In vivo CAM assays
Scientific Coordinator
Joana Paredes (JParedes) is Principal Investigator of the Epithelial Interactions in Cancer group at Ipatimup/i3s and Affiliated Professor of the Pathology and Oncology Department at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. She graduated in Biology at Coimbra University in 1999 and completed her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine of Porto University in 2004. For 2 years, she worked in the Cancer Research Laboratory of Gent University (Belgium), which is a reference in cell-cell adhesion and cancer.
Currently, JParedes has a nationally and internationally recognized expertise on the relevant role of the adhesion molecule P-cadherin (P-cad) in a specific model of cancer: breast cancer. JParedes is frequently invited to participate in projects and conferences within this topic. She was the first demonstrating that de novo P-cad expression is a poor prognostic factor for breast cancer patients, conferring invasive and stem cell properties to cancer cells, and turning them therapy resistant.
JParedes has 62 publications in international peer-review journals, with more than 2000 citations. She is the first author of 9 manuscripts and senior author in 14, with an h-index of 27. Her results were published in top cancer-related journals, including Cancer Research, Oncogene, Clinical Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Research, BBA Reviews on Cancer, Journal of Pathology, Nanoscale, Modern Pathology, Molecular Cancer, Stem Cells and Oncotarget. JParedes also participates in projects not directly related with her own research, with data published in Q1 journals, such as Nature Communications, Scientific Reports, Gastroenterology, Gut, and Human Molecular Genetics, reflecting her scientific expertise in adhesion molecules and breast cancer.
JParedes became an independent researcher in 2009. She got funding as PI from FCT, Portugal 2020, NIH (Portuguese PI), Sanofi-Aventis International, Gulbenkian Foundation, and from cancer patient's associations, such as Laço and No Stomach for Cancer. She has been considered by IPATIMUP’s External Advisory Board as a promising group leader. With 40yo, she is currently leading 1 national Consortium involving three exceptional research institutes, namely i3s, IGC and CNC/IBILI, entitled: “Tackling Cancer Stem Cells: a challenge and an opportunity to advance in anti-cancer therapy”. Furthermore, she is also participating in several on-going collaborative projects.
JParedes is currently supervisor/co-supervisor of 5 post-doctoral fellows and 8 PhD students. Furthermore, JParedes has supervised and co-supervised 6 PhD students that completed their theses in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as 11 Master students, since 2004 until the present date. As an independent researcher, she attracted new members to a multidisciplinary team, which currently comprises 3 post-docs, 4 MD/PhD students, 4 PhD students, and 2 research fellows.
P-cadherin: A useful biomarker for axillary-based breast cancer decisions in the clinical practice. Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc30(5):698-709, 2017. [Journal: Article] [IF: 6,7]
DOI: 10.1038/modpathol.2016.232 SCOPUS: 85010868663. .
Ribeiro A., Carvalho F., Figueiredo J., Carvalho R., Mestre T., Monteiro J., Guedes A., Fonseca M., Sanches J., Seruca R., Santos N., Paredes J.,
Atomic force microscopy and graph analysis to study the P-cadherin/SFK mechanotransduction signalling in breast cancer cells. Nanoscale8(46):19390-19401, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 5] [IF: 7,4]
DOI: 10.1039/c6nr04465d SCOPUS: 84998881935. .
Sousa B., Ribeiro A., Nobre A., Lopes N., Martins D., Pinheiro C., Vieira A., Albergaria A., Gerhard R., Schmitt F., Baltazar F., Paredes J.,
The basal epithelial marker P-cadherin associates with breast cancer cell populations harboring a glycolytic and acid-resistant phenotype. BMC Cancer14(1):, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 3,4]
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-734 SCOPUS: 84908094892. .
Vieira A., Ribeiro A., Dionísio M., Sousa B., Nobre A., Albergaria A., Santiago-Gómez A., Mendes N., Gerhard R., Schmitt F., Clarke R., Paredes J.,
P-cadherin signals through the laminin receptor a6ß4 integrin to induce stem cell and invasive properties to basal-like breast cancer cells. Oncotarget5(3):679-692, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 20] [IF: 6,4]
DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1459 SCOPUS: 84896821980. .
Ribeiro A., Sousa B., Carreto L., Mendes N., Nobre A., Ricardo S., Albergaria A., Cameselle-Teijeiro J., Gerhard R., Söderberg O., Seruca R., Santos M., Schmitt F., Paredes J.,
P-cadherin functional role is dependent on E-cadherin cellular context: A proof of concept using the breast cancer model. Journal of Pathology229(5):705-718, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 7,3]
DOI: 10.1002/path.4143 SCOPUS: 84875054847. .
Vieira A., Ricardo S., Ablett M., Dionísio M., Mendes N., Albergaria A., Farnie G., Gerhard R., Cameselle-Teijeiro J., Seruca R., Schmitt F., Clarke R., Paredes J.,
P-cadherin is coexpressed with CD44 and CD49f and mediates stem cell properties in basal-like breast cancer. Stem Cells30(5):854-864, 2012. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 7,7]
DOI: 10.1002/stem.1075 SCOPUS: 84860499799. .
Paredes J., Figueiredo J., Albergaria A., Oliveira P., Carvalho J., Ribeiro A., Caldeira J., Costa A., Simões-Correia J., Oliveira M., Pinheiro H., Pinho S., Mateus R., Reis C., Leite M., Fernandes M., Schmitt F., Carneiro F., Figueiredo C., Oliveira C., Seruca R.,
Epithelial E- and P-cadherins: Role and clinical significance in cancer. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer1826(2):297-311, 2012. [Journal: Review] [CI: 116] [IF: 9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2012.05.002 SCOPUS: 84861800037. .
Ribeiro A., Albergaria A., Sousa B., Correia A., Bracke M., Seruca R., Schmitt F., Paredes J.,
Extracellular cleavage and shedding of P-cadherin: A mechanism underlying the invasive behaviour of breast cancer cells. Oncogene29(3):392-402, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 61] [IF: 7,4]
DOI: 10.1038/onc.2009.338 SCOPUS: 75149183984. .
Paredes J., Albergaria A., Oliveira J., Jeronimo C., Milanezi F., Schmitt F.,
P-cadherin overexpression is an indicator of clinical outcome in invasive breast carcinomas and is associated with CDH3 promoter hypomethylation. Clinical Cancer Research11(16):5869-5877, 2005. [Journal: Article] [CI: 148] [IF: 5,7]
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-05-0059 SCOPUS: 23844489449. .
Paredes J., Stove C., Stove V., Milanezi F., Van Marck V., Derycke L., Mareel M., Bracke M., Schmitt F.,
P-cadherin is up-regulated by the antiestrogen ICI 182,780 and promotes invasion of human breast cancer cells. Cancer Research64(22):8309-8317, 2004. [Journal: Article] [CI: 51] [IF: 7,7]
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-04-0795 SCOPUS: 8544229187. .