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Immune precision medicine as a new opportunity to control canine trypanosomatid diseases - DogIPM PTDC/CVT-CVT/0228/2020

  • Background: The project DogIPM’s main objective is to stimulate dendritic cells (DC) that present essential antigens for the activation of T lymphocytes, which in turn orchestrate the host's immune response to guide the immune system in the fight against trypanosomatids, preventing infection (prophylactic vaccines) or inducing the most adequate immune response to cure (therapeutic vaccines). 
  • Aim: DogIPM aims to stimulate immune effector cells to tutor the immune system in combating trypanosomatids, preventing infection (prophylactic vaccines) or inducing the most appropriate immune response to cure (therapeutic vaccines).
  • Innovation: Envisioning the potential use of autologous stimulated DC as a prophylactic and therapeutic tool against cardiac Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis, DogIPM represents a first step in precision immune medicine applied to canine diseases caused by trypanosomatids. This immune approach represents a new and promising strategy applicable to the control of trypanosomoses.
  • Expectations: DogIPM is expected to make a valid contribution to controlling Leishmania and Trypanosoma infection, reducing the amount, frequency of administration and toxicity of commonly used drugs, decreasing the duration of therapy, improving treatment adherence and achieve clinical and parasitic cure. DogIPM is also expected to participate in student education and communication of science and technology, improving global awareness of the strategic importance of science in the daily lives of citizens.

PARTNERS

GHTM–Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisboa, Portugal

Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMV), CIISA Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal,

Health Sciences Centre/Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte 
(UFRN, Natal, Brasil)



PROJECT OUTCOME
• 1º seminário Outubro 2022

PUBLICATIONS

Ana Valério-Bolas, Mafalda Meunier, Armanda Rodrigues, Joana Palma-Marques, Rui Ferreira, Inês Cardoso, Lis Lobo, Marta Monteiro, Telmo Nunes, Ana Armada, Wilson T. Antunes, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes. Unveiling the interplay between dendritic cells and natural killer cells as key players in Leishmania infection. Journal of Immunology Researche (in press)

de França DA, Zúquete S, Louro M, Kersul MG, Menozzi BD, Fornazari F, Santos-Gomes G, da Fonseca IP, Langoni H. Detection of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania amazonensis in Bats From Endemic and Non-endemic Areas of São Paulo State, Brazil. Zoonoses Public Health. 2024 Dec 8. doi: 10.1111/zph.13201. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39648604.

Rodrigues A, Alexandre-Pires G, Valério-Bolas A, Nunes T, Pereira da Fonseca I, Santos-Gomes G. Kupffer Cells and Hepatocytes: A Key Relation in the Context of Canine Leishmaniasis. Microorganisms. 2024 Sep 13;12(9):1887. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12091887.

Santos ALED, Souza ROS, Barbosa FEV, Santos MHCD, Grangeiro YA, Martins AMC, Santos-Gomes G, Fonseca IPD, Silva CGLD, Teixeira CS. Concanavalin A, lectin from Canavalia ensiformis seeds has Leishmania infantum antipromastigote activity mediated by carbohydrate recognition domain. Chem Biol Interact. 2024 Aug 25;399:111156.doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111156.

João Durães-Oliveira; Joana Palma-Marques; Cláudia Moreno et al. Chagas Disease: A Silent Threat for Dogs and Humans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(7):3840, 2024. Doi: 10.3390/ijms25073840.

Rodrigues A, Santos-Gomes G. Editorial: Neglected tropical diseases: tackling the challenges of a global world. Front Toxicol. 30 (6)1417438, 2024. doi: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1417438.

Valério-Bolas A, Meunier M, Palma-Marques J, Rodrigues A, Santos AM, Nunes T, Ferreira R, Armada A, Alves JC, Antunes W, Cardoso I, Mesquita-Gabriel S, Lobo L, Alexandre-Pires G, Marques L, Pereira da Fonseca I, Santos-Gomes G. Exploiting Leishmania-Primed Dendritic Cells as Potential Immunomodulators of Canine Immune Response. Cells. 2024 Mar 3;13(5):445. doi: 10.3390/cells13050445.

de França DA, Louro M, Zúquete S, Zanini DS, Nunes de Moraes G, Rocha GS, Biondo LM, Fornazari F, Menozzi BD, Pereira da Fonseca I, Langoni H. Trypanosoma cruzi in Bats (Chiroptera; Mammalia) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, São Paulo State. Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 945; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050945

Pereira da Fonseca i. Leishmaniose canina: prevenção e Saúde Pública. Saúde e Bem-Estar Animal, Revista Business Portugal. Supl. Diário de Notícias (2024): 56.

Pereira, Maria A., Rute Santos, Carmen Nóbrega, Cristina Mega, Rita Cruz, Fernando Esteves, Carla Santos, Catarina Coelho, João R. Mesquita, Helena Vala, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes. 2022. "A Questionnaire-Based Survey on the Long-Term Management of Canine Leishmaniosis by Veterinary Practitioners" Animals 12, no. 6: 731. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060731

Weber JI, Rodrigues AV, Valério-Bolas A, Nunes T, Carvalheiro MC, Antunes W, Alexandre-Pires G, Pereira-da-Fonseca I, Santos-Gomes G. 2023. Insights on host-parasite immunomodulation mediated by extracellular vesicles of cutaneous Leishmania shawi and Leishmania guyanensis. Cells, 12 (8): 1101 DOI: 10.3390/cells12081101

Tatiana Dias-Guerreiro, Joana Palma-Marques, Patrícia Mourata-Gonçalves, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Ana Valério-Bolas, Áurea Gabriel, Telmo Nunes, Wilson Antunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Marcelo Sousa-Silva, Gabriela Santos-Gomes (2021). African Trypanosomiasis: Extracellular vesicles shed by Trypanosoma brucei brucei manipulate host mononuclear cells. Biomedicines, 9(8): 1056.

ACADEMIC DEGREES

- Mafalda Carvalho Planas Meunier (2023) - Canine leishmaniasis: Exploring the modulation of T lymphocyte activity by autologous dendritic cells. Master's thesis, Masters in Biomedical Sciences - Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. Supervision: Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes & Dr Armanda Rodrigues - IHMT, Medical Parasitology Teaching and Research Unit.

- Ana Sofia Valério Bolas (2022) - Bridging the gap between innate and adaptive immunity in dog leishmaniosis. FCT doctoral fellowship SFRH/BD/118067/2016 and COVID-19 mitigation grant. PhD Programme in Biomedical Sciences, specialty in Parasitology. Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. Supervision: Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes - IHMT, Medical Parasitology Teaching and Research Unit and Prof. Isabel Pereira da Fonseca (Co-supervisor) - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, University of Lisbon.

- Maria Francisca Ferreira 2024. Detection of canine vector-borne diseases agents in Galgo Español used as hunting dogs in Alentejo, Portugal [Master's thesis]. Lisbon: FMV-University of Lisbon. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/30765. Supervision: Prof. Isabel Pereira da Fonseca - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, University of Lisbon.

- Mafalda Carvalho Planas Meunier  (2021/2022) - Leishmaniose canina: Explorar a modulação da atividade de linfócitos T por células dendríticas autólogas. Master’s thesis, Masters in Biomedical Sciences – Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. Supervision: Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes & Dr. Armanda Rodrigues - IHMT, Medical Parasitology Teaching and Research Unit (ongoing).

- Ana Sofia Valério Bolas (2016-2022) - Bridging the gap between innate and adaptive immunity in dog leishmaniosis. FCT doctoral fellowship SFRH/BD/118067/2016 e COVID-19 mitigation grant. PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences, specialty in Parasitology. Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. Supervision: Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes - IHMT, Medical Parasitology Teaching and Research Unit and Prof. Isabel Pereira da Fonseca (Co-supervisor) - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, CIISA–Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Universidade de Lisboa (ongoing).

- Joana Palma Machado Marques (2021-2025) - Dogs in travel - Take advantage of dendritic cells to shape protective immune response against Chagas disease. PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (specialization in cellular and molecular biology and parasitology) - Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal). Supervision: Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes (Supervisor) - IHMT, Medical Parasitology Teaching and Research Unit. Prof. Graça Maria Alexandre-Pires (Co-Supervisor) - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Departamento de Morfologia e Função e Departamento de Sanidade Animal Unidade de Lisboa, Advanced Specialization Programs (ongoing).


PRÉMIOS E MENÇÕES HONROSAS

On November 8th, 2024, the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT NOVA) celebrated the beginning of the academic year, through a special ceremony in the Aula Magna and Academic Merit Awards, which recognized the best master's and doctoral students of 2023. 

- Professor João Fraga de Azevedo Award (Medical Parasitology) – presented to student Mafalda Carvalho Planas Meunier, from the master's in Medical Parasitology by Professor Fernando Cupertino, President of the IHMT Council;

- Professor João Fraga de Azevedo Award (Medical Parasitology) – presented to Doctor Ana Sofia Valério Bolas, PhD in Biomedical Sciences, by Professor Isabel Couto, Vice-President of the Scientific Council;

- The Merit Scholarship, for the academic year 2021/2022 and granted by the General Directorate of Higher Education, was awarded to João Pedro Teixeira Tavares Durães Oliveira, a student of the Master's degree in Medical Parasitology, represented by Professor Gabriela Santos Gomes, his advisor.


PRESENTATIONS

Palma-Marques, Joana; Oliveira-Durães, João; Moreno, Cláudia; Rodrigues, Armanda; Valério-Bolas, Ana; Monteiro, Marta; Weber, Juliana; Ferreira, Rui; Cardoso, Inês; Pires, Graça Pereira da Fonseca, Isabel; Santos-Gomes, Gabriela. IMMUNE ACTIVATION OF DENDRITIC CELLS BY TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI. XV JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS DO INSTITUTO DE HIGIENE E MEDICINA TROPICAL (11-DEZ_Livro_de_resumos_XV_Jornadas_Cientificas_2024_VF1-AG.pdf)

Weber, Juliana; Monteiro, Marta; Ferla, Micheli; Vieira, Vânia; Lopes, Inês; Moreno, Cláudia; Palma Marques, Joana; Ferreira, Rui; Cardoso, Inês; Pires, Graça; Rodrigues, Armanda; Santos-Gomes, Gabriela. TÍTULO: CANINE CHAGAS DISEASE: EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI IN HOST IMMUNE RESPONSE. XV JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS DO INSTITUTO DE HIGIENE E MEDICINA TROPICAL (11-DEZ_Livro_de_resumos_XV_Jornadas_Cientificas_2024_VF1-AG.pdf)

Lopes, Inês; Tavares, Vitória; Cerqueira, Débora; Weber, Juliana; Monteiro, Marta; Furtado, Rodrigo; Ferla, Micheli; Moreno, Cláudia; Martins, Liege; Cuña, Vinicius; Santos-Gomes, Gabriela; Romão, Verónica; Rodrigues, Armanda. PRELIMINARY VALIDATION OF IN VITRO 3D CANINE SKIN CULTURES FOR LEISHMANIA STUDIES AND OZONE THERAPY. XV JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS DO INSTITUTO DE HIGIENE E MEDICINA TROPICAL (11-DEZ_Livro_de_resumos_XV_Jornadas_Cientificas_2024_VF1-AG.pdf)

7th European Congress of Immunology (ECI), Dublin, Ireland, from September 1st-4th 2024
Mafalda Meunier, João Durães-Oliveira, Armanda Rodrigues, Ana Valério-Bolas, Joana Palma-Marques, Flávia Fróis-Martins, Rui Ferreira, Inês Cardoso, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Telmo Nunes, Wilson T Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes. EXPLORING THE EFFECT OF LEISHMANIA INFANTUM AND TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES ON DENDRITIC CELL-LYMPHOCYTE INTERACTIONS. XV JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS DO INSTITUTO DE HIGIENE E MEDICINA TROPICAL (11-DEZ_Livro_de_resumos_XV_Jornadas_Cientificas_2024_VF1-AG.pdf)

Armanda Rodrigues, Mafalda Meunier, Aleska Silva, Victoria Tavares, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Cláudia Moreno, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes
UNVEILING TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AS MASTERS OF HOST IMMUNE REGULATION. 7th European Congress of Immunology (ECI), Dublin, Irelan, from September 1st-4th 2024

Armanda Rodrigues, Ofélia Cruz, Cláudia Moreno, Marta Monteiro, Mafalda Meunier, Joana Palma-Marques, Rui Ferreira, Inês Cardoso, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Telmo Nunes, Wilson T Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes
EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES OF LEISHMANIA-INFECTED-MACROPHAGES CAN MODULATE DOG IMMUNE RESPONSE. Animal Leishmaniosis International Veterinary Event 2 (ALIVE2), Nice, France, 19-20 April 2024. Abstract Book Pg.150

Cláudia Moreno, Torres M T, Armanda Rodrigues, Silva, Marcelo Sousa; Alexandre-Pires, Graça, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Santos-Gomes, Gabriela.
UNCOVERING TRANSCRIPTOMIC FOOTPRINT OF MACROPHAGES INFECTED WITH LEIHSMANIA SPP. XLIX Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI’49), Porto, Portugal, 17-19 April 2024. Abstract book Pg. 10

Armanda Rodrigues, Mafalda Meunier, Aleska Silva, Victoria Tavares, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Cláudia Moreno, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes
TACKLING CHAGAS DISEASE CARDIOMYOPATHIES: ARE TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI EXTRACELULAR VESICLES THE KEY? XLIX Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI’49), Porto, Portugal, 17-19 April 2024. Abstract book Pg. 12

João Durães-Oliveira, Joana Palma-Marques, Armanda Rodrigues, Cláudia Moreno, Mafalda Meunier, Marta Monteiro, Juliana Weber, Isabel Pereira-da-Fonseca, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Gabriela Santos-Gomes
UNVEILING THE ROLE OF PRIMED DENDRITIC CELLS IN CHAGAS DISEASE: INSIGHTS INTO HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTION. XLIX Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI’49), Porto, Portugal, 17-19 April 2024. Abstract book Pg.45

Mafalda Meunier, Ana Valério-Bolas, Flávia Fróis Martins, Armanda Rodrigues, Marta Monteiro, Rui Ferreira, Inês Cardoso, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Telmo Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Gabriela Santos-Gomes. PRIMED DENDRITIC CELLS AS KEY PLAYERS IN T LYMPHOCYTE RESPONSE DURING LEISHMANIA INFANTUM INFECTION. XLIX Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI’49), Porto, Portugal, 17-19 April 2024. Abstract book Pg.42

Cláudia Moreno, Torres M T, Armanda Rodrigues, Silva, Marcelo Sousa; Alexandre-Pires, Graça, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Santos-Gomes, Gabriela
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSES: PHYLOGENY AS POSSIBLE WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE TRYPANOSOMATIDS MAIN IMMUNE SYSTEM SCAPE MECHANISMS. International meeting of Portuguese Association for Evolutionary Biology (ENBE), Lisbon, 18-19 December 2023. Abstract book Pg. 69

Armanda Rodrigues, Mafalda Meunier, João Durães-Oliveira, Aleska Silva, Cláudia Moreno, Victoria Tavares, Joana Palma-Marques, Graça Alexandr-Pires, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Santos-Gomes, Gabriela. IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECT OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES FROM TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI: AN EXAMPLE OF PARASITE-HOST CO-EVOLUTION. International meeting of Portuguese Association for Evolutionary Biology (ENBE), Lisbon, 18-19 December 2023. Abstract book Pg.75

Cláudia Moreno; Torres M T; Armanda Viana Rodrigues; Silva, Marcelo Sousa; Alexandre-Pires, Graça; Isabel Pereira da Fonseca; Santos-Gomes, Gabriela. TRANSCRIPTOMICS AND IMMUNOINFORMATICS APPROACH: UNVEIL LEISHMANIA SPP.-HOST INTERACTION MECHANISM. 2nd Egas Moniz One Health Symposium, 3rd november 2023


Armanda Rodrigues, Mafalda Meunier, Aleska Silva, Cláudia Moreno, Victoria Tavares, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Santos-Gomes, Gabriela. ONE HEALTH APPROACH TO TACKLE CHAGAS DISEASE: CARDIAC EXPLANT CULTURE. 2nd Egas Moniz One Health Symposium, 3rd november 2023


Extracellular vesicles: evolving the therapeutics of tomorrow for Leishmaniasis.
Armanda Rodrigues, Juliana Weber, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Ana Valério-Bolas, Telmo Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

XLVII Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology. Reitoria da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, 20-22 April 2022

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Exploring Leishmania sp. extracellular vesicles as host skin immune system immunomodulators.
Maria Armanda Rodrigues, George Nakhratyan, Juliana Weber, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Ana Valério-Bolas, Telmo Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

15th International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA). Copenhagen, Denmark, 21-26 August 2022

Liver involvement in canine visceral leishmaniasis: an immunological perspective.
Armanda Rodrigues, Graça Alexandre-Pires, Ana Valério-Bolas, Maria Aires Pereira, Telmo Nunes, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

3rd International Caparica Conference on Leishmaniasis. Caparica, Portugal, 24th – 26th October 2022.

Canine leishmaniosis: exploring the activity of dendritic cells from dogs under different antileishmanial prophylaxis strategies.
Marta Monteiro, Ana Valério-Bolas, Mafalda Meunier, Armanda Rodrigues, Graça Alexandre- Pires, Rodolfo Leal, Gabriela Santos-Gomes and Isabel Pereira da Fonseca.

CIISA Congress 2022 - Innovation in Animal Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Research. FMV-ULisboa from 11-12 November 2022. Abstract book page 131.

Exploiting the immunomodulatory potential of Leishmania extracellular vesicles.
Armanda Rodrigues; Ana Valério-Bolas, Graça Alexandre-Pires; Maria A. Pereira; Telmo Nunes; Dário Ligeiro; Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

XLVIII Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology. Aveiro Congress Center, 29-31 March 2023.

A. Valério-Bolas, S. Mesquita-Gabriel, M. Meunier, J. Marques, L. Lobo, A. Rodrigues, A. Armada, R. Ferreira, I. Cardoso, G. Alexandre-Pires, I. Pereira da Fonseca, G. Santos-Gomes. Leishmaniose canina: Iniciação da resposta imunitária por células dendríticas derivadas de monócitos caninos. XI Jornadas Científicas HMT-NOVA, 10 de dezembro de 2020. Abstract book page 4.

A. Valério-Bolas, S. Mesquita-Gabriel, M. Meunier, J. Marques, L. Lobo, A. Rodrigues, A. Armada, R. Ferreira, I. Cardoso, G. Alexandre-Pires, I. Pereira da Fonseca, G. Santos-Gomes. Modulation of dendritic cells derived from canine monocytes by parasites of the genus Leishmania. Encontro Ciência 2021. 28 a 30 junho. Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, Junqueira - Portugal

Leishmania infantum and canine macrophages: new insights on host-parasite immune co-evolution *
Armanda Rodrigues; Ana Valério-Bolas, Graça Alexandre-Pires; Maria A. Pereira; Telmo Nunes; Dário Ligeiro; Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

Cytokine gene expression and lymphocyte immunophenotyping in Dogs with Leishmaniosis *
Marcos Santos; Marta Monteiro; Ana Valério-Bolas; Graça Alexandre-Pires; Maria A. Pereira3, Armanda V. Rodrigues; Gabriela Santos-Gomes, and Isabel Pereira da Fonseca.

Immunomodulation of Canine monocyte-derived dendritic cells by L.eishmania Infantum and L. amazonensis *
Ana Valério-Bolas; Mafalda Meunier; Rosa Direito; Joana PalmaMarques; Lis Lobo; Armanda Rodrigues; Marta Monteiro; Rui Ferreira; Inês Cardoso; Graça Alexandre-Pires; Isabel Pereira da Fonseca and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

Connecting the dots: A cartoon network that peeks into Leishmania Spp infection and evasion *
Graça Alexandre-Pires; Beatriz Martins; Maria Pereira; ArmandaRodrigues; Ana Valério-Bolas; Juliana Weber; Bruna Freitas; Telmo Nunes; Wilson Talhão Antunes; Isabel Pereira da Fonseca and Gabriela Santos-Gomes.

* WorldLeish7. Cartagena, Colombia from August 1-6 2022:

OTHER ACTIVITIES



The researcher from RJ – Mariana Hetch Adjunct Professor at the University of Brasília, Brazil.
Prof. Doctor Mariana Machado Hecht was on a technical visit at the Laboratory of Parasitic Immunology and Vaccine Development at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT NOVA) from 11/01/2021 to 12/09/2021. A investigadora do RJ – Mariana Hetch Professora Adjunta da Universidade de Brasília, Brasil.


Open day: Basic Education Students from Moura Visit IHMT
On February 3, IHMT received 9th-grade students from the Moura School Group. The main objectives of the visit were: to raise awareness of the importance of scientific research carried out at the institution for understanding and solving global problems in the area of health; and to arouse the interest of younger people in this area of study. The article is available at: https://www.ihmt.unl.pt/ihmt-recebe-estudantes-de-moura/

Professor Isabel Fonseca (PI) Podcast participation
Professor Isabel Fonseca (Co-PI) participated in Podcast Leishmaniasis: Getting to the tutor is the best weapon for prevention, available at https://www.veterinaria-atual.pt/podcast-one-health/.


TRAINING


Flavia Barbosa
, is currently doing her PhD sandwich with a Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) scholarship at IHMT Nova studying the immunolodulatory effect of a lectin on Leishmania infection. From December 2024.

Rodrigo Furtado, Graduated in Biomedicine from the Federal University of Pará. MSc in Neurosciences and Cell Biology, Federal University of Pará. PhD student in the Postgraduate Programme in the Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents at the Federal University of Pará. He was at the IHMT on a Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) Scholarship for a sandwich doctorate, analyzing EVs from amastigotes from November 2023 - September 2024.


Prof. Doutora Mariana Machado Hecht, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia.

Raissa Couto Santana, Graduate Program in Veterinary Science (PPGCV) Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology (DMIV) Veterinary Institute (IV), Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRRJ. Sandwich PhD scholarship from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) entitled “Analysis of the Effect of Sesquiterpene on the Immunobiology of Canine Leishmaniasis”. September 2021 - March 2022.

NEWS

Parasitic diseases - approach to personalized healthcare

On November 26 th , 2024 IHMT received undergraduates’ students of Vasco da Gama University School from Coimbra (EUVG). The main objectives of the visit were: to raise awareness of the importance of scientific research carried out at the institution for understanding and solving global problems in health including veterinarian practice; and to arouse the interest of younger people in this area of study.

On May10th, 2024 IHMT welcomed students to an open day as part of a conversation with scientists. The primary objectives of the visit were to emphatically raise awareness of the vital scientific research carried out at the institution and to passionately ignite the interest of younger people in this area of study through probing questions and engaging interactive activities.

On April 4th, 2024, IHMT received undergraduates’ students of Vasco da Gama University School from Coimbra. The main objectives of the visit were: to raise awareness of the importance of scientific research carried out at the institution for understanding and solving global problems in health including veterinarian practice; and to arouse the interest of younger people in this area of study.

The partnership between Portuguese [Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHMT), Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (HMT-NOVA) and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FMV/ULisboa)] and Brazilian institutions [Health Sciences Center of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)] resulted in the project DogIPM, financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. which aims to use dendritic cells (DCs) to modulate T lymphocyte activity in canine trypanosomoses.

Annually there are an estimated 700 000 - 1 million new cases of infection with Leishmania in humans, and 20 000 new cases per year of infection with Trypanosoma cruzi.

L. infantum is the etiologic agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis and canine leishmaniasis that occur throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and in some parts of Asia and Latin America. Canine leishmaniasis appears to be spreading to other latitudes due to several factors associated with climate change and globalization.

Trypanosoma cruzi parasite causes Chagas disease in humans, wild and domestic animals, constituting an important public health problem in Central and South America. Due to globalization, this neglected tropical disease has been spreading to other geographic areas, such as North America, Japan, Oceania, and Europe, becoming an emerging disease of global concern. So far, there is no vaccine available to prevent ChD or targeted animal therapy.

The project DogIPM represents a first step in precision immune medicine applied to canine diseases caused by trypanosomatids. These tools will make it possible to control the infection, reduce the amount, frequency of administration and toxicity of non-specific therapy currently used, improve treatment adherence, and achieve clinical and parasitic cure.

The researchers of the DogIPM project thus hope to make a valid contribution to controlling Leishmania and Trypanosoma infection, with the development of vaccines to prevent the infection or inducing the most adequate immune response to cure. Controlling neglected parasitic diseases will contribute to improving the health care available to animals and people and will have a positive impact on the evolution of society.


Funding

FCT – Immune precision medicine as a new opportunity to control canine trypanosomatid diseases – DogIPM PTDC/CVT-CVT/0228/2020

Contacts

PI
Prof. Gabriela Santos-Gomes
SantosGomes@ihmt.unl.pt

co-PI 
Prof. Isabel Pereira da Fonseca
ifonseca@fmv.ulisboa.pt