardiovascular function in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.". Paper presented in 2nd International Meeting of the Portuguese Society of Physiology, 2023.
  5. Rodrigues, Alexandre; Gonçalves, Alexandre; Araujo, Ricardo; Falcão-Pires, Inês. "Is ketones' impact on Metabolic Syndrome cardiac remodelling mediated by the Gut Microbiota?". Paper presented in UMIB Summit 2023, 2023.
  6. Gonçalves, Alexandre. "Thyroid hormone supplementation as a potential therapy for HfpEF". Paper presented in European Society of Cardiology - Biennial meeting of the Working Groups on Myocardial Function and Cellular Biology of the Heart, 2019.
  7. Gonçalves, Alexandre. "Effects of thyroid hormone supplementation on the contractility and Ca2+ transients of cardiomyocytes isolated from an animal model of HFpEF". Paper presented in I NoTeS Congress - Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Noncommunicable Diseases, 2018.
  8. M Von Hafe. "Effects of thyroid hormone supplementation on cardiac function in an animal model of HFpEF". Paper presented in European Society of Cardiology Congress, 2018.
  9. C Afonso Couto E Vale. "Local and systemic hypothyroidism in an animal model of cardiometabolic syndrome and the impact of triiodothyronine supplementation in its metabolic profile". Paper presented in European Society of Cardiology Congress, 2018.
Journal article
  1. Xocas Vázquez-Abuín; Sandra Moraña-Fernández; Alana Aragón-Herrera; Peter Sandner; Karen Thomitzek; Javier García-Seara; Susana B. Bravo; et al. "Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulation improves cardiac function and mitochondrial activity in a rat model of early-stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction". Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (2025): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118439.
    10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118439
  2. Gonçalves, Alexandre; Alves, Inês N.; Mendes, Cláudia; Miranda, Daniela; Conceição, Glória; Almeida-Coelho, João; Martins, Diana; et al. "Ketogenic diet and ketone salts differentially improve cardiometabolic complications in an HFpEF rat model". The Journal of Physiology (2025): https://doi.org/10.1113/jp288229.
    10.1113/jp288229
  3. Sandra Moraña-Fernández; Xocas Vázquez-Abuín; Alana Aragón-Herrera; Laura Anido-Varela; Javier García-Seara; Óscar Otero-García; Diego Rodríguez-Penas; et al. "Cardiometabolic effects of sacubitril/valsartan in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction". Biochemical Pharmacology (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116571.
    10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116571
  4. Isabella Bracchi; Juliana Morais; João Almeida Coelho; Ana Filipa Ferreira; Inês Alves; Cláudia Mendes; Beatriz Correia; et al. "The Cardiometabolic Impact of Rebaudioside A Exposure during the Reproductive Stage". Biology (2024): https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13030163.
    10.3390/biology13030163
  5. Liliana Moreira-Costa; Marta Tavares-Silva; João Almeida-Coelho; Alexandre Gonçalves; Fábio Trindade; Francisco Vasques-Nóvoa; Cláudia Sousa-Mendes; et al. "Acute and chronic effects of levosimendan in the ZSF1 obese rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction". European Journal of Pharmacology (2024): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176336.
    10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176336
  6. Bracchi, Isabella; Morais, Juliana; Almeida-Coelho, João; Ferreira, Ana; Alves, Inês N; Mendes, Cláudia; Correia, Beatriz; et al. "The cardiometabolic impact of Rebaudioside A during the re-productive period". Biology (2024):
    Accepted
  7. João Sérgio Neves; Ana Rita Leite; Glória Conceição; Alexandre Gonçalves; Marta Borges-Canha; Catarina Vale; Madalena Von-Hafe; et al. "Effects of Triiodothyronine Treatment in an Animal Model of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction". Thyroid® 33 8 (2023): 983-996. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/thy.2022.0717.
    10.1089/thy.2022.0717
  8. Alexandre Rodrigues; Alexandre Gonçalves; Juliana Morais; Ricardo Araujo; Inês Falcão-Pires. "Diet-Induced Microbiome’s Impact on Heart Failure: A Double-Edged Sword". Nutrients (2023): https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051223.
    10.3390/nu15051223
  9. Miranda-Silva, Daniela; G. Rodrigues, Patrícia; Alves, Estela; Rizo, David; Fonseca, Ana Catarina R.G.; Lima, Tânia; Baganha, Fabiana; et al. "Mitochondrial Reversible Changes Determine Diastolic Function Adaptations During Myocardial (Reverse) Remodeling". Circulation: Heart Failure 13 11 (2020): http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/circheartfailure.119.006170.
    10.1161/circheartfailure.119.006170
  10. Gonçalves-Rodrigues, Patrícia; Almeida-Coelho, João; Gonçalves, Alexandre; Amorim, Flávio; Leite-Moreira, Adelino F.; Stienen, Ger J.M.; Falcão-Pires, Inês. "In Vitro Assessment of Cardiac Function Using Skinned Cardiomyocytes". Journal of Visualized Experiments 160 (2020): http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/60427.
    10.3791/60427
  11. Conceição G; Matos J; Miranda-Silva D; Gonçalves N; Sousa-Mendes C; Gonçalves A; Ferreira R; et al. "Fat Quality Matters: Distinct Proteomic Signatures Between Lean and Obese Cardiac Visceral Adipose Tissue Underlie its Differential Myocardial Impact.". Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology (2020): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/32319743.
    10.33594/000000226
  12. Martins-Marques T; Catarino S; Gonçalves A; Miranda-Silva D; Gonçalves LM; Antunes PE; Coutinho G; et al. "EHD1 Modulates Cx43 Gap Junction Remodeling Associated with Cardiac Diseases.". Circulation research (2020): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/32138615.
    10.1161/circresaha.119.316502
  13. Miranda-Silva D; Wüst RCI; Conceição G; Gonçalves-Rodrigues P; Gonçalves N; Gonçalves A; Kuster DWD; et al. "Disturbed cardiac mitochondrial and cytosolic calcium handling in a metabolic risk-related rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.". Acta physiologica (Oxford, England) (2019): http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/31520455.
    10.1111/apha.13378
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. "Ketones: A New Hope for a Failing Heart". PhD, 2025.
  2. Gonçalves, Alexandre. "T3 Hormone as an effective therapy for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Effects on Ca2+ transients and contractility.". Master, 2018.
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2019 Thyroid hormone supplementation as a potential therapy for HfpEF Biennial meeting of the Working Groups on Myocardial Function and Cellular Biology of the Heart
European Society of Cardiology (Nice, France)
2019 Thyroid hormone supplementation as a potential therapy for HfpEF. Basic Science Summer School
Heart House in Sophia-Antipolis (Nice, France)

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role 		Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2021 - Current The impact of nutritional ketosis in gut microbiome and the cardiovascular function in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Co-supervisor
Distinctions

Award

2021 Best article in cardiovascular research AIDFM – Cetera
Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento da Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
2021 Eurico Morais 2021 Grant
Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia, Portugal
2020 Merit scholarship
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
2020 SPC/Sanofi 2020 Research grant
Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia, Portugal
2019 Top Downloaded Paper 2018-2019
WILEY - Acta Physiologica, United States
2019 Servier Prize on Heart Failure – Basic Research
Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia, Portugal

Other distinction

2019 FCT Doctoral fellowship
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal