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Cecília Cristelo is a Biomedical Researcher specialized in the development of innovative nanomedicines aimed the treatment of chronic diseases. She graduated in Applied Biology from the University of Minho in 2015 and completed a Master's degree in Molecular Genetics from the same institution in 2018. In 2024, she completed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Porto, collaborating with the Centre of Biological Engineering of the University of Minho. During her doctoral studies, Cecília developed pioneering research in the development of functionalized nanomedicines for targeted pancreatic regeneration for diabetes therapy. In 2024 she enrolled in a Post-doctoral position at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), where she is engaged in a project funded by the Litwin IBD Pioneers initiative from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Her research centered on the development of orally-delivered oxidative-responsive nanomedicines for managing inflammatory bowel disease. Throughout these projects Cecília has consolidated experience using complex in vitro models (3D with hydrogels) and pre-clinical studies using laboratory animals (mice and rats) and has specialized in manufacturing nanoformulations with enhanced targeted delivery. She has authored 7 publications (4 first author and 3 co-author, 134 citations and h-index of 5) in international peer-reviewed journals, participated in conferences (3 oral and 3 poster presentations) and in the organization of scientific events. She has trained and mentored >10 undergraduate students and worked collaboratively within her team. Cecília is committed to improving patient care and is dedicated to exploring innovative strategies for the treatment of diseases by translating scientific discoveries into a meaningful contribution for the field of nanomedicine and society.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Cecília da Silva Cristelo

Citation names

  • Cristelo, Cecília

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
861B-2267-D47F
ORCID iD
0000-0002-5774-3484

Email addresses

  • cecilia.cristelo@i3s.up.pt (Professional)

Telephones

Telephone
  • 22607490 Ext.: 6106 (Professional)

Websites

Knowledge fields

  • Engineering and Technology - Nano-technology
  • Medical and Health Sciences - Medical Biotechnology
  • Engineering and Technology - Nano-technology - Nano-materials
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Engineering and Technology - Medical Engineering

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
Education
Degree Classification
2019/01/02 - 2024/03/27
Concluded
 Biomedical Sciences (Doctor)
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Portugal
"Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator for diabetes therapy" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 Approved
2023/05 - 2023/05
Concluded
 FELASA accredited Course for functions A, B and D (mouse, rat, zebrafish) (Licence)
Direcção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, Portugal
 Approved
2015/09 - 2018/02
Concluded
 Molecular Genetics (Master)
Universidade do Minho Escola de Ciências, Portugal
"Exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in macrophage's response to the antimicrobial peptide LLKKK18" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 19
2014 - 2015
Concluded
 Applied Biology (Bachelor)
Universidade do Minho Escola de Ciências, Portugal
"Prevenção do dano celular associado à isquemia/ reperfusão cardíaca e cerebral" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 17
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2024/04/01 - 2024/12/31 Postdoc (Research) Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2019/03/01 - 2024/03/27 Researcher (Research) Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2018/09/01 - 2019/02/28 Researcher (Research) Universidade do Minho Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Portugal
Universidade do Minho Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Portugal
2016/09/01 - 2018/02/28 Researcher (Research) Universidade do Minho Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2019/03/01 - 2024/03/27 Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator for diabetes therapy
SFRH/BD/139402/2018
PhD Student Fellow
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded

Contract

Designation Funders
2024/04/01 - 2024/12/31 Oxidative-responsive nanomedicines for managing inflammatory bowel disease
1247220
Post-doc
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Concluded
2019/01/01 - 2019/12/31 Centro de Engenharia Biológica da Universidade do Minho
UID/BIO/04469/2019
Universidade do Minho, Portugal

Universidade do Minho Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Portugal
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2018/04/01 - 2019/03/31 SkinChip: Disruptive cellulose-based microfluidic device for 3D skin modelling
PTDC/BBB-BIO/1889/2014, SFRH/BPD/ 121526/2016
Research Fellow
Universidade do Minho Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Conference abstract
  1. Pinto, Soraia; Viegas, Juliana Santos Rosa; Hosseini, Mahya; Cristelo, Cecília; Pacheco, Catarina; Barros, Andreia; van Ijzendoorn, Sven; Santos, Hélder Almeida; Sarmento, Bruno Filipe Carmelino Cardoso. "Bioengineered nanomedicines targeting the intestinal Fc receptor improves the glucoregulatory effect of semaglutide in type 2 diabetic mice". Paper presented in One Health PhD Forum (Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar), Porto, 2024.
    Published
  2. Pinto, Soraia; Viegas, Juliana Santos Rosa; Hosseini, Mahya; Cristelo, Cecília; Pacheco, Catarina; Barros, Andreia; van Ijzendoorn, Sven; Santos, Hélder Almeida; Sarmento, Bruno Filipe Carmelino Cardoso. "A multifunctional neonatal Fc receptor targeted nanomedicine for the oral delivery of semaglutide". Paper presented in XVth Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery - New Horizons in Drug Delivery, Lisbon, 2024.
    Published
  3. Pinto, Soraia; Hosseini, Mahia; Viegas, Juliana Santos Rosa; Cristelo, Cecília; Pacheco, Catarina; Barros, Andreia; van Ijzendoorn, Sven; Santos, Hélder Almeida; Sarmento, Bruno Filipe Carmelino Cardoso. "Biodegradable neonatal Fc receptor targeted nanomedicines as innovative peptide delivery system for the treatment of type 2 diabetes". Paper presented in i3S Annual Meeting, Porto, 2023.
    Published
Conference paper
  1. Silvestre, S. L.; Marques, A. C.; Cristelo, Cecília Silva; Gama, F. M.; Martins, R.; Fortunato, E.. "Surface modification of bacterial cellulose membranes for microfluidic applications". 2019.
  2. Gama, F. M.; Fortunato, Elvira; Sousa, Aureliana; Marques, Carolina; Leal, Ana Salomé Barbosa; Silvestre, Sara; Cristelo, Cecília Silva. "Bacterial cellulose-based microfluidic device for 3D skin modelling (skin-on-chip)". 2019.
Conference poster
  1. Cristelo, Cecília; Viegas, Juliana; Barros, Andreia; Almeida, Helena; Ferreira, Bárbara; Leite Pereira, Catarina; das Neves, José; Nunes, Rute; Sarmento, Bruno. "Oral delivery of budesonide-loaded nanoparticles with oxidative-responsive depegylation enhances inflammation resolution in colitis-induced mice". Paper presented in Crohn and Colitis Congress 2025, 2025.
  2. Pinto, Soraia; Viegas, Juliana Santos Rosa; Hosseini, Mahya; Cristelo, Cecília; Pacheco, Catarina; Sofia, Barros; van Ijzendoorn, Sven; Santos, Hélder; Sarmento, Bruno. "Oral delivery of semaglutide through FcRn-targeted nanoparticles for the treatment of type 2 diabetes". Paper presented in 5th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting, 2025.
  3. Pinto, Soraia. "Bioengineered nanomedicines targeting the intestinal Fc receptor improves the glucorregulatory effect of semaglutide in type 2 diabetic mice". Paper presented in Controlled Release Society 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition, 2023.
  4. Cristelo, Cecília; Francisco Miguel Portela da Gama ; Sarmento, Bruno. "Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator in diabetes therapy". Paper presented in XIV Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, 2022.
  5. Cristelo, Cecília; Gama, Miguel; Sarmento, Bruno. "Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator in diabetes therapy". Paper presented in 2020 UKICRS Virtual Symposium, 2020.
  6. Cristelo, Cecília; Francisco Miguel Portela da Gama ; Sarmento, Bruno. "Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator in diabetes therapy". Paper presented in XIIIth Spanish-Portuguese Conference on Controlled Drug Delivery, 2020.
  7. Silva-Carvalho, Ricardo; Cristelo, Cecília; Silva, João Pedro; Coutinho, Olga P.; Castro, António G.; Pedrosa, Jorge; Appelberg, Rui; Gama, F. Miguel. "Delivery of nanogel formulations with antimicrobial peptides for the treatment of mycobacteriosis.". Paper presented in CEB Annual Meeting 2017, 2017.
Journal article
  1. Pinto, Soraia; Viegas, Juliana; Cristelo, Cecília; Pacheco, Catarina; Barros, Sofia; Buckley, Stephen T.; Garousi, Javad; et al. "Bioengineered Nanomedicines Targeting the Intestinal Fc Receptor Achieve the Improved Glucoregulatory Effect of Semaglutide in a Type 2 Diabetic Mice Model". ACS Nano 18 41 (2024): 28406-28424. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c11172.
    Open access • 10.1021/acsnano.4c11172
  2. Cristelo, Cecília; Sá, Ana Filipa; Lúcio, Marlene; Sarmento, Bruno; Gama, Francisco Miguel. "Vitamin D loaded into lipid nanoparticles shows insulinotropic effect in INS-1E cells". European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 196 (2024): 106758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106758.
    10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106758
  3. Cristelo, Cecília; Nunes, Rute; Pinto, Soraia; Marques, Joana Moreira; Gama, Francisco Miguel; Sarmento, Bruno. "Targeting ß Cells with Cathelicidin Nanomedicines Improves Insulin Function and Pancreas Regeneration in Type 1 Diabetic Rats". ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 6 10 (2023): 1544-1560. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.3c00218.
    10.1021/acsptsci.3c00218
  4. Cristelo, Cecília; Machado, Alexandra; Sarmento, Bruno; Gama, Francisco Miguel. "The roles of vitamin D and cathelicidin in type 1 diabetes susceptibility". Endocrine Connections 10 1 (2021): R1-R12. https://doi.org/10.1530/ec-20-0484.
    10.1530/ec-20-0484
  5. Cristelo, Cecília; Azevedo, Cláudia; Marques, Joana Moreira; Nunes, Rute; Sarmento, Bruno. "SARS-CoV-2 and diabetes: New challenges for the disease". Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 164 (2020): 108228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108228.
    10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108228
  6. Leal, Salomé; Cristelo, Cecília; Silvestre, Sara; Fortunato, Elvira; Sousa, Aureliana; Alves, Anabela; Correia, D. M.; Lanceros-Mendez, S.; Gama, Miguel. "Hydrophobic modification of bacterial cellulose using oxygen plasma treatment and chemical vapor deposition". Cellulose 27 18 (2020): 10733-10746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-020-03005-z.
    10.1007/s10570-020-03005-z
  7. Silva-Carvalho, Ricardo; Silva, João P.; Ferreirinha, Pedro; Leitão, Alexandre F.; Andrade, Fábia K.; da Costa, Rui M. Gil; Cristelo, Cecília; et al. "Inhalation of Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibrils Triggers an Inflammatory Response and Changes Lung Tissue Morphology of Mice". Toxicological Research 35 1 (2019): 45-63. https://doi.org/10.5487/tr.2019.35.1.045.
    10.5487/tr.2019.35.1.045
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. Cecília da Silva Cristelo. "Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator for diabetes therapy". PhD, Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, 2024. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/157919.
  2. Cristelo, Cecília da Silva. "Exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in macrophage’s response to the antimicrobial peptide LLKKK18". Master, Universidade do Minho, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1822/55551.
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2023/10/03 ß cell targeting NPs for the treatment of type 1 diabetes 6th PhDay “Brilliant PhDs, brighter future”
i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (Porto, Portugal)
2021/11/30 Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator for diabetes therapy 4th PhDay: Break borders and build opportunities
i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (Porto, Portugal)
2021/01/21 Targeted cathelicidin nanomedicines as novel glucoregulator for diabetes therapy 3rd SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting
(Virtual)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2023/02/04 - 2023/02/06 4 th SPLC-CRS Young Scientists Meeting (2023/02/06 - 2023/02/07)
Conference (Co-organisor)
 Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2019 - 2019 Member of the organizing committee of the 4th ISBNC 2019 (2019 - 2019)
Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)

Ad Hoc journal article review

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2021 - Current Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
2021 - Current Cellulose

Association member

Society Organization name Role
2019/04 - Current Spanish-Portuguese Local Chapter on Controlled Drug Release (SPLC-CRS)

Mentoring / Tutoring

Topic Student name
2024/03 - 2024/08 Oxidative-responsive NPs for IBD Ana Cristina Miranda
2021/08/01 - 2022/09/01 Drug Delivery Systems for Vitamin D Ana Filipa Amorim Sá
2019 - 2020 PLGA Nanoparticles for drug delivery of levofloxacin Viviane Lucia Beraldo de Araújo