Nuno Santarém has a basic formation in Biochemistry (Faculty of Sciences, Porto University) and worked for the last 15 years on several aspects of Leishmania biology and infection (including Master and Doctoral studies). During these years published several papers that reflect a multidisciplinary approach to Leishmania biology (Basic Biology of the parasite, Diagnostic, Immune response associated to the parasite, Iron uptake, Exoproteome, Extra-Cellular Vesicles, Vaccination approaches). During undergraduate studies worked in the characterization of the immune response against two Leishmania peroxiredoxins. Eventually one of these proteins revealed great promises for the serological diagnosis of Canine leishmaniasis in asymptomatic dogs. This delving into diagnostic of canine leishmaniasis was for some years a “side project” that was developed with significant success. This work was the cornerstone for the development of a diagnostic kit that the is under development. The research developed for the master degree (Molecular Parasitology, University Aveiro) involved iron uptake by axenic amastigotes. Performed growth curves and uptake/binding experiments with different iron sources that relevant for the parasite. During PhD reported a novel approach to study the Leishmania exoproteome using a media that was developed for this effect. In fact, was among the first persons to postulate and confirm the existence of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in these parasites. In postdoctoral studies, worked on the basic characterization of Leishmania EVs and their potential as immunomodulatory elements for the infection. Eventually in the last years was a research assistant associated to two FP7projects, being mostly involved in work packages associated with in vitro and in vivo studies (using in vivo infection models) with promising chemical entities against the parasites. In the last 5 years also became proficient in the manipulation of Trypanosoma brucei model being involved in virulence factor validation.
Selected Publications
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00710 SCOPUS: 85021244202.
Faria J., Loureiro I., Santarém N., Ceclio P., Macedo-Ribeiro S., Tavares J., Cordeiro-da-Silva A.,
DOI: 10.1038/srep26937 SCOPUS: 84971221975.
Borsari C., Lucian R., Pozzi C., Poehner I., Henrich S., Trande M., Cordeiro-Da-silva A., Santarem N., Baptista C., Tait A., Di Pisa F., Iacono L.D., Landi G., Gul S., Wolf M., Kuzikov M., Ellinger B., Reinshagen J., Witt G., Gribbon P., Kohler M., Keminer O., Behrens B., Costantino L., Nevado P.T., Bifeld E., Eick J., Clos J., Torrado J., Jiménez-Antón M.D., Corral M.J., Alunda J.M., Pellati F., Wade R.C., Ferrari S., Mangani S., Costi M.P.,
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00698 SCOPUS: 84983672148.
Loureiro I., Faria J., Clayton C., Macedo-Ribeiro S., Santarém N., Roy N., Cordeiro-da-Siva A., Tavares J.,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003430 SCOPUS: 84922219276.
Yáñez-Mó M., Siljander P.R.M., Andreu Z., Zavec A.B., Borràs F.E., Buzas E.I., Buzas K., Casal E., Cappello F., Carvalho J., Colás E., Cordeiro-Da Silva A., Fais S., Falcon-Perez J.M., Ghobrial I.M., Giebel B., Gimona M., Graner M., Gursel I., Gursel M., Heegaard N.H.H., Hendrix A., Kierulf P., Kokubun K., Kosanovic M., Kralj-Iglic V., Krämer-Albers E.M., Laitinen S., Lässer C., Lener T., Ligeti E., Line A., Lipps G., Llorente A., Lötvall J., Mancek-Keber M., Marcilla A., Mittelbrunn M., Nazarenko I., Nolte-'t Hoen E.N.M., Nyman T.A., O'Driscoll L., Olivan M., Oliveira C., Pállinger É., Del Portillo H.A., Reventós J., Rigau M., Rohde E., Sammar M., Sánchez-Madrid F., Santarém N., Schallmoser K., Ostenfeld M.S., Stoorvogel W., Stukelj R., Van Der Grein S.G., Helena Vasconcelos M., Wauben M.H.M., De Wever O.,
DOI: 10.3402/jev.v4.27066 SCOPUS: 85014619748.
Cecílio P., Pérez-Cabezas B., Santarém N., Maciel J., Rodrigues V., da Silva A.C.,
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00480 SCOPUS: 84918800322.
Santarém N., Racine G., Silvestre R., Cordeiro-da-Silva A., Ouellette M.,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.03.012 SCOPUS: 84877062495.
Moreira D., Santarém N., Loureiro I., Tavares J., Silva A.M., Amorim A.M., Ouaissi A., Cordeiro-da-Silva A., Silvestre R.,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001469 SCOPUS: 84856584576.
Loureiro I., Faria J., Clayton C., Ribeiro S.M., Roy N., Santarém N., Tavares J., Cordeiro-da-Silva A.,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002578 SCOPUS: 84892749573.
Santarém N., Silvestre R., Cardoso L., Schallig H., Reed S.G., Cordeiro-da-Silva A.,
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02402-09 SCOPUS: 77951783796.