Where Ideas Grow
Cecília Cristelo
PhD Student

Cecília Cristelo is currenlty a PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS-UPorto), where she has been studying the development of a nanocarrier targeted to the pancreas for the treatment of diabetes. With a solid background in biomedical research with 8 years of experience spanning from her Master in Molecular Genetics (2016), a research fellowship (2018) and her PhD research, Cecília became skilled in the production and characterization of nanocarriers and in biological studies, both in cellular and in animal models. During the PhD she developed effective written and verbal communication skills, creative and critical thinking, excellent organizational skills, and ability to both team-based and independent work, managing tight deadlines. Cecília is now nearing the completion of her PhD, being motivated and enthusiastic on learning new skills and developing novel strategies to improve patients lives. 

Selected Publications

Cristelo C., Machado A., Sarmento B., Gama F.M.,
The roles of vitamin d and cathelicidin in type 1 diabetes susceptibility. Endocrine Connections10(1):R1-R12, 2021. [Journal: Article] [CI: 7] [IF: 3,2]
DOI: 10.1530/EC-20-0484 SCOPUS: 85101876718.


Cristelo C., Azevedo C., Marques J.M., Nunes R., Sarmento B.,
SARS-CoV-2 and diabetes: New challenges for the disease. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice164:, 2020. [Journal: Review] [CI: 46] [IF: 5,6]
DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108228 SCOPUS: 85085527106.


Leal S., Cristelo C., Silvestre S., Fortunato E., Sousa A., Alves A., Correia D.M., Lanceros-Mendez S., Gama M.,
Hydrophobic modification of bacterial cellulose using oxygen plasma treatment and chemical vapor deposition. Cellulose27(18):10733-10746, 2020. [Journal: Article] [CI: 31] [IF: 5]
DOI: 10.1007/s10570-020-03005-z SCOPUS: 85078329376.


Silva-Carvalho R., Silva J.P., Ferreirinha P., Leitão A.F., Andrade F.K., Gil da Costa R.M., Cristelo C., Rosa M.F., Vilanova M., Gama F.M.,
Inhalation of Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibrils triggers an inflammatory response and changes lung tissue morphology of mice. Toxicological Research35(1):45-63, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 19]
DOI: 10.5487/TR.2019.35.1.045 SCOPUS: 85065499160.