Agostinho Carvalho, a principal investigator at ICVS, has received more than $450,000 in funding from the Ann Theodore Foundation to lead a two-year research project focused on the mechanisms of sarcoidosis, a rare complex inflammatory disease that remains poorly understood. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Hélder Bastos and the FIBRALUNG consortium, the largest nationwide patient registry and biobank for interstitial lung diseases.
The grant, awarded under the Ann Theodore Foundation Breakthrough Sarcoidosis Initiative (ATF-BSI), supports interdisciplinary projects that aim to uncover the causes, variability, and potential treatments of sarcoidosis through advanced scientific tools and models.
Carvalho’s project, which began in June 2025, will investigate the role of phagosomal dynamics in macrophage functional plasticity, a process believed to be central to the development and progression of granulomatous inflammation, the defining feature of sarcoidosis. “Through a combination of cellular models, cutting-edge methodologies, and patient-derived samples we aim to clarify how these mechanisms influence disease onset and clinical trajectory” Carvalho explains.
Agostinho Carvalho
The Milken Institute and Ann Theodore Foundation have positioned ATF-BSI as a catalyst for scientific discovery in an area that has long struggled to attract dedicated research support. In this regard, Carvalho adds “Despite being a rare condition, it often presents with persistent fatigue, dyspnea, and other chronic symptoms that can significantly impair patients’ daily lives. Since it commonly affects individuals in their working years, the resulting socioeconomic burden highlights the need for continued research”.
ICVS’s participation in the program highlights the institute’s growing international presence in translational biomedical research, particularly in immunology and chronic inflammatory diseases.
