creating a
healthier future
Soraia Pinto
Post-doctoral Fellow

Soraia Pinto concluded her PhD in the Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences (Jul 2024) at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), UPorto, supported by a Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) grant. Her PhD was conducted under a partnership between Nanomedicines and Drug Delivery (NTDD) group from Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, and the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. Soraia Pinto also got a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, in 2018. Her current areas of interest include biomaterials, type 2 diabetes mellitus-targeted therapies, and intestinal target. Soraia Pinto has developed extensive work in the field of nanotechnology since 2018, which was translated in the publication of 18 articles in international peer reviewed journals (6 as first-author and 12 as co-author; h-index: 8; > 300 citations, Scopus), and 3 book chapters (1 as first-author, and 2 as co-author). She also participated in national and international conferences with 25 poster presentations and 6 oral presentations. She was recognized with 3 distinctions: an honorable mention, a second-best poster presentation, and a Junior Scientist fellowship grant to participate in an international conference. Soraia Pinto alongside three fellow researchers, was congratulated with the “Spin Your Thesis” grant (2020) supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the project “The effect of hypergravity in the intestinal permeability of nanoformulations and molecules”. Soraia Pinto was also enrolled in collaborative projects with academic institutions and pharmaceuticals industries (e.g., Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Aché from Brazil, and Vifor Pharma and Ferring Holding SA from Switzerland). She is currently supervising 1 MSc student (UPorto) and between 2022 and 2024, she mentored 2 MSc students (UPorto and Erasmus Mundus NANOMED - EU Mobility) and 3 PhD candidates (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; Barcelona Institute of Science and Biology, Spain; Buenos Aires University, Argentina). Soraia Pinto was involved in the writing of 4 R&D projects proposals from 2020 to 2023 (e.g., FCT calls). As part of her commitment to the research field, she was enrolled in the scientific committee of Controlled Release Society (CRS) as Ambassador of the Young Scientist Committee (YSC, 2022-2023), and Trainee Representative of the Oral Delivery Focus Group CRS (since Jan 2024). Her commitment to science extends beyond research, as she has actively contributed to educational outreach initiatives aimed at inspiring younger audiences to pursue research careers. As an instructor at Porto Junior University (2017), she engaged teenagers in hands-on scientific techniques, such as in vitro drug release studies and ex vivo permeability assays, fostering their interest in science and providing them with practical knowledge. She was also part of the Children’s Porto project as instructor, an initiative led by researchers from i3S, where she introduced primary school children to basic and fundamental science related with human bones, blood cells, and biomaterials. These outreach experiences were meaningful to improve her skills in communication and mentoring for non-scientific communities, but also in simplifying complex concepts to reach a broader spectrum of society.

Selected Publications

Pinto S., Hosseini M., Buckley S.T., Yin W., Garousi J., Gräslund T., van Ijzendoorn S., Santos H.A., Sarmento B.
Nanoparticles targeting the intestinal Fc receptor enhance intestinal cellular trafficking of semaglutide. Journal of Controlled Release366:621-636, 2024. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 10.5 (*)]
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.01.015 SCOPUS: 85182731048

Silva F.A.L.S., Pinto S., Santos S.G., Magalhães F.D., Sarmento B., Pinto A.M.
New graphene-containing pharmaceutical formulations for infrared lamps-based phototherapy of skin cancer: In vitro validation and ex-vivo human skin permeation. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine57:, 2024. [Journal: Article] [IF: 4.2 (*)]
DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2024.102734 SCOPUS: 85186954265

Barros A.S., Pinto S., Viegas J., Martins C., Almeida H., Alves I., Pinho S., Nunes R., Harris A., Sarmento B.
Orally Delivered Stimulus-Sensitive Nanomedicine to Harness Teduglutide Efficacy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Small20(45):, 2024. [Journal: Article] [IF: 13 (*)]
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202402502 SCOPUS: 85198399661

Pinto S., Shrestha N., Araújo F., Hirvonen J., Santos H.A., Sarmento B.
Cell-based in vitro models for buccal permeability studies. Concepts and Models for Drug Permeability Studies: Cell and Tissue based In Vitro Culture Models:45-65, 2024. [Book: Book Chapter]
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-15510-9.00004-9 SCOPUS: 85189599765

Pinto S.F.T., Santos H.A., Sarmento B.F.C.C.
New insights into nanomedicines for oral delivery of glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology16(2):, 2024. [Journal: Review] [CI: 1] [IF: 6.9 (*)]
DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1952 SCOPUS: 85188232786

Pinto D., Almeida A., López-Yerena A., Pinto S., Sarmento B., Lamuela-Raventós R., Vallverdú-Queralt A., Delerue-Matos C., Rodrigues F.
Appraisal of a new potential antioxidants-rich nutraceutical ingredient from chestnut shells through in-vivo assays – A targeted metabolomic approach in phenolic compounds. Food Chemistry404:, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 19] [IF: 8.5]
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134546 SCOPUS: 85139596965

Zimath P., Pinto S., Dias S., Rafacho A., Sarmento B.
Zein nanoparticles as oral carrier for mometasone furoate delivery. Drug Delivery and Translational Research13(11):2948-2959, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 3] [IF: 5.7]
DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01367-y SCOPUS: 85159679962

Hameedat F., Pinto S., Marques J., Dias S., Sarmento B.
Functionalized zein nanoparticles targeting neonatal Fc receptor to enhance lung absorption of peptides. Drug Delivery and Translational Research13(6):1699-1715, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 6] [IF: 5.7]
DOI: 10.1007/s13346-022-01286-4 SCOPUS: 85145230534

Cristelo C., Nunes R., Pinto S., Marques J.M., Gama F.M., Sarmento B.
Targeting β Cells with Cathelicidin Nanomedicines Improves Insulin Function and Pancreas Regeneration in Type 1 Diabetic Rats. ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science6(10):1544-1560, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 5] [IF: 6 (*)]
DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.3c00218 SCOPUS: 85176122347

Hameedat F., Pizarroso N.A., Teixeira N., Pinto S., Sarmento B.
Functionalized FcRn-targeted nanosystems for oral drug delivery: A new approach to colorectal cancer treatment. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences176:, 2022. [Journal: Article] [CI: 4] [IF: 4,6]
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106259 SCOPUS: 85134565774

Helena Macedo M., Baião A., Pinto S., Barros A.S., Almeida H., Almeida A., das Neves J., Sarmento B.
Mucus-producing 3D cell culture models. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews178:, 2021. [Journal: Review] [CI: 10] [IF: 17,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.113993 SCOPUS: 85116606046

Azevedo C., Pinto S., Benjakul S., Nilsen J., Santos H.A., Traverso G., Andersen J.T., Sarmento B.
Prevention of diabetes-associated fibrosis: Strategies in FcRn-targeted nanosystems for oral drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews175:, 2021. [Journal: Review] [CI: 14] [IF: 17,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.04.016 SCOPUS: 85108075805

Silva F.A.L.S., Costa-Almeida R., Timochenco L., Amaral S.I., Pinto S., Gonçalves I.C., Fernandes J.R., Magalhães F.D., Sarmento B., Pinto A.M.
Graphene oxide topical administration: Skin permeability studies. Materials14(11):, 2021. [Journal: Article] [CI: 16] [IF: 3,7]
DOI: 10.3390/ma14112810 SCOPUS: 85107409653

Azevedo C., Macedo M.H., Almeida A., Pinto S., van Loon J.J.W.A., Sarmento B.
The effect of hypergravity in intestinal permeability of nanoformulations and molecules. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics163:38-48, 2021. [Journal: Article] [CI: 2] [IF: 5,6]
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2021.03.013 SCOPUS: 85105010694

Moreira S.A., Silva S., Costa E., Pinto S., Sarmento B., Saraiva J.A., Pintado M.
Effect of high hydrostatic pressure extraction on biological activities and phenolics composition of winter savory leaf extracts. Antioxidants9(9):1-21, 2020. [Journal: Article] [CI: 18] [IF: 6,3]
DOI: 10.3390/antiox9090841 SCOPUS: 85090639516

Pinto S., Pintado M.E., Sarmento B.
In vivo, ex vivo and in vitro assessment of buccal permeation of drugs from delivery systems. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery17(1):33-48, 2020. [Journal: Review] [CI: 39] [IF: 6,6]
DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2020.1699913 SCOPUS: 85075977699

Moura R.P., Martins C., Pinto S., Sousa F., Sarmento B.
Blood-brain barrier receptors and transporters: an insight on their function and how to exploit them through nanotechnology. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery16(3):271-285, 2019. [Journal: Review] [CI: 98] [IF: 4,8]
DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2019.1583205 SCOPUS: 85063003421

Moura R.P., Sousa F., Almeida A., Pinto S., Sarmento B.
Theranostic biomaterials for regulation of the blood-brain barrier. Theranostic Bionanomaterials:303-319, 2019. [Book: Book Chapter] [CI: 3]
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-815341-3.00013-4 SCOPUS: 85082613853

Vieira A.C.C., Chaves L.L., Pinheiro S., Pinto S., Pinheiro M., Lima S.C., Ferreira D., Sarmento B., Reis S.
Mucoadhesive chitosan-coated solid lipid nanoparticles for better management of tuberculosis. International Journal of Pharmaceutics536(1):478-485, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 115] [IF: 4,2]
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.11.071 SCOPUS: 85037993500

Pinto S., Viegas J., Cristelo C., Pacheco C., Barros S., Buckley S.T., Garousi J., Gräslund T., Santos H.A., Sarmento B.
Bioengineered Nanomedicines Targeting the Intestinal Fc Receptor Achieve the Improved Glucoregulatory Effect of Semaglutide in a Type 2 Diabetic Mice Model. ACS Nano18(41):28406-28424, 2024. [Journal: Article] [IF: 15.8 (*)]
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c11172 SCOPUS: 85205766209