Silva Pereira Lab (Parasite Vascular Interactions)

The #EMBOWorkshop : Host–parasite relationship has come to a close! Thank you to all speakers, participants, and organizers for four inspiring days of science, discussion, and human connection. Until next time! 🧫✨

Our amazing student @leonorloira.bsky.social presented some of the lab’s work today at the @parafrap.bsky.social #EMBOconference
We are very proud.

At the #Parafrap #EMBO Conference “Host–Parasite Relationship: from Mechanisms to Control Strategies” in Ile des Embiez — amazing science, great friends, and stunning views! 🧬🌊✨

Our lab has two funded PhDs to start in 2026 via the NorthWestBio programme

Project details here
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
...and here
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...

Application deadline is Nov 21st 2025; apply here:
www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...

Pre-print alert 🚨: We have developed 2D and 3D stable iPSC endothelial-differentiation models through dox inducible ETS expression. We demonstrate endothelial identity and used these models for studying malaria pathogenesis research. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

First Patient Treated with Personalized CRISPR Therapy, Developed in Just Six Months The first on-demand CRISPR therapy for an infant with a rare metabolic disease developed by the IGI and collaborators around the world.

This is what can be achieved today due to longstanding federal support of academic basic science alongside close partnership of universities, private industry and NIH intramural initiatives. An ecosystem worth not just saving but doubling down on!

innovativegenomics.org/news/first-p...

Leveraging microphysiological systems to expedite understanding of host–parasite interactions Microphysiological systems (MPS) replicate the dynamic interactions between cells, tissues, and fluids. They have emerged as transformative tools for biology and have been increasingly applied to host...

Here’s our latest revision of microphysiological systems in parasitology research, published in @plos.org #plospathogens in collaboration with Jorge de-Carvalho (ITQB-NOVA) and @mariabernabeu.bsky.social. Kudos to @mariazalmeida.bsky.social, PhD student, for the heavy lifting of this work.

Join us for our next TrypsClub Journal Club!

Why the world needs a vision for public health now more than ever

LSHTM Director Liam Smeeth argues #PublicHealth research & education are even more important with #science under attack & global #health programmes facing unprecedented cuts.

www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

A child is dead from measles. 5 things on my mind and answers to your questions

Tragically, A child has died of measles in Texas. Cases of measles continue to grow in Texas & elsewhere in USA. Please seriously consider vaccinating your child with the MMR vaccine which is safe & effective. Outbreaks at this scale are NOT normal & is facilitated by high pptn of unvaccinated kids

5. The profile of VSG expression in mouse models is altered in sequestered parasites.

(7/7)

4. Both sequestered and non-sequestered parasites are infective to tsetse flies, but sequestered parasites result in heavier fly midgut infections. Whether this is linked to increased transmission potential remains unclear.

(6/7)

3. Sequestered parasites divide more than non-sequestered parasites in vitro and in vivo, regardless of the parasite strain.

(5/7)

2. cAMP Phosphodiesterase inhibition prevents and reverts parasite attachment to endothelial cells, suggesting that cAMP homeostasis is essential for sequestration.
(4/7)

What did we find?
1. Sequestration depends on wall shear stress/flow velocity, parasite strain, and endothelial cell type.

(3/7)

What's the problem?
using animal models is hard to decouple sequestration-derived events from general host responses.

So, what did we do?
We engineered 3D bovine microvessel models that mimic the bovine brain microvasculature and the bovine aorta.

(2/7)

Bioengineered 3D microvessels and complementary animal models reveal mechanisms of Trypanosoma congolense sequestration Communications Biology - Organ-specific bioengineered microvessels and animal models reveal that Trypanosoma congolense sequestration depends on the endothelial cell bed, parasite strain, cyclic...

Here's a short summary of our most recent paper, published today on @commsbio.bsky.social:

We want to understand how Trypanosoma congolense cytoadheres, or sequesters, to the vascular endothelium because sequestration determines clinical outcome and disease severity.

(1/7)

all the other co-authors, students and colleagues, who made this possible: @mariazalmeida.bsky.social , Teresa Porqueddu, Viola Introini, @silviasanzsender.bsky.social, and Diana Carrasqueira (5/5)

- @marianadeniz.bsky.social, our long-term collaborator who never drops the ball and is always ready for new scientific adventures
- @aitorcasass.bsky.social, who accepted my crazy, time-constrained request of playing with tsetse flies, in a déjà-vu from our joint PhD time (4/5)

- the utterly supportive @luisamfigueiredo.bsky.social , who has encouraged me during my postdoc in her lab to push boundaries and not give up, and has allowed me to take this project forward to my lab (3/5)

Thanks to:
- @mariabernabeu.bsky.social , who spearheaded the microvessel technology in malaria, fully embraced my desire to adapt it to trypanosomiasis, and adopted me in her lab for a few amazing months (2/5)

Bioengineered 3D microvessels and complementary animal models reveal mechanisms of Trypanosoma congolense sequestration Communications Biology - Organ-specific bioengineered microvessels and animal models reveal that Trypanosoma congolense sequestration depends on the endothelial cell bed, parasite strain, cyclic...

The lab's first original research article presenting a novel microfluidic 3D model of bovine vasculature and discussing how T. congolense attaches to blood vessels is now published. But before I discuss the work, I'd like to thank key people who made it possible. (1/5)

Congratulations!!

We are very excited to announce a new @events.embl.org conference with a general focus on all infections with the goal to foster discussions across researchers working on multiple pathogens. We couldn't find a conference as such in Europe, so we decided to organize it 😊

www.embl.org/about/info/c...

Great opportunity with a great team!

I thought it was the summer holidays. Do you know the reason for higher abandonment rates near Christmas ?

Congratulations Dr Piatti @liviapiatti.bsky.social !!

Viruses are Real, No Matter What Joe Rogan and RFK Jr. Say Germ theory denialism has been around since the 1800s, but it's promoted today by pseudoscience conspiracy theorists

People who claim things like “HIV doesn’t cause AIDS” have a fundamental lack of understanding of how scientific knowledge accrues and often are prone to medical conspiracism.
Read more ⬇️
news.immunologic.org/p/viruses-ar...

Thank you! Your talk was great too! I have to nag Adam to visit your lab next time I’m in London.

Congratulations! Really outstanding work!