Yugo Araújo Martins

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Ceará (Brazil) with the honorific title Magna Cum Laude, where I gained experience in developing and validating (bio)analytical methods (spectrometric, microbiological, and chromatographic) for determining drugs in pharmaceutical products and biological samples (2012-2016). I completed a sandwich undergraduate program at the University of Tennessee (USA) (2013-2014) and undertook a research internship at the University of Arizona (2014), where I gained experience in molecular biology techniques. During my Master's in Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP - FCFRP) (2017-2019), I developed expertise in the therapeutic applications of ultrasound (sonophoresis and sonodynamic therapy) and iontophoresis for the topical treatment of skin tumors. During my PhD in Sciences at USP-FCFRP (2019-2024), I developed innovative drug delivery strategies targeting viral ENT and pulmonary infections. My research focused on the design and evaluation of nanomaterials with antiviral, immunomodulatory, and mucomodulatory properties, aiming to advance therapeutic approaches for viral respiratory infections. My research and contributions in this field have earned me 8 awards from esteemed national and international institutions and agencies, recognizing the excellence of my studies. I was also awarded the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship to conduct part of my doctoral studies at the Université de Genève and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland, 2021-2022), where I specialized in Virology, focusing on evaluating the efficacy and elucidating the mechanisms of action of antiviral compounds. At the USP-FCFRP, I worked on the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (2020) and co-funded the Brazilian Local Chapter of the Controlled Release Society and led its young scientists' committee as its president (2019-2020). Currently, I am an active member of the young scientists' committee within the Nano Québec-Brazil initiative, a collaborative consortium of laboratories. I design and evaluate nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for small molecules and nucleic acids, assessing their efficacy through in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. My research focuses on non-invasive administration routes, including cutaneous, ocular, intranasal, and pulmonary delivery and addresses therapeutic challenges in ENT and pulmonary infections, with particular emphasis on novel broad-spectrum antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal strategies. A central focus of my postdoctoral research is to understand pathogen-host interactions in order to develop innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). (Fonte: Currículo Lattes)