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João Afonso is a PhD candidate in Biomedicine and Health Sciences, specializing in mesenchymal stem cell-based strategies for spinal cord injury recovery. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry (2018) and a MSc in Health Sciences (2021) from University of Minho. His research has focused on central nervous system regeneration, exploring macrophage and stem cell biology; cell, secretome, hydrogel and drug therapies; and the revascularization process. Currently under the supervision of António Salgado and Nuno Silva, João studies how mesenchymal stem cell-based strategies can enhance revascularization and recovery after spinal cord injury. As part of his PhD project, João spent a year at Vanderbilt University under Ethan Lippmann’s supervision, developing in vitro models to study CNS endothelial cells derived from iPSCs. Using immunofluorescence, cell culture and molecular biology techniques, João acquired experience in vascularization, neural regeneration and cell modulation assays. Viewing each day as an opportunity to learn, he aims to contribute to the advancement of the spinal cord injury field.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
João Vítor Lemos Afonso

Citation names

  • Afonso, João L.

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
2712-1B9A-3606
ORCID iD
0000-0003-0644-6591

Email addresses

  • id9965@alunos.uminho.pt (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Technologies Involving the Manipulation of Cells, Tissues, Organs or the Whole Organism
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Biomaterials

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English Upper intermediate (B2) Advanced (C1) Upper intermediate (B2) Advanced (C1)
Education
Degree Classification
2021/10/01 - 2025
Ongoing
 Health Sciences (Doutoramento)
Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal
"Reestablishment of The Neurovascular Unit as a Novel Approach to Induce Regeneration of the Injured Spinal Cord" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2021
Concluded
 Ciências da Saúde (Mestrado)
Major in Sem especialização
Universidade do Minho, Portugal
"Interplay between adipose-derived stem cells and inflammatory mediators: impact on neurite outgrowth and vascular morphogenesis" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2019/01/28 - 2019/02/08
Concluded
 Animal science course - FELASA C Accreditation equivalent (Outros)
Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal
18
2015/09 - 2018/07/06
Concluded
 Biochemistry (Licenciatura)
Universidade do Minho Escola de Ciências, Portugal
"Differentiation of mice bone marrow macrophages into lung tissue-resident macrophages " (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 18
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2021/03/15 - 2021/09/30 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade do Minho, Portugal
Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal
(...)
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2021/03/15 - 2021/12/31 Diamond Photonics Platforms for Synaptic Connectivity Assessment in Healthy and Parkinson Disease Neuronal Models
LCF/PR/HR20/00249
Master Student Fellow
Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal
Ongoing
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Rito-Fernandes, Sara; Monteiro, Andreia; M. Moura, Maria; Lima, Marta F.; Afonso, João L.; Fernandes, Luís; Carneiro-Pereira, Bárbara; et al. Corresponding author: Silva, Nuno A.. "Sex differences in the sympathetic regulation of the immune response and functional recovery after Spinal Cord Injury". Paper presented in 4th International Meeting of Spinal Cord Injury Portuguese Researchers, 2024.
  2. Afonso, João L.; Cavaleiro, Helena; Andrew Kjar; Alexis K. Yates; Ethan Lippmann; Silva, Nuno A.; António J. Salgado. "Reestablishment of the Neurovascular Unit to Induce Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury". Paper presented in 5th International Spinal Cord Injury Summer School, 2024.
  3. Lentilhas-Graça, José ; Santos, Diogo J; Afonso, João L.; Andreia Monteiro; Vidinha-Mira, André; Marta Ferreira; Mendes, Vera M; et al. "Activated Macrophages and Spinal Cord Injury Repair: The Secretome Effect". Paper presented in Wings For Life Scientific Meeting, Salzburg, Austria., 2024.
  4. Lentilhas-Graça, José ; Afonso, João L.; Santos, Diogo J; Eduardo Gomes; Lima, Rui; Andreia Pinho; de Sousa, Nídia; et al. Corresponding author: Nuno A. Silva. "Studying the therapeutic effect of the activated spleen macrophages secretome on spinal cord injury repair". Paper presented in 12th International Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Stem Cells and Cell Therapies, 2022.
  5. Afonso, João L.; Rocha, Luís A.; Silva, Deolinda; Santos, Diogo; Campos, Jonas; Gomes, Eduardo D.; Salgado, Antonio J.. "Interplay between adipose-derived stem cells and inflammatory mediators: impact on neurite outgrowth and vascular morphogenesis". Paper presented in 12th International Meeting of the SPCE-TC, 2022.
  6. Afonso, João L.; Rocha, Luís A.; Silva, Deolinda; Santos, Diogo; Campos, Jonas; Gomes, Eduardo D.; Silva, Nuno A.; Salgado, Antonio J.. "Interplay between adipose-derived stem cells and inflammatory mediators: impact on neurite outgrowth and vascular morphogenesis". Paper presented in XVII Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience, 2021.
Journal article
  1. de Sousa, Nídia; Correia-Silva, Ariana; Pinho, Andreia G.; Vidinha-Mira, André; Cainé, Laura; Lima, Marta F.; Santos, Diogo J.; et al. "Baclofen modulates the immune response after spinal cord injury with locomotor benefits". British Journal of Pharmacology (2025): https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.17438.
    Published • 10.1111/bph.17438
  2. Tiffany S. Pinho; Jorge Ribeiro Cibrão; Deolinda Silva; Sandra Barata-Antunes; Jonas Campos; João L. Afonso; Belém Sampaio-Marques; et al. "In vitro neuronal and glial response to magnetically stimulated piezoelectric poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/cobalt ferrite (CFO) microspheres". Biomaterials Advances (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213798.
    10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213798
  3. José Lentilhas-Graça; Diogo J. Santos; João Afonso; Andreia Monteiro; Andreia G. Pinho; Vera M. Mendes; Marta S. Dias; et al. "The secretome of macrophages has a differential impact on spinal cord injury recovery according to the polarization protocol". Frontiers in Immunology (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1354479.
    10.3389/fimmu.2024.1354479
  4. Silva, Deolinda; Lucas Schirmer; Tiffany Pinho; Passant Atallah; Jorge Ribeiro; Rui Augusto Ribeiro Lima; João L. Afonso; et al. "Sustained Release of Human Adipose Tissue Stem Cell Secretome from Star-Shaped Poly(ethylene glycol) Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogels Promotes Motor Improvements after Complete Transection in Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model". Advanced Healthcare Materials (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202202803.
    10.1002/adhm.202202803
  5. Rocha, Luís A.; Gomes, Eduardo D.; Afonso, João L.; Granja, Sara; Baltazar, Fatima; Silva, Nuno A.; Shoichet, Molly S.; et al. "In vitro Evaluation of ASCs and HUVECs Co-cultures in 3D Biodegradable Hydrogels on Neurite Outgrowth and Vascular Organization". Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 8 (2020): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00489.
    Open access • Published • 10.3389/fcell.2020.00489
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2024/09/16 Targeting the Neurovascular Unit to Induce Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury 4th Meeting Spinal Cord Injury Portuguese Researchers
(Lisbon, Portugal)
2024/06/16 Reestablishment of the Neurovascular Unit to Induce Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury 5th International Spinal Cord Injury Summer School
(Zurich, Switzerland)
2022/06/28 Interplay between adipose-derived stem cells and inflammatory mediators: impact on neurite outgrowth and vascular morphogenesis TERMIS - European Chapter 2022
(Kraków, Poland)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2022/03/10 - 2022/03/11 12th International Meeting of the SPCE-TC (2022/03/10 - 2023/03/11)
Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)
 Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2021/12/01 - 2021/12/03 XVII Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience
Meeting
 XVII Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience
2021/03/18 - 2021/03/20 Models of the Blood-Brain Barrier: Scientific Tools to Target the Brain
Other
 Models of the Blood-Brain Barrier: Scientific Tools to Target the Brain
Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2019/07 - 2019/07 Minho Meeting on Spinal Cord Injury
Congress
 Minho Meeting on Spinal Cord Injury
Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal

Laboratório Associado ICVS 3B's, Portugal
2018/12/06 - 2018/12/07 Secretome With]Out[ Borders
Symposium
 Secretome With]Out[ Borders
Universidade do Minho Escola de Medicina, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde, Portugal

Laboratório Associado ICVS 3B's, Portugal
Distinctions

Award

2021 Merit Scholarship
Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior, Portugal
2018 Excellence scholarship
Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2018 Merit scholarship
Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior, Portugal
2017 Excellence scholarship
Universidade do Minho, Portugal