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Mariana Colaço completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Coimbra (Faculty of Science and Technology) in 2016, followed by a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in 2018, and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmaceutical Technology) at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, in 2025. She is currently a Contracted Researcher at the Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal. Since completing her PhD, she has published 16 peer-reviewed articles (8 as first author and 8 as co-author) and 1 book chapter, co-supervised 3 MSc dissertations, and received 4 awards. She previously participated as a Master’s Student Fellow in two research projects, including the international PROSAFE (GoNanoBioMat) project on regulatory challenges in nanobiomaterials for pharmaceutical applications and a project focused on developing a therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B using glucan-based adjuvant nanocarriers. In her professional activities, she interacted with 20 collaborators/ co-authorship of scientific papers. Her main research interests are in the field of nanotechnology and immunology. In her curriculum Ciência Vitae the most frequent terms in the context of scientific and technological output are: Polymeric; nanoparticles; curcumin; glucan; particle adjuvants; hemocompatibility; immunotoxicity; anti-inflammatory; therapeutic; safe-by-design; in vitro; immune response.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Mariana Raquel Antunes Colaço

Citation names

  • Colaço, Mariana
  • Colaço, M.

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
7B12-FA29-40B1
ORCID iD
0000-0002-5147-7226

Email addresses

  • mariana.colaco@cnc.uc.pt (Professional)

Addresses

  • Faculdade de Farmácia, Polo III das Ciencias da Saude, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548, Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Biomaterials
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology - Technologies Involving the Manipulation of Cells, Tissues, Organs or the Whole Organism
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Basic Medicine - Immunology
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Basic Medicine - Toxicology
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Health Sciences - Infectious Diseases
  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Virology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Spanish; Castilian Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2)
French Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2)
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
Education
Degree Classification
2020/12 - 2025/06/30
Concluded
 PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Doutoramento)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
"Design of Functionalized Chitosan-DNA Complexes and Nanoparticles for Nasal Immunization against SARS-CoV-2" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 Approved with Praise and Distinction
2024/06/10
Concluded
 Safety Training Course (Outros)
Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy
2024/05/16
Concluded
 Research Integrity, Second Edition (Epigeum Online Course System) (Outros)
Oxford University Press, United Kingdom
 99/100
2023/03/07 - 2023/03/08
Concluded
 Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting - From Basic Concepts to Artificial Intelligence applied to Data Analysis (Outros)
CNC.IBILI, Portugal

Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2020/11/09 - 2020/11/20
Concluded
 IV Modular Training in Laboratory Animal Science Function A + Special Skills (Curso médio)
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Portugal
2020/11/05 - 2020/11/06
Concluded
 Training Course on Systems Biology of Vaccinology (Outros)
Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy
2020/05/18 - 2020/05/28
Concluded
 Cellular and Molecular Immunology: From Basics to Applications in Preclinical Development of Nanotechnology-Formulated Drugs (Online Course)) (Outros)
Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, United States
2020/02/17 - 2020/02/21
Concluded
 Connecting Researchers with the Society - PDBEB Course (Outros)
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
 17/20
2020/01/06 - 2020/01/17
Concluded
 Biostatistics Course (Outros)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
 17/20
2019/11/25 - 2019/11/29
Concluded
 Curso de Regulação Celular e Sinalização (Outros)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Medicina, Portugal
 19/20
2017/08 - 2018/07
Concluded
 Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English - Council of Europe Level C1 (Outros)
Cambridge School Coimbra, Portugal
 C1
2018
Concluded
 MSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Mestrado)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
"Development of Nanosized Glucan Particles with Immunostimulatory Function as a Delivery System for Curcumin" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 17.55
2016
Concluded
 BSc in Biochemistry (Licenciatura)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal
"Síntese e caracterização de nanopartículas de quitosano – sulfato de alumínio com o propósito de atuar como sistema de entrega de antigénios" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 16
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution		 Employer
2026/01/09 - Current Contracted Researcher (Research) Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Portugal
2019/11/20 - 2020/11/19 Researcher (Research) Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia (CIBB), Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2018/12/06 - 2019/06/30 Researcher (Research) CNC.IBILI, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2016/09/01 - 2018/12/06 Research Trainee (Research) CNC.IBILI, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2016/08/01 - 2016/08/31 Research Trainee (Research) Instituto Português de Oncologia de Coimbra Francisco Gentil EPE, Portugal
2015/07/08 - 2015/07/17 Research Trainee (Research) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal

Others

Category
Host institution		 Employer
2020/12/01 - Current PhD Student working on the project: "Designing cationic polymer-DNA complexes for nasal immunization against SARS-CoV-2" Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2024/05/31 - 2024/07/31 Researcher - Visiting PhD student Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2019/11/20 - 2021 Hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine: Production of glucan-based nanoparticles towards selective delivery hepatitis B antigens to immune cells to induce antiviral activity
PTDC/MEC-GAS/30331/2017
Research Fellow
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2017/04/01 - 2019/06/30 Polymeric NanoBioMaterials for drug delivery: developing and implementation of safe-by-design concept enabling safe healthcare solutions
ProSafe/0001/2016
Research Fellow
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded

Contract

Designation Funders
2026/01/09 - Current Mucosal vaccines based on parasite extracellular vesicles
2023.16670.ICDT
10.54499/2023.16670.ICDT
Researcher
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing

Other

Designation Funders
2021/01/01 - 2025/12/31 Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology - Associate Laboratory
LA/P/0058/2020
10.54499/LA/P/0058/2020
Universidade de Coimbra Instituto de Investigação Clínica e Biomédica de Coimbra, Portugal

Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2020/01/01 - 2024/12/31 Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology
UIDP/04539/2020
10.54499/UIDP/04539/2020
Universidade de Coimbra Instituto de Investigação Clínica e Biomédica de Coimbra, Portugal

Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2021/12/01 - 2022/12/01 Vacina Intranasal genética contra o COVID: estudos de imunização em murganhos
13824
Researcher
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
 Gilead Sciences Lda
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Book chapter
  1. Colaço, Mariana; Panão Costa, João; Borges, Olga. "Glucan Particles: Choosing the Appropriate Size to Use as a Vaccine Adjuvant". In Methods in Molecular Biology, 269-280. Springer US, 2021.
    Published • 10.1007/978-1-0716-1892-9_13
Conference poster
  1. Melo, Alexandra; Colaço, M.; Costa, João Panão; Borges, Olga. "The Immunomodulatory Effect of the Roots of Withania Somnifera Encapsulated Into ß - Glucan Particles". Paper presented in Pharma PhD Day Personalized Pharmaceuticals: a new concept on disease management, 2024.
  2. Panão Costa, João; Colaço, Mariana; Félix, Paulo; Melo, Alexandra; Lebre, Filipa; Cruz, Maria Teresa; Alfaro-Moreno, Ernesto; Moreira, João Nuno; Borges, Olga. "ß-glucan polymeric microparticles: innovating cancer immunotherapy through targeted antigen delivery". Paper presented in 6th ASPIC International Congress, 2024.
  3. Melo, Alexandra; Colaço, Mariana; Costa, João Panão; Borges, Olga. "The Immunomodulatory Effect of the Roots of Withania Somnifera encapsulated into ß-Glucan Particles". Paper presented in X Congresso Iberoamericano de Ciências Farmacêuticas, 2023.
  4. Félix, Paulo; Costa, João Panão; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "The immunomodulatory potential of a dual TLR agonist strategy as an oral vaccine adjuvant for SARS-CoV-2". Paper presented in iMED Conference 15.0, 2023.
  5. Félix, Paulo; Costa, João Panão; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "The immunomodulatory potential of a dual TLR agonist strategy as a vaccine adjuvant". Paper presented in 4th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting - Delivering Science Bridging Opportunities, 2023.
  6. Colaço, Mariana; Costa, João Panão; Jesus, Sandra; Borges, Olga. "The contamination of nanoparticles with endotoxins does not always influence immunotoxicity studies: chitosan as a case study". Paper presented in 4th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting - Delivering Science Bridging Opportunities, 2023.
  7. Colaço, Mariana; Roquito, Tiago; Panão Costa, João; Jesus, Sandra; Borges, Olga. "The influence of curcumin-encapsulated glucan nanoparticles on oxidative stress in liver cells". Paper presented in XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Tenerife, January 26-28th, 2022.
  8. Panão Costa, João; Colaço, Mariana; Jesus, Sandra; Borges, Olga. "Immunotoxicological properties of yeast-derived glucan particles". Paper presented in XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Tenerife, January 26-28th, 2022.
  9. Jesus, Sandra; Duarte, Henrique; Panão Costa, João; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "Inulin-PCL nanoparticles as an adjuvant delivery system for highly purified recombinant antigens". Paper presented in XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Tenerife, January 26-28th, 2022.
  10. Jesus, Sandra; Colaço, Mariana; Panão Costa, João; Borges, Olga. "Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) vaccine: Shedding light on the immunotoxicity of chitosan as a nano-delivery system". Paper presented in CIBB meeting 2019, 2019.
  11. Araújo, Raquel; Colaço, Mariana; Costa, João Panão; Bernardi, Natalia; Jesus, Sandra; Borges, Olga. "Nanocapsules containing sucupira oil: cytotoxicity and hemolysis evaluation". Paper presented in 22nd International Symposium on Microencapsulation, 2019.
    10.19146/pibic-2015-37834
  12. Jesus, Sandra; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Duarte, Alana; Soares, Edna; Colaço, Mariana; Panão Costa, João; Schmutz, Mélanie; et al. "Safe-by-design of chitosan nanoparticles: the role of immunotoxicological properties". Paper presented in SPI XLV Annual Meeting, 2019.
  13. Colaço, Mariana; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Jesus, Sandra; Borges, Olga. "Nanosized Glucan Particles as a Delivery System for Curcumin: the effect of size on immunotoxicity". Paper presented in 2nd SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting, 2019.
  14. Duarte, Alana; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Jesus, Sandra; Colaço, Mariana; Costa, João Panão; Soares, Edna; Borges, Olga. "Assessment of immunotoxicological features of chitosan nanoparticles". Paper presented in 2nd SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting, 2019.
  15. Borges, Olga; Colaço, Mariana; Marques, Ana Patrícia. "Immunotoxicity of Glucan nanoparticles: the size matters". Paper presented in SLAP 2018 (XVI Latin-American Polymers symposium) XIV Iberoamerican polymer congress, 2018.
  16. Colaço, Mariana; Jesus, Sandra; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Soares, Edna; Duarte, Alana; Borges, Olga. "Nanosized glucan particles as a delivery system for curcumin". Paper presented in XII Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, 2018.
  17. Colaço, Mariana; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Duarte, Alana; Jesus, Sandra; Soares, Edna; Borges, Olga. "Glucan nanoparticle immunotoxicity: size matters". Paper presented in Sociedade Portuguesa de Imunologia XLIV Annual Meeting, 2018.
  18. Duarte, Alana; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Jesus, Sandra; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "Chitosan nanoparticles as drug delivery systems: focus on immunotoxicological features". Paper presented in XII Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, 2018.
  19. Duarte, Alana; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Jesus, Sandra; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "Evaluation of chitosan nanoparticles immunotoxicity". Paper presented in Sociedade Portuguesa de Imunologia XLIV Annual Meeting, 2018.
Journal article
  1. Colaço, Mariana; Panão-Costa, João; Lebre, Filipa; Alfaro-Moreno, Ernesto; Borges, Olga. "Intranasal administration of a DNA vaccine complexed with sugar-functionalized chitosan induces protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice". International Journal of Pharmaceutics (2026): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2026.127048.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2026.127048
  2. Colaço, Mariana; Panão-Costa, João; Cruz, Maria T.; Borges, Olga. "Dual functionalization of chitosan/DNA complexes with mannose and hydroxyl-rich acids for enhanced gene delivery efficiency". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 357 (2026): 151595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.151595.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.151595
  3. Colaço, Mariana; Panão-Costa, João; Cruz, Maria T.; de Almeida, Luís Pereira; Borges, Olga. "Optimizing mucosal vaccination: Exploiting Lactobionic acid-modified chitosan for superior gene delivery systems". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 327 (2025): 147492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.147492.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.147492
  4. Panão-Costa, João; Colaço, M.; Jesus, Sandra; Lebre, Filipa; Cruz, Maria T.; Alfaro-Moreno, Ernesto; Borges, Olga. "Yeast-Derived Glucan Particles: Biocompatibility, Efficacy, and Immunomodulatory Potential as Adjuvants and Delivery Systems". Pharmaceutics 17 8 (2025): 1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17081032.
    Published • 10.3390/pharmaceutics17081032
  5. Félix, Paulo; Melo, Alexandra A.; Costa, João Panão; Colaço, M.; Pereira, Dina; Núñez, Jisette; de Almeida, Luís Pereira; Borges, Olga. "Exploring TLR agonists as adjuvants for COVID-19 oral vaccines". Vaccine 53 (2025): 127078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127078.
    Open access • Published • 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127078
  6. Colaço, M.; Roquito, Tiago; Costa, João Panão; Borges, Olga. "Curcumin-encapsulated glucan nanoparticles as an oxidative stress modulator against human hepatic cancer cells". Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces (2025): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114326.
    10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114326
  7. Colaço, M.; Cruz, Maria Teresa; Pereira de Almeida, Luís; Borges, Olga. "Mannose and Lactobionic Acid in Nasal Vaccination: Enhancing Antigen Delivery via C-Type Lectin Receptors". Pharmaceutics (2024): https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16101308.
    10.3390/pharmaceutics16101308
  8. Jesus, Sandra; Panão Costa, João; Colaço, Mariana; Lebre, Filipa; Mateus, Daniela; Sebastião, Ana Isabel; Cruz, Maria Teresa; Alfaro-Moreno, Ernesto; Borges, Olga. "Exploring the immunomodulatory properties of glucan particles in human primary cells". International Journal of Pharmaceutics (2024): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.123996.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.123996
  9. Costa, João Panão; Jesus, Sandra; Colaço, M.; Duarte, Alana; Soares, Edna; Borges, Olga. "Endotoxin contamination of nanoparticle formulations: A concern in vaccine adjuvant mechanistic studies". Vaccine 41 23 (2023): 3481-3485. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.063.
    Open access • Published • 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.063
  10. Colaço, M.; Roquito, Tiago; Costa, João Panão; Cruz, Maria Teresa; Borges, Olga. "The Effect of Curcumin-Loaded Glucan Nanoparticles on Immune Cells: Size as a Critical Quality Attribute". Pharmaceutics 15 2 (2023): 623. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15020623.
    Open access • Published • 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020623
  11. Jesus, Sandra; Bernardi, Natalia; da Silva, Jessica; Colaço, Mariana; Panão Costa, João; Fonte, Pedro; Borges, Olga. "Unravelling the Immunotoxicity of Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles—Effects of Polymer Molecular Weight, Hydrolysis, and Blends". Chemical Research in Toxicology 33 11 (2020): 2819-2833. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00208.
    Published • 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00208
  12. Colaço, Mariana; Duarte, Alana; Zuzarte, Mónica; Costa, Benilde F.O.; Borges, Olga. "Airborne environmental fine particles induce intense inflammatory response regardless of the absence of heavy metal elements". Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 195 (2020): 110500. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110500.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110500
  13. Colaço, Mariana; Marques, Ana P.; Jesus, Sandra; Duarte, Alana; Borges, Olga. "Safe-by-Design of Glucan Nanoparticles: Size Matters When Assessing the Immunotoxicity". Chemical Research in Toxicology (2020): http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00467.
    Published • 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00467
  14. Jesus, Sandra; Marques, Ana Patrícia; Duarte, Alana; Soares, Edna; Costa, João Panão; Colaço, Mariana; Schmutz, Mélanie; et al. "Chitosan Nanoparticles: Shedding Light on Immunotoxicity and Hemocompatibility". Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 8 100 (2020): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00100.
    Published • 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00100
  15. Silva, Jessica; Jesus, Sandra; Benardi, Natália; Colaço, Mariana; Borges, Olga. "Poly(D,L-Lactic Acid) Nanoparticle Size Reduction Increases its Immunotoxicity". Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2019): https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00137.
    Open access • Published
  16. Lebre, F.; Bento, D.; Ribeiro, J.; Colaço, M.; Borchard, G.; de Lima, M.C. Pedroso; Borges, O.. "Association of chitosan and aluminium as a new adjuvant strategy for improved vaccination". International Journal of Pharmaceutics 527 1-2 (2017): 103-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.05.028.
    Published • 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.05.028
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. "Design of Functionalized Chitosan- DNA Complexes and Nanoparticles for Nasal Immunization against SARS-CoV-2". PhD, Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, 2025. https://estudogeral.uc.pt/handle/10316/119443?mode=full.
  2. Colaço, Mariana Raquel Antunes. "Development of nanosized glucan particles with immunostimulatory function as a delivery syistem for curcumin". Master, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/84534.

Intellectual property

Provisional application for patent
  1. 2024. "Vaccine Adjuvants with Mucoadhesive Properties for Enhanced Immunogenicity Across a Spectrum of Diseases".
    Disclosed
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2026/01/21 Nanocarrier Engineering for Next-Generation Mucosal Vaccine Adjuvants Metabolism, Aging & Disease 6th CiBB retreat
University of Coimbra – Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (Coimbra, Portugal)
2024/11/22 Innovative Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: Exploiting TLR Agonist with Carbohydrate- Functionalized Chitosan Nanoparticles Pharma PhD Day Personalized Pharmaceuticals: a new concept on disease management
Faculty of Farmacy, University of Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal)
2024/07/12 Innovative Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: Exploiting TLR Agonist with Carbohydrate-Functionalized Chitosan Nanoparticles CRS 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition
Controlled Release Society 2024 Annual Meeting (Bologna, Italy)
2024/02/14 Hepatic-Targeted Dual Oral Vaccine Formulation for Chronic Hepatitis B: Amplifying Immune Efficacy with Glucan Particles XV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Lisbon, 2024
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter Controlled Release Society (Portugal)
2024/02/14 Intranasal DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 XV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Lisbon, 2024
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter Controlled Release Society (Portugal)
2023/10/26 Toll-like Receptor Ligands as Oral Vaccine Adjuvants: Immunomodulatory Effects against SARS-CoV-2 X Congresso Iberoamericano de Ciências Farmacêuticas
(Coimbra, Portugal)
2023/09/18 Immunomodulatory properties of glucan-based nanoparticles: the size matters Conference on Tools and Tests for Safer-by-Design Nanomaterials
International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (Braga, Portugal)
2023/02/06 ß-glucan and TLR 7/8 agonist combination as a new adjuvant against chronic hepatitis B 4th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting - Delivering Science Bridging Opportunities
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter Controlled Release Society (Porto, Portugal)
2022/09/09 Polysaccharide-based nanocarriers as vaccine adjuvants – chitosan and glucan contribution for improved hepatitis B vaccine efficacy 5th International EPNOE Junior Scientist Meeting
(Aveiro, Portugal)
2022/02/10 The Influence of Curcumin-encapsulated Glucan Nanoparticles on Hepatic Cells and Immune Cells: Oxidative Stress and Immunomodulatory Properties SPF Meeting 2022
Sociedade Portuguesa de Farmacologia (Porto, Portugal)
2022/02/10 Immunotoxicological properties of yeast-derived glucan particles SPF Meeting 2022
Sociedade Portuguesa de Farmacologia (Porto, Portugal)
2021/07/27 The immunostimulatory ability of glucan particles on human DCs: a promising platform for the design of a chronic hepatitis b vaccine Controlled Release Society Virtual Annual Meeting
2019/02/07 Curcumin-loaded Glucan Nanoparticles: Immunotoxicity Profile SPF Meeting 2019
(Porto, Portugal)
2019/02/07 Immunotoxicological evaluation of chitosan nanoparticles SPF Meeting 2019
(Porto, Portugal)

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role		 Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2023/09/01 - 2024/09/01 Immunomodulatory Impact of Poly(I:C) when adsorbed onto Chitosan and Casein Nanoparticles
Co-supervisor
 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2022/09/01 - 2023/10/01 The immunomodulatory effect of the roots of Withania Somnifera encapsulated into ß-glucan particles
Co-supervisor
 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2020/09/01 - 2021/10/01 The impact of Curcumin-encapsulated Glucan Nanoparticles on hepatic cells and immune cells: oxidative stress and immunomodulatory properties
Co-supervisor
 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event		 Event name
Institution / Organization
2025/06/03 - Current Participation at "Meet Our Job - Alternativas à Carreira de Investigação Científica"
Meeting
 Meet Our Job - Alternativas à Carreira de Investigação Científica
Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia (CIBB), Portugal
2024/07/08 - 2024/07/12 Participation at CRS 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition
Conference
 CRS 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition
Controlled Release Society, United States
2024/02/14 - 2024/02/16 Participation at XV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, Lisbon, 2024
Conference
 XV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (SPLC-CRS), Spain
2023/02/06 - 2023/02/07 Participation at 4th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting- Delivering Science Bridging Opportunities on February 6-7, 2023.
Conference
 4th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting- Delivering Science Bridging Opportunities
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (SPLC-CRS), Spain
2022/02/09 - 2022/02/11 Participation at 52ª Reunião da Sociedade Portuguesa de Farmacologia, 40ª Reunião de Farmacologia Clínica e 21ª Reunião de Toxicologia.
Conference
 SPF Meeting 2022
Sociedade Portuguesa de Farmacologia, Portugal
2022/01/26 - 2022/01/28 Participation at XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery on January 26-28th, 2022.
Conference
 XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery on January 26-28th, 2022
Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (SPLC-CRS), Spain
2019/09/26 - 2019/09/26 Participation at "Gestão de Resíduos Hospitalares Perigosos – Triagem e Acondicionamento" seminar, organised by Ambiwaste/Ambipombal.
Seminar
 Gestão de Resíduos Hospitalares Perigosos – Triagem e Acondicionamento
CNC.IBILI, Portugal
2019/02/27 - 2019/02/27 Workshop "Análise de partículas do nanómetro ao milímetro"
Workshop
 Análise de partículas do nanómetro ao milímetro
2019/02/06 - 2019/02/08 Participation at XLIX Reunião Sociedade Portuguesa de Farmacologia, XXXVII Reunião Farmacologia Clínica, XVIII Reunião Toxicologia Meeting
Meeting
 SPF Meeting, 2019
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2019/01 - 2019/01/23 Participation at 2nd SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting
Meeting
 2nd SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting
2018/01 - 2018/01 Participation at XII Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery
Conference
 XII Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery

Ad Hoc journal article review

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2026 - Current Vaccine Elsevier
2025 - Current European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Elsevier

Association member

Society Organization name Role
2026/03/12 - Current International Society for Vaccines (ISV)
2024/03/01 - Current Controlled Release Society (CRS)
2021/01/01 - Current Spanish Portuguese Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (SPLC-CRS)
2019/11/10 - 2020/12/08 Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências em Animais de Laboratório (SPCAL)

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2026/04/24 - Current Lecture on Intranasal nanoparticle platform for enhanced mucosal DNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Integrated Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Mestrado integrado) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2026/04/11 - Current Lecture on Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles as a tool in diagnosis Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Mestrado) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2025/12/06 - Current Lecture on Nanoparticles as Vaccine Adjuvants, featuring the case study “Mannose-Modified Chitosan Nanosystems for Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Delivery with TLR7/8 Adjuvant” Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Mestrado) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2024/05/13 - Current Lecture on Deciphering Immune Responses: PBMCs and Monocyte Manipulation Animal Cell Culture Techniques Course (Licenciatura) Universidade do Algarve, Portugal
2024/04/08 - Current Lecture on Intranasal Immunization: Harnessing Nanoparticles for SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine Efficacy Advanced Course Nanoparticles and Immune System (Doutoramento) Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Portugal
2024/04/15 - 2024/04/19 Practical Session on Spleen Cell Isolation and Cultivation: Conducted isolation and cultivation of spleen cells from mice, assessed cell viability and proliferation, and measured cytokine production using ELISA Advanced Course Nanoparticles and Immune System (Doutoramento) Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Portugal

Other jury / evaluation

Activity description Institution / Organization
2026/04/11 - Current Evaluation of multiple scientific article presentations in the Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Molecular Diagnostics module). Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
Distinctions

Award

2024 Award Innovation Pharma PhD Day
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2024 EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant 10936
European Molecular Biology Organization, Germany
2020 FCT individual PhD studentship (2020.10043.BD)
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
2020 TRANSVAC2 Training School Studentship
TRANSVAC: European Vaccine Initiative, Germany

Title

2021 Accreditation as Investigator for scientific experimentation involving animals (FELASA category B, certified by DGAV, Portugal)
Direcção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, Portugal