LAB MEMBERS
KARINA BORTOLUCI
Principal Investigator
Mum of 2 kids and 3 cats. Science, yoga, nature, kids, and cats crazy lover
Karina is an expert in Innate Immunity. Her scientific contributions include the description of the SPM peritoneal macrophage subpopulation (10.1073/pnas.0915000107 and 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00225), demonstration the participation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in controlling T. cruzi infection by macrophages (10.1371/journal.pntd.0002469) and CNS glial cells (10.1002 /JLB.4AB1118-416RR), description of unconventional inflammasome-mediated effector mechanisms to control infections, such as iNOS activation (10.1074/jbc.M110.124297), epigenetic regulation of inflammatory genes (10.1038 / srep41686), the process of cathepsin-mediated cell death (10.1073/pnas.1305316110) and autophagy (10.1002/JLB.HI1118-461R).
Her laboratory is currently focused on studying the molecular pathways involved in the activation of inflammasomes and their impact on the control of infections and inflammatory pathologies.
Karina is the Former Vice-President of the Brazilian Society for Immunology (2020-21). She is also a teacher of Hatha Vinyasa and Multidimensional Vinyasa Yoga (500 YTT), and the founder of the #yogacomciencia #Project.
MARCELO AMARAL
Ph.D. Student
Loves science, immunology, microorganisms, innovation, teaching, nature, coffee and chocolate.
Marcelo graduated in Biological Sciences (2015) and also obtained his Master of Science title in Microbiology and Immunology (2018), both at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) - Brazil. He is at present a Ph.D. student in the Bortoluci Lab at UNIFESP. He is currently developing his research investigating the role of inflammasome proteins after protozoan parasites infection.
INGRID FARIAS
Ph.D. Student
Loves science, TV shows, Star Wars, books, and coffee.
Bachelor of Biomedicine from Paulista University (2017) and Maters in Immunology UNIFESP (2019)
Ingrid is currently a PhD student at the Bortoluci lab- Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). She is investigating the role of inflammasomes in glial cells from the central nervous system after viral infections.
BEATRIZ FIGUEIREDO
Ph.D. Student
Love science, arts, pizza and açaí.
Graduated in Biomedicine (2016) and Master in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents (2018) by the Federal University of Pará (UFPA).
PhD student at the Department of Pharmacology (UNIFESP).
LUIZA ZAINOTTI
Master Student
Loves science, pets, poetry, music and coffee.
Luiza is a biologist graduated at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in which she studied the modulation of inflammasomes mediated by extracellular vesicles derived from head and neck squamous carcinoma cells during her undergraduate research.
Currently she is a master's student in the Immunology Program at the University of São Paulo (USP) and her main interest is to evaluate the effect of pyroptotic cell death in the control of infection by protozoa parasites in different cell types.
AYRTON CARVALHEDO
Master Student
Passionate about science, science communication, movie and sports enthusiast in general.
Bachelor and Degree in Biological Sciences from Universidade São Judas Tadeu (2018). He completed his Scientific Initiation with pathogenic fungi at UNIFESP (2017), held an internship with endophytic bacteria at the University of Aveiro, Portugal (2019). He has worked as a Biology editor for Basic Education collections and is the host of the Palpitar Científico podcast.
He is currently developing his master's project to join the Pharmacology Department at UNIFESP.
RAFAEL QUEIROZ
Undergraduate student
A cat´s father. Loves reading, watching animes, and learning biochemistry and immunology.
Rafael is graduating in Biological Sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo. He has a great interest in immunology and intends to work with immunometabolism, seeking to understand the metabolic changes in cells amid protozoan infections
AMANDA CANIATO
Undergraduate student
Loves science, beach, series, and books.
Amanda is a graduate student in Biological Sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP).
She is currently Vice President of the Junior Biology Company at UNIFESP
Diadema. In addition, she acts as a tutor in the Immunology classes, helping students with doubts and correcting the exercises performed by them.
She is entering the laboratory aiming new discoveries and immersing herself in the universe of immunology.