Future Scientists in Immunology Project: Understanding the Recognition Processes of Immune and Non-Immune Cells

• Grant number: 25/13878-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Niels Olsen Saraiva Câmara
• Grantee: Niels Olsen Saraiva Câmara
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/07482-2 - Sensing extra and intracellular stressors by renal and immune cells: new insights into signal reception and transduction, and their relevance for understanding renal diseases, AP.TEM

Abstract

The project focuses on investigating the immunological and inflammatory mechanisms that connect the skin, intestine, and other peripheral organs, with particular emphasis on the cellular and molecular pathways involved in chronic inflammatory and tumor-related diseases.The interconnection between the skin, intestine, and kidneys in inflammatory contexts highlights the skin's ability to influence systemic immune responses, as evidenced in psoriasis, which is often associated with metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities. This perspective expands the understanding of the skin as an active immunological organ with impact beyond its barrier function.The role of resident memory CD4+ T cells (TRM) in the intestine, especially in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is explored through the regulation of inflammatory mRNA translation in these cells via the mTOR pathway. The project will use both in vivo and in vitro models to assess the impact of this pathway on intestinal inflammatory responses.Complementing this approach, the project also investigates the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the transcription factor HIF-1¿ in IBD, linking hypoxia, mitochondrial stress, and epithelial-immune imbalance. Using murine intestinal organoids, we aim to determine whether Tregs can modulate or exacerbate inflammation by interacting with the epithelium under hypoxic stress.Finally, chronic inflammation serves as a link between immune dysfunction and cancer. One of the project components will analyze the p38/MAPK signaling pathway in a zebrafish model of intestinal tumorigenesis induced by KRASV12. The study aims to evaluate pathway activation and the effects of its pharmacological inhibition with Ralimetinib, seeking to understand its role in intestinal tumor development. (AU)