Pedro Moreno

NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies

Junior Researcher

I earned my Biochemistry degree from the University of Coimbra (Portugal) in 2004.

Completed PhD in 2011 working in the Molecular Cell Biology and Gene Therapy Group, under the supervision of Prof. Edvard Smith, at Karolinska Institute, Sweden. My doctoral studies focused on: i) development of new gene medicines based on synthetic oligonucleotides designed and modified to enhance gene silencing (siRNA and antisense oligonucleotides) or alter RNA splice patterns; ii) development and evaluation of nucleic acids delivery systems.

I then moved to INEB to proceed with post-doctoral studies in the Biomaterials for Neuroscience group, having won a Marie Curie Fellowship (2013-2014). Present research involves development of DNA-based nanostructures as novel drug delivery vehicles, and nucleic acids-based technologies (e.g.: antisense, splice-modulation, anti-gene) as novel gene medicines for neuronal applications.

General research interests include Drug/Gene delivery systems; Nanotechnology; Biomaterials; Nucleic-acids technology; Oligonucleotide therapeutics (siRNA/miRNA, antisense oligos, antagomiRs); Regenerative Medicine.

ORCID ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3773-3262 )

Selected Publications

Leiro V., Garcia J.P., Moreno P.M.D., Spencer A.P., Fernandez-Villamarin M., Riguera R., Fernandez-Megia E., Paula Pêgo A.,

Biodegradable PEG-dendritic block copolymers: Synthesis and biofunctionality assessment as vectors of siRNA. Journal of Materials Chemistry B5(25):4901-4917, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 14] [IF: 4,8]
DOI: 10.1039/c7tb00279c SCOPUS: 85021637380.

Zaghloul E.M., Gissberg O., Moreno P.M.D., Siggens L., Hallbrink M., Jørgensen A.S., Ekwall K., Zain R., Wengel J., Lundin K.E., Smith C.I.E.,

CTG repeat-targeting oligonucleotides for down-regulating Huntingtin expression. Nucleic Acids Research45(9):5153-5169, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 17] [IF: 11,6]
DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx111 SCOPUS: 85027122602.

Moreno P.M.D., Santos J.C., Gomes C.P., Varela-Moreira A., Costa A., Leiro V., Mansur H., Peîgo A.P.,

Delivery of Splice Switching Oligonucleotides by Amphiphilic Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles. Molecular Pharmaceutics13(2):344-356, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 14] [IF: 4,4]
DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00538 SCOPUS: 84957309922.

Santos J.C.C., Moreno P.M.D., Mansur A.A.P., Leiro V., Mansur H.S., Pêgo A.P.,

Functionalized chitosan derivatives as nonviral vectors: Physicochemical properties of acylated N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan/oligonucleotide nanopolyplexes. Soft Matter11(41):8113-8125, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 29] [IF: 3,8]
DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01403d SCOPUS: 84944345746.

Bestas B., Moreno P.M.D., Blomberg K.E.M., Mohammad D.K., Saleh A.F., Sutlu T., Nordin J.Z., Guterstam P., Gustafsson M.O., Kharazi S., Piatosa B., Roberts T.C., Behlke M.A., Wood M.J.A., Gait M.J., Lundin K.E., El Andaloussi S., Mansson R., Berglöf A., Wengel J., Smith C.I.E.,

Splice-correcting oligonucleotides restore BTK function in X-linked agammaglobulinemia model. Journal of Clinical Investigation124(9):4067-4081, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 13,2]
DOI: 10.1172/JCI76175 SCOPUS: 84907008349.

Moreno P.M.D., Geny S., Pabon Y.V., Bergquist H., Zaghloul E.M., Rocha C.S.J., Oprea I.I., Bestas B., Andaloussi S.E., Jørgensen P.T., Pedersen E.B., Lundin K.E., Zain R., Wengel J., Smith C.I.E.,

Development of bis-locked nucleic acid (bisLNA) oligonucleotides for efficient invasion of supercoiled duplex DNA. Nucleic Acids Research41(5):3257-3273, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 24] [IF: 8,8]
DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt007 SCOPUS: 84876401355.

Moreno P.M.D., Ferreira A.R., Salvador D., Rodrigues M.T., Torrado M., Carvalho E.D., Tedebark U., Sousa M.M., Amaral I.F., Wengel J., Pêgo A.P.,

Hydrogel-Assisted Antisense LNA Gapmer Delivery for In Situ Gene Silencing in Spinal Cord Injury. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids11:393-406, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 13] [IF: 5,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.03.009 SCOPUS: 85045213607.