Rita F Santos graduated in Biomedical Sciences from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 2012 and then got a master's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Aveiro. Rita developed her master's thesis at Cell Activation and Gene Expression group in the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology under the supervision of Alexandre Carmo. Her main interest in investigating the features that regulate the immune response led her to pursue her studies in the field and enroll in the Ph.D. program in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Porto. During the Ph.D., Rita dissected the functional role of the T cell surface protein CD6 in regulating T cell activation with a special interest in the importance of this molecule during autoimmunity. After finishing her Ph.D., in September of 2020, Rita joined the Stem Cells in Regenerative Biology and Repair group at INEB in order to study the mechanisms behind the hematopoiesis process. Currently, Rita is a Junior Researcher in Immune Regulation group at i3S, where she is interested in understanding the molecular pathways that drive progressive fibrosis in patients with interstitial lung diseases.
Selected Publications
Domain-specific CD6 monoclonal antibodies identify CD6 isoforms generated by alternative-splicing. Immunology157(4):296-303, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 6] [IF: 5]
DOI: 10.1111/imm.13087 SCOPUS: 85068083912
Freitas R.F., Basto A., Almeida S.C.P., Santos R.F., Gonçalves C.M., Corria-Osorio J., Carvalho T., Carmo A.M., Oliveira V.G., Leon K., Graca L.
Modulation of CD4 T cell function via CD6-targeting. EBioMedicine47:427-435, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 5,7]
DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.08.008 SCOPUS: 85072256661
Gonçalves C., Henriques S., Santos R., Carmo A.
CD6, a rheostat-type signalosome that tunes T cell activation. Frontiers in Immunology9:, 2018. [Journal: Review] [CI: 26] [IF: 4,7]
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02994 SCOPUS: 85059925855
Pereira C., Bocková M., Santos R., Santos A., de Araújo M., Oliveira L., Homola J., Carmo A.
The scavenger receptor SSc5D physically interacts with bacteria through the SRCR-containing N-terminal domain. Frontiers in Immunology7(OCT):, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 16] [IF: 6,4]
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00416 SCOPUS: 84997514499
Santos R.F., Oliveira L., Carmo A.M.
Tuning T cell activation: The function of CD6 at the immunological synapse and in T cell responses. Current Drug Targets17(6):630-639, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 41] [IF: 3,2]
DOI: 10.2174/1389450116666150531152439 SCOPUS: 84964055216
Brisslert M., Bian L., Svensson M.N.D., Santos R.F., Jonsson I.M., Barsukov I., Erlandsson M., Andersson K., Carmo A.M., Bokarewa M.I.
S100A4 regulates the Src-tyrosine kinase dependent differentiation of Th17 cells in rheumatoid arthritis. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease1842(11):2049-2059, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 10] [IF: 4,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.07.003 SCOPUS: 84907983758