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Pedro Curto graduated in Biochemistry in 2009 from the University of Coimbra and completed his Master's in Biochemistry in 2011 at the University of Coimbra. In 2013, he joined the laboratory of Prof. Juan J. Martinez at Louisiana State University (LSU, USA) to work as a research assistant on an NIH-funded project. In 2018, he completed his doctoral studies in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine at the University of Coimbra and pursued his scientific activities as a post-doc in the laboratory of Dr. Isaura Simões at CNC, Portugal. In 2021, he moved to the laboratory of Dr. Anabela Cordeiro-Silva (Parasite Disease Research Group) at i3S (University of Porto) to work as a research assistant on an MSD-funded project. In 2022, he joined the Immune Sensing & Signaling Dynamics Research Group at i3S, led by Dr. Pedro Moura Alves, to work as a post-doctoral researcher. Since 2013, Pedro Curto has been focused on understanding the molecular determinants involved in the pathogenicity of rickettsial species. He has developed a deep understanding of host-pathogen interactions in rickettsioses, and he has gained extensive experience in the manipulation of rickettsial species under biosafety level-2/3 laboratories (BSL-2/3). Pedro Curto is starting to establish himself in the area of host-pathogen interactions, having published 8 peer-reviewed original papers in this scientific area (6 of which as first author). Pedro Curto has also participated in several national and international conferences, contributing with 25 oral (7 as a speaker) and 13 posters (3 as a presenter) presentations. His merit and competence have been recognized through several prizes, both at the national and international levels. Of note are the two travel awards granted to attend and present his work at the American Society for Rickettsiology meetings at Big Sky (Montana) and Milwaukee (Wisconsin), a 2020 ESCMID Research Grant Awardee as PI (ESCMID), and a 2020 Short-Term Research Grant Awardee (DAAD). Pedro Curto is currently the principal investigator of an FCT-funded project (50K) to understand the role of cellular crosstalk for the development of rickettsial pathogenesis. He has been actively participating in mentoring/co-supervision (2 PhD candidates, 2 MSc, and 2 BSc students) and lecturing in several Master's and doctoral courses as well as to science outreach activities, including in the European Researcher's Night.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Pedro Tiago Cardoso Curto

Citation names

  • Curto, Pedro

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
A31B-CBF1-F260
ORCID iD
0000-0003-4997-1759
Google Scholar ID
VpV1qJwAAAAJ

Email addresses

  • pedrocurtobioq@gmail.com (Professional)
  • pcurto@i3s.up.pt (Professional)

Addresses

  • R. Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135, Porto, Porto, Portugal (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Medical and Health Sciences - Health Sciences - Infectious Diseases

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
English Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Education
Degree Classification
2023/09/25 - 2023/10/24
Concluded
 Course Building and Leading Research Teams (Outros)
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 N/A
2014/12/02 - 2018/12/05
Concluded
 Experimental Biology and Biomedicine - Biotechnology and Health (Doctor of Philosophy)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
"Rickettsia-Macrophage Tropism: A Link To Rickettsial Pathogenicity" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 Approved with praise and distinction
2009/09/17 - 2011/07/18
Concluded
 Biochemistry (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal
"Production of phytase(s) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: a proof-of-concept study" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 18
2006/09/16 - 2009/07/21
Concluded
 Biochemistry (Bachelor)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal
"Isolation, purification and partial characterization of a protease present in a soluble extracts of Acacia caven" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 15
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2022/11/16 - Current Postdoc (Research) Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2021/11/16 - 2022/11/15 Research Assistant (Research) Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2019/01/09 - 2021/11/09 Postdoc (Research) Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia , Portugal
2020/07/01 - 2020/09/30 Visiting Researcher (Research) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany
2014/12/01 - 2018/12/01 Researcher (Research) Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2015/10/15 - 2017/10/15 Visiting Researcher (Research) Louisiana State University, United States
2015/09/28 - 2015/10/02 Visiting Researcher (Research) Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, France
2013/12/02 - 2014/11/30 Research Assistant (Research) Louisiana State University, United States
2011/07/19 - 2013/07/19 Research Assistant (Research) Biocant Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2025/02/01 - Current AHR spying on the Melanoma color code: from a melanin sensor to a regulator of melanoma microenvironment
2023.15415.PEX
Invited Scientist Fellow
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
2023/03/01 - Current The role of cell-to-cell communication in rickettsial pathogenesis: an approach to unravel new virulence factors
2022.02702.PTDC
Principal investigator
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
2022/11/15 - Current ImmunoHub: An Immunological Hub of Excellence in Porto
WIDESPREAD-2020-06-ERA Chairs
Post-doc Fellow
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 European Research Executive Agency
Ongoing
2021/11/16 - 2022/11/15 Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine 23-valent (PPV23) boost in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
MISP#61355
Researcher
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
 Merck Investigator Studies Program (MISP)
Ongoing
2018/07/26 - 2022/07/25 Hijack the host or get killed: delineating Rickettsia survival strategies for development of targeted therapeutic strategies
PTDC/SAU-INF/29592/2017
Post-doc Fellow
Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia , Portugal
 FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2020/04/01 - 2021/12/31 Deciphering the Rickettsia toolbox to hijack the host
ESCMID Research Grant 2020
Principal investigator
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Concluded
2015/05/01 - 2017/10/15 The retropepsin-like enzyme RC1339/APRc from Rickettsiae as a potential therapeutic target for rickettsial diseases
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES/5R21AI111086-02/US
Research Fellow
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, United States
 National Institutes of Health
Concluded
2011/07/19 - 2013/07/19 RECOMBINANT PLANT-DERIVED RENNETS FOR CHEESE INDUSTRY
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876-PPCDTI/102540/PT
Research Fellow
Biocant Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
2009/01/01 - 2009/07/31 Pollen proteases, role in allergic disorders
PTDC/SAU-ESA/72571/2006
Researcher
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Book chapter
  1. Martínez-López, M.; Curto, Pedro; Barreira-Silva, P.; Fior, R.; Moura-Alves, P.. "TB or not TB- The parallel lives of BCG". In Tuberculosis Vaccines. Springer Nature, 2025.
    Accepted
Conference abstract
  1. Curto, Pedro; Barro, Andreia; Matos, Ana Luisa; Almeida, Carla; Vieira-Pires, Ricardo S.; Simões, Isaura. "The retropepsin-type protease APRc as a novel moonlighting immune evasion factor of Rickettsia". Paper presented in International Intracellular Bacteria Meeting, Lausanne, 2022.
  2. Simões, Isaura; Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Martinez, Juan J.. "A pathogen and a non-pathogen SFG Rickettsia trigger differential metabolic signatures in macrophage-like cells". Paper presented in EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Coimbra, 2019.
    Published
  3. Li, Mi; Gustchina, Alla; Cruz, Rui; Simões, Marisa; Curto, Pedro; Martinez, Juan J.; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura; Wlodawer, Alexander. "Crystal structure of the soluble domain of RC1339/APRc from Rickettsia conorii, a retropepsin-like aspartic protease". Paper presented in Acta Cryst., 2017.
    Published
  4. Gustchina, Alla; Li, Mi; Cruz, Rui; Simões, Marisa; Curto, Pedro; Martinez, Juan J.; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura; Wlodawer, Alexander. "MS7-P4 Crystal structure of the soluble domain of RC1339/APRc from Rickettsia conorii, a retropepsin-like aspartic protease". Paper presented in 30th European Crystallographic Meeting, Basel, 2016.
    Published
  5. Curto, Pedro; Lufrano, Daniela; Pinto, Cátia; Custódio, Valéria; Gomes, Ana Catarina; Vairo-Cavalli, Sandra; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura. "Kluyveromyces lactis as an attractive expression platform for production of PSI-like antimicrobial peptides". Paper presented in YEAST, 2013.
    Published
  6. Lufrano, Daniela; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura; Trejo, Sebastián A.; Lorenzo, J.; Vairo-Cavalli, Sandra; Bakás, Laura; Faro, Carlos. "Analysis of the expression of plant specific insert (PSI) domain in the non conventional system Kluveromyces lactis: P03-59". Paper presented in The Febs Journal, Seville, 2012.
    Published
  7. Curto, Pedro; Pinto, Cátia; Custódio, Valéria; Lufrano, Daniela; Vairo-Cavalli, Sandra; Gomes, Ana Catarina; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura. "Antifungal activity of the plant specific insert domain against phytopathogenic fungi: P14-40". Paper presented in The Febs Journal, Seville, 2012.
    Published
Conference poster
  1. Pinto, Isabel Ana; Silva-Pinto, André; Curto, Pedro; Cunha Ribeiro, Joana; Santarém, Nuno; Joana Tavares; Anabela Cordeiro da Silva. . Corresponding author: Anabela Cordeiro da Silva.. "Pneumococcal Vaccination Strategy in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: Insights from Immunogenicity evaluation". Paper presented in XLIX Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology, Porto, Portugal, 2024.
  2. Ricardo Silva; Henrique Baeta; Arnab Banerjee; Lino Ferreira; Pitter Huesgen; Pedro Curto; Isaura Simões. "The role of cell-to-cell communication in rickettsial pathogenesis: an approach to unveil new virulence mechanisms". Paper presented in American Society for Rickettsiology 2024, 2024.
  3. Silva-Pinto, André; Pinto, Isabel Ana; Curto, Pedro; Pinto, R.; Santos, L.; Cordeiro-da-Silva, Anabela. "Cellular immune response to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) after conjugated vaccine (PCV13) in hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) recipients". Paper presented in 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2023.
  4. Pinto, Isabel Ana; Pinto-Silva, André; Curto, Pedro; Ribeiro, Joana; Cordeiro-da-Silva, Anabela. Corresponding author: Cordeiro-da-Silva, Anabela. "Evaluation of cellular immunogenicity toward Streptococcus pneumoniae following vaccination in haematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients". Paper presented in I ImmunoHUB Annual Meeting / Infection & Immunity, 2023.
  5. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Martinez, Juan J.; Simões, Isaura. "A pathogen and a non-pathogen SFG Rickettsia trigger differential metabolic signatures in macrophage-like cells". Paper presented in 53rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Clinical Investigation (ESCI), 2019.
  6. Curto, Pedro; Ferreira, Andreia; Lopes, Marisa; Cruz, Rui Gonçalo Batista Mamede da; Antunes, Liliana; Simões, Isaura. "Understanding the molecular determinants of autoprocessing of APRc, the retropepsin-like homolog from Rickettsia.". Paper presented in 11th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society, 29 Sep - 4 Oct 2019, Mariánské Lázne, Czech Republic, 2019.
  7. Cruz, Rui; Li, Mi; Gustchina, Alla; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Marisa; Huesgen, Pitter; Overall, Christopher M.; et al. "Retropepsin-Like Enzymes in Bacteria: Lessons from Rickettsiae". Paper presented in Microbiotec17, 2017.
  8. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Simões, Isaura; Martinez, Juan J.. "New Insights on the Routes of Entry of Two Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Macrophage-Like Cells". Paper presented in Microbiotec17, 2017.
  9. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Simões, Isaura; Martinez, Juan J.. "Host players involved in the Interaction between Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia and Macrophage-like cells". Paper presented in EMBO Conference on Hijacking host signalling and epigenetic mimicry during infections, 2017.
  10. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Manadas, Bruno; Martinez, Juan J.; Simões, Isaura. "Interaction between Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia and macrophage-like cells: Glimpse into global host responses triggered by a pathogenic and a non-pathogenic species". Paper presented in 10th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society, 2017.
  11. Francisco, Rafael; Tavares, Ana P. M.; Bernardo, Sandra; Laranjeira, João; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura; Ribeiro, Tânia; et al. "Avian IgY antibodies: robust tools in research, diagnostics and therapy". Paper presented in 1st International Biomedical Engineering Meeting – iBEM 2016, 21st March 2016, Porto, Portugal, 2016.
  12. Francisco, Rafael; Tavares, Ana P. M.; Bernardo, Sandra; Silva, Diana; Laranjeira, João; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura; et al. "IgY-Technology revisited". Paper presented in PEGS Europe 2015 Summit, 2nd-6th November 2015, Lisbon, Portugal, 2015.
  13. Lufrano, Daniela; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura; Trejo, Sebastián A.; Lorenzo, J; Vairo-Cavalli, Sandra; Bakás, Laura; Faro, Carlos. "Análisis de la expresión del dominio inserto específico de planta en el sistema no convencional Kluveromyces lactis". Paper presented in XXXV Congreso, 2012.
  14. Curto, Pedro; Pinto, Cátia; Custódio, Valéria; Lufrano, Daniela; Vairo-Cavalli, Sandra; Gomes, Ana Catarina; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura. "Antifungal activity of the plant specific insert domain against phytopathogenic fungi". Paper presented in 22nd IUBMB & 37th FEBS Congress, 2012.
Journal article
  1. Matos, Ana Luísa; Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura. "Moonlighting in Rickettsiales: Expanding Virulence Landscape". Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 7 2 (2022): 32. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7020032.
    Published • 10.3390/tropicalmed7020032
  2. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Cortes, Luísa; Manadas, Bruno; Simões, Isaura. "Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Trigger Species-Specific Alterations in Macrophage Proteome Signatures with Different Impacts in Host Innate Inflammatory Responses". Microbiology Spectrum 9 3 (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00814-21.
    Published • 10.1128/spectrum.00814-21
  3. Curto, Pedro; Barro, Andreia; Almeida, Carla; Vieira-Pires, Ricardo S.; Simões, Isaura. "The Retropepsin-Type Protease APRc as a Novel Ig-Binding Protein and Moonlighting Immune Evasion Factor of Rickettsia". mBio 12 6 (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mbio.03059-21.
    Published • 10.1128/mbio.03059-21
  4. Curto, Pedro; Riley, Sean P.; Simões, Isaura; Martinez, Juan J.. "Macrophages Infected by a Pathogen and a Non-pathogen Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Reveal Differential Reprogramming Signatures Early in Infection". Front Cell Infect Microbiol 9 97 (2019): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00097/full.
    Open access • Published • 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00097
  5. Curto, Pedro; Santa, Cátia; Allen, Paige; Manadas, Bruno; Simões, Isaura; Martinez, Juan J.. "A Pathogen and a Non-pathogen Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Trigger Differential Proteome Signatures in Macrophages". Front Cell Infect Microbiol 9 43 (2019): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00043/full.
    Open access • Published • 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00043
  6. Curto, Pedro; Simões, Isaura; Riley, Sean P.; Martinez, Juan J.. "Differences in Intracellular Fate of Two Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Macrophage-Like Cells.". Front Cell Infect Microbiol 6 80 (2016): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00080/full.
    Open access • Published • 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00080
  7. Li, Mi; Gustchina, Alla; Cruz, Rui; Simões, Marisa; Curto, Pedro; Martinez, Juan J.; Faro, Carlos; Simões, Isaura; Wlodawer, Alexander. "Structure of RC1339/APRc from Rickettsia conorii, a retropepsin-like aspartic protease.". Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography 71 10 (2015): 2109-2118. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4601372/pdf/d-71-02109.pdf.
    Published • 10.1107/S1399004715013905
  8. Curto, Pedro; Lufrano, Daniela; Pinto, Cátia; Custódio, Valéria; Gomes, Ana Catarina; Trejo, Sebastián A.; Bakás, Laura; et al. "Establishing the yeast kluyveromyces lactis as an expression host for production of the saposin-like domain of the aspartic protease cirsin". Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80 1 (2014): 86-96. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3910990/pdf/zam86.pdf.
    Published • 10.1128/AEM.03151-13
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. Curto, Pedro. "Rickettsia-Macrophage Tropism: a link to rickettsial phatogenicity?". PhD, Universidade de Coimbra Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/87632.
  2. Curto, Pedro. "Production of phytase(s) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: a proof-of-concept study". Master, Universidade de Coimbra, 2011.

Other

Research technique
  1. Extensive experience working under biosafety level-3 laboratories (more than 200 entries) as well as under biosafety level-2. Curto, Pedro.
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2024 Sensing and responding to rickettsial infections Zebrafish Interest Meeting
Leidein University (Leiden, Netherlands)
2023 Cellular immune response to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) after conjugated vaccine (PCV13) in haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
33rd ECCMID (Copenhagen, Denmark)
2022 The retropepsin-type protease APRc as a novel Ig-binding protein and moonlighting immune evasion factor of Rickettsia 32nd ECCMID
European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (Lisbon, Portugal)
2022 SFG Rickettsia trigger species-specific alterations in macrophage proteome signatures with different impact in host innate inflammatory responses 32nd ECCMID
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Lisbon, Portugal)
2022 How pathogenic SFG Rickettsia modulate macrophages: new insignts into rickettsial pathogenesis Advanced Course on Bioinformatics for Microbiologists
2022 Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Trigger Alterations in Macrophage Proteome Signatures with Different Impacts in Host Inflammatory Responses Department of Parasitology Institute of Biomedical Sciences
University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
2022 Cellular Immunological responses in the establishment of immunogenicity following the protocol of vaccination for haematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients DIA DO LABORATÓRIO DE MICROBIOLOGIA 2022
Faculty of Pharmacy University of Porto (Porto, Portugal)
2021 Rickettsial subversion strategies to escape host immune defenses. Seminar Series - Spotlight on Rickettsia
American Society for Rickettsiology (United States)
2021 Elucidating how pathogenic spotted fever group Rickettsia modulate proteome signatures in host cells: new insights into rickettsial pathogenesis 7th International Caparica Conference on Analytical Proteomics 2021
(Caparica, Portugal)
2021 Rickettsial subversion tactics to escape host immune defenses XIII ENEBIOQ 21, XIII Encontro Nacional de Estudantes de Bioquímica
ENEBIOQ (Vila Real, Portugal)
2020 Rickettsial subversion tactics to evade host innate immunity. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
São Paulo State University. UNESP (São Paulo, Brazil)
2019 An "omics" approach to understand rickettsial pathogenesis Microbiotec'19
Portuguese Society for Microbiology (Coimbra, Portugal)
2019 Understanding the molecular determinants of autoprocessing of APRc, the retropepsin-type protease from rickettsiae 30th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology
American Society for Rickettsiology (Santa Fe, United States)
2018 Global transcriptomic analysis of macrophages infected by a pathogen and a non-pathogen SFG Rickettsia reveals differential reprogramming of host signaling pathways. 28th ECCMID
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Madrid, Spain)
2018 Challenges and (Some Successes) in Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Genetic Manipulation. 29th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology
American Society for Rickettsiology (Milwaukee, United States)
2018 Global transcriptomic analysis of macrophages infected by a pathogen and a non-pathogen SFG Rickettsia reveals differential reprogramming of host signaling pathways 29th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology
American Society for Rickettsiology (Milwaukee, United States)
2018 A pathogen and a non-pathogen SFG Rickettsia trigger differential metabolic signatures in macrophage-like cells 29th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology
American Society for Rickettsiology (Milwaukee, United States)
2017 Host players involved in the Interaction between Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia and Macrophage-like cells ESCCAR 2017 - International Congress on Rickettsia and other Intracellular Bacteria
European Study group on Chlamydiales, Coxiella, Anaplasma, Rickettsia and other intracellular bacteria (Marseille, France)
2017 Differences in the Intracellular Fate of Two Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Macrophage-Like Cells MICROBIOTEC'17
Portuguese Society for Microbiology (Porto, Portugal)
2016 Differences in the Intracellular Fate of Two Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Macrophage-Like Cells 28th Meeting of the American Society for Ricketsiology
American Society for Ricketsiology (Big Sky, United States)
2016 The first crystal structure of the soluble domain of RC1339/APRc from R. conorii reveals a striking conservation with the typical fold of retropepsins 28th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology
American Society for Rickettsiology (Big Sky, United States)
2015 Crystal structure of the soluble domain of RC1339/APRc from Rickettsia conorii, a retropepsin-like aspartic protease 9th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society
International Proteolysis Society (Penang, Malaysia)
2013 Optimization of Protein Expression in K. lactis: A Case Study of a Difficult Expression Problem Solved 5th Annual PEGS EUROPE
Protein & Antibody Engineering Summit (Lisbon, Portugal)
2013 The path to new synthetic plant-derived rennet(s): Optimizing heterologous protein secretion in Kluyveromyces lactis by manipulating protein sorting. 4th P4EU Meeting
Protein Production and Purification Partnership in Europe (Porto, Portugal)
2013 Kluyveromyces lactis as an attractive expression platform for production of PSI-like antimicrobial peptides Yeast 2013, 26th International Conference on Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology
International Yeast Conferences (Frankfurt, Germany)

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role 		Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2025/07/01 - Current AHR on T(AHR)get: Dissecting the Impact of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Modulation in Disease and Therapy
Supervisor of Inês Castro da Silva Almeida
 PhD
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2023/09/01 - Current Deciphering the role of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in host-bacteria interkingdom crosstalk during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
Supervisor of Thales Viana Labourdette Costa
 PhD
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2019/05/02 - 2019/12/04 Autoprocessing Activity of APRc in soluble extracts of E. coli
Co-supervisor of Marisa Mateus Lopes
 Relatório de Estágio (Degree)
Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, Portugal
2019/05/02 - 2019/12/04 Evaluation of the auto-processing activity of the retropepsin-like enzyme APRc in E. coli extracts
Co-supervisor of Andreia Filipa Aido Marques Ferreira
 Relatório de Estágio (Degree)
Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, Portugal

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2024 - 2024 European Researchers' Night 2025 - ESCAPE ROOM: MISSION ERADICATE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE (2024)
Exhibition (Member of the Organising Committee)
 Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2023 - 2023 Chair of the session "Infection & Immunity" of the "I ImmunoHUB Annual Meeting" (2023/03/17)
Meeting (Member of the Organising Committee)
 Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2022 - 2022 Chair of the session "Immune Crosstalk" of the ImmunoHUB Internal Immunology forum (2022/12/06)
Meeting (Member of the Organising Committee)
 Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2023/03/16 - 2023/03/16 Workshop: Mentoring session with Prof. Alan Sher, NIH Distinguished Investigator, to get career guidance advice.
Workshop
 Mentoring Session Prof. Alan Sher / ImmunoHUB ERA Chair
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2023/02/03 - 2023/02/03 Science Outreach: Science communication activities to advertise i3S scientific activities to master students
Exhibition
 II MSc Open Day
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2023/01/10 - 2023/01/10 Science Outreach: "CIENCIA ET AL" Science communication activities to high school students in the event "Genetics, Infection, and Immunity", Escola Secundária de Santa Comba Dão. Contributions: Lecturer of the workshop
Exhibition
 Science Outreach Event
Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2019/12/09 - 2019/12/10 Science Outreach: Participation in a promotional video of the PhD Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB) to explain my vision of the different professional paths in the field of science. The event aims to promote a broad and critical view of scientific employment and challenge the participants to think beyond borders, breaking the paradigm of the academic path.
Symposium
 BEBDAY 2019
Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2019/09/13 - 2019/09/13 Science Outreach: A brief demonstration of how Rickettsia establishes an infection
Exhibition
 European Researchers' Night
Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia , Portugal
2018/12/11 - 2018/12/11 Workshop: Learn the in´s and out´s about European grants such as H2020, SME Instrument, Eurostars, and ERC from the market leader in funding for life sciences. Tips and tricks on how to actually write a proposal.
Workshop
 Grant Writing Workshop: "Do’s and don’ts - Internationalization series"
Catalyze, Netherlands
2015/08/23 - 2015/08/26 One of the 12 participants selected at national level to participate in the Novartis BioCamp, a pioneering seminar that brings the biotechnology sector closer to talented students from top universities around the world.
Seminar
 Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp 2015
Novartis Farma SA, Portugal

Jury of academic degree

Topic
Role 		Candidate name (Type of degree)
Institution / Organization
2023 Integrated Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering
(Thesis) Arguer
 Carolina Pagaimo Faim (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal

Association member

Society Organization name Role
2023/02/17 - Current Portuguese Society for Immunology Member
2019/08/19 - Current ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Young Scientist Member
2016/06 - Current American Society for Rickettsiology Member
2017/11 - 2019/11 Sociedade Portuguesa de Microbiologia (SPM) Member
2009/09 - 2010/07 NEBIOQ/ACC (Núcleo de Estudantes de Bioquímica da Associação Académica de Coimbra) Member

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2024/11/13 - 2024/11/13 Lecturer in the 2024 "Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics" in the Masters of Pharmacy 2024 Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics School of Health - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
2024/03/18 - 2024/03/18 Lecturer in the 2024 Infection and Immunity Course in the PhD Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology 2024 Infection and Immunity course Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Portugal
2023/11/15 - 2023/11/15 Lecturer in the 2023 "Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics" in the Masters of Pharmacy 2023 Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics School of Health - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
2023/04/17 - 2023/04/21 Lecturer in the 2023 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences course in the PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2023 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2022/12/14 - 2022/12/14 Lecturer in the 2022 "Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics" in the Masters of Pharmacy 2022 Applications of Bioinformatics: Proteomics School of Health - Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
2022/05/02 - 2022/05/06 Lecturer in the 2022 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences course in the PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2022 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2021/05/03 - 2021/05/07 Lecturer in the 2021 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences course in the PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2021 Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2021/03/15 - 2021/03/19 Lecturer in the 2021 Fighting infection course in the PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2021 Fighting Infection Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2021/01/18 - 2021/01/28 Lecturer in the 2021 Core Technologies course in PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2021 Core Technologies course Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2020/01/20 - 2020/01/31 Lecturer in the 2020 Core Technologies course in the PhD Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB, CNC). 2020 Core Technologies course Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Interview (newspaper / magazine)

Activity description Newspaper / Forum
2021/12/14 Press release associated with the the work "APRc as a novel Ig-binding protein and a novel moonlighting immune evasion factor of Rickettsia" (https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.03059-21) Estimated metrics: Number of news: 40 People reached: 879 550 Adversing value: 58 315,80 Euros E.g., Público, rtp, notícias UC, Visão-Sapo.
2021 Press release associated with the publication "The Retropepsin-Type Protease APRc as a Novel Ig-Binding Protein and Moonlighting Immune Evasion Factor of Rickettsia" Público - https://www.publico.pt/2021/12/14/ciencia/noticia/bacteria-febre-carraca-escapa-sistema-imunitario-1988593
2021 Press release associated with the publication "The Retropepsin-Type Protease APRc as a Novel Ig-Binding Protein and Moonlighting Immune Evasion Factor of Rickettsia" CNN Portugal - https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/doencas-infecciosas/universidade-de-coimbra/investigadores-portugueses-descobrem-como-bacteria-da-febre-da-carraca-escapa-ao-sistema-imunitario/20271231/61b8a6d70cf21a10a4141ce0
2021 Press release associated with the research activities performed under the project "Hijack the host or get killed: delineating Rickettsia survival strategies for development of targeted therapeutic strategies" Observador - https://observador.pt/2021/12/14/cientistas-descobrem-como-bacteria-da-febre-da-carraca-escapa-ao-sistema-imunitario/
2021 Press release associated with the research activities performed under the project "Hijack the host or get killed: delineating Rickettsia survival strategies for development of targeted therapeutic strategies" Expresso - https://expresso.pt/sociedade/2021-12-14-Cientistas-da-Universidade-de-Coimbra-descobrem-como-bacter

Mentoring / Tutoring

Topic Student name
2019/09/01 - 2020/12/31 Characterization of APRc as an immune evasion factor of Rickettsia Andreia Margarida Silva Barro
2019/09/01 - 2020/11/09 Elucidating autoprocessing activity and function of the rickettsial retropepsin APRc in mammalian cells Bárbara Daniela Araújo Pinheiro Teixeira

Other jury / evaluation

Activity description Institution / Organization
2024 - Current Main Arguer of the PhD Seminar (MCBiology PhD Program), "Targeting cell wall glycosylation to disarm and sensitize Enterococcus faecalis". PhD candidate: Inês Catarina Garcia Ribeiro Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Portugal
2022 - Current Main arguer of the PhD seminar (Pharmaceutical Sciences, Microbiology Specialty), "Coronaviruses breaking boundaries: from common cold to a global pandemic". PhD candidate: Ricardo Paulo Senra Monteiro Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Farmácia, Portugal
2019 - Current Member of the jury of the 3rd BEB/Bluepharma award – Invitation to be member of the jury in a context for master and PhD students at CNC to win the opportunity to attend and present their research at a chosen European conference. Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Bluepharma, Portugal
Distinctions

Award

2023 FEMS Research & Training Grant
Federation Of European Microbiological Societies, Netherlands
2023 ID MOSBRI-2023-222: T(AHR)get 2.0- Upgrading an MST-based assay to unveil ligand binding to the AHR
MOlecular-Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure, Denmark
2020 2020 DAAD Short-Term Research Grant
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Germany
2019 2020 ESCMID Research Grant
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Switzerland
2018 Professional Society Travel Award to attend the 29th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
American Society for Rickettsiology, Portugal
2016 Professional Society Travel Award to attend the 28th Meeting of the American Society for Rickettsiology at Big Sky, Montana.
American Society for Rickettsiology, Portugal
2013 PhD fellowship award "SFRH/BD/96769/2013"
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal