Bruno Costa da Silva

Is graduated in Pharmacy (2004), specialist in Clinical Analysis (2005) and Mastership in Neurosciences Concentration in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (2007) at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. During the period of scientific initiation and mastership (2001-2007) worked in the areas of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Neurobiology and Embryology, focusing in the following subjects: Microenvironment role on neuron-glia interactions, central nervous system and neural crest development and study of the adult hair follicle stem cells pluripotency. During the doctorate period in Sciences Concentration in Oncology, at Antonio Prudente Foundation A C Camargo Hospital, studied the functional relevance of the Cellular Prion Protein and STI1 in Melanomas, Colorectal and Pancreatic Tumors. In his Post-Doctorate project at Weill Cornell Medical College (New York USA) he studied of the tumor-derived exosmose in Tumor growth and metastasis. Currently he ig principal investigator of the Systems Oncology group at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal, where he leads projects on the identification of exosomal biomolecules applicable for diagnosis and follow-up of oncologic patients.Beyond the horizontal transfer of biomolecules, we intend to investigate EVs as regulators of the activity and biodistribution of soluble proteins relevant to oncologic and non-oncologic diseases. We believe that this underappreciated mechanism is likely to play a crucial role in these settings. To investigate this phenomenon, in the past few years, we have developed methodologies that allow us to characterise EV-protein interactions. In unpublished data, we have identified the interaction of EVs with multiple extracellular soluble factors that play important roles in immunity and metabolism. This includes IFN#947;, a key player in immunosurveillance and response to emerging anti-tumour therapies like Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. We will utilise our knowledge of EV biology and animal models (e.g., cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer) to investigate the pathophysiological relevance of EV protein interactions.Since 2016, our group has published 33 papers (23 original and 10 reviews), with 12 of them having me as corresponding/co-corresponding author. We have also registered a patent for a method of monitoring the tumour burden in pancreatic cancer patients. Our work was presented at over forty national and thirty international conferences and communicated to the general public via radio, television, print, and digital news platforms in at least ten occasions. We were also awarded with 5 international grants (+1.5M). Furthermore, I have supervised 18 researchers (8 post-docs, 7 PhD students, and 3 MSc students), of whom 6 are still active and 12 have concluded their work. I also served on the organising committee for the Champalimaud Symposium of 2022. Besides, I am currently a member of the Champalimaud International Neuroscience and Cancer Doctoral Programme education committee. In this period, I have also reviewed papers for more than 21 international scientific periodicals and grants for more than 6 funding agencies, and I have served on the jury for more than 15 PhD theses and 6 MSc dissertations. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)