Jorge Pedrosa holds a degree in Biochemistry and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Jorge Pedrosa is a Full Professor at the School of Medicine (EM) – University of Minho (UM), the EM Vice-Dean for research at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS) – UM. His research interests are in the field of Health Sciences-Immunology and he is particularly interested in the host immune response against infections by highly virulent mycobacteria, namely Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of the emergent tropical disease Buruli ulcer, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. He is using animal models in Biosafety Level 3 laboratories and collaborating with a network of health care institutions in Portugal and in Benin, to both evaluate new strategies aiming at the modulation of the host immune response and to develop new systems of specific delivery of antimicrobial agents to infected cells. Jorge Pedrosa has published 71 peer-reviewed research articles, with an h-index of 30 and that have been cited more than 2800 times. He has supervised 9 PhD-Students and 3 MSc.
1. First demonstration of a protective role played by neutrophils in the early phase of experimental tuberculosis;
2. First isolation from the environment of a pure culture of M. ulcerans, the causative agent of the emergent infectious disease Buruli ulcer, implicating the involvement of aquatic insects in the transmission of this neglected disease;
3. Characterization of the host inflammatory response to M. ulcerans;
4. First description of an intracellular growth phase for M. ulcerans, as well as of the mechanisms of macrophage-mediated immune control for this pathogen.
Life-threatening human infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens are now re-emerging, in part due to the increased resistance to antibiotics. Antibiotics are non-specific, they can target a wide group of bacteria, perturbing our natural microbiota. This fact, besides…
Buruli Ulcer (BU) is a neglected infectious disease responsible for massive necrotic skin lesions. BU is the third most common mycobacteriosis worldwide, with higher incidence rates reported in poor-income countries of Africa, of which over 50% of patients are children…
Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli Ulcer (BU), a neglected tropical disease characterized by extensive necrotic skin lesions. M. ulcerans, although an intracellular pathogen, is able to secrete a cytotoxic and immunosuppressive toxin – mycolactone…
Buruli Ulcer (BU) is a NTD caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. The progression of the disease affects primarily the skin…
Fabry disease (FD) a is multi-systemic, X-linked lysosomal storage disease caused by a range of mutations in the GLA gene that encodes for alpha-galactosidase A (α-gal A). Mutations leading to a deficient or absent activity of the enzyme α-gal A result in a progressive accumulation…
Life and Health Sciences
Research Institute (ICVS)
School of Medicine,
University of Minho,
Campus de Gualtar
4710-057 Braga
Portugal
Copyright ©2022 ICVS. All Rights Reserved
Copyright ©2022 ICVS. All Rights Reserved
Life and Health Sciences
Research Institute (ICVS)
School of Medicine,
University of Minho,
Campus de Gualtar
4710-057 Braga
Portugal
Copyright ©2022 ICVS. All Rights Reserved
Life and Health Sciences
Research Institute (ICVS)
School of Medicine,
University of Minho,
Campus de Gualtar
4710-057 Braga
Portugal