Affiliation: University of Porto, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Alexandre Carmo graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Lisbon in 1987, finished an MSc in Immunology at the University of Porto in 1991, and moved to the laboratory of Alan Williams at Oxford University, where he obtained a DPhil. in Immunology in 1995. After postdocs in the laboratories of Don Mason and Maria de Sousa, he started the Cell Activation and Gene Expression group at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2003, moving to the Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto in 2015. Research in Alex Carmo’s laboratory addresses mechanisms of T cell activation and the impact that cell surface receptors have in regulating immune and inflammatory responses. We have focused our studies on receptors belonging to the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) family, in particular CD5 and CD6, which are expressed by T cells. Our aim is to characterize, in depth, the molecular mechanisms underlying signaling regulation by these important receptors from their binding to extracellular ligands, transducing signals to cytosolic effectors and downstream transcription factors, and regulating the architecture of the immunological synapse. Research has been steadily moving on to study function in disease and therapy, by including other SRCR members such as the circulating proteins CD5L, SSC4D, and SSC5D. We have been performing a systematic assessment of the role of SRCR proteins in pathogen recognition and inflammation, having developed several knockout mouse models and assessed their susceptibility to infection and inflammation.