Speakers

I am a physician-scientist and immunologist focused on how host immune responses shape the pathogenesis and clinical severity of viral infections. My work integrates clinical investigation, mechanistic immunology, and translational innovation to identify determinants of inflammatory disease and correlates of protection.
Over two decades, my research has spanned fundamental discovery, platform development, and clinical translation. I contributed to a LAMP-1–based antigen-targeting platform to enhance cellular immunity, now licensed and under clinical evaluation, and led large-scale T-cell epitope discovery efforts for dengue and yellow fever vaccines.

As founder and director of the Laboratory of Virology and Experimental Therapeutics (LaViTE) at Fiocruz in Recife, Brazil, I established a clinical research infrastructure that became a key node for international collaborations during emerging viral outbreaks. During the Zika epidemic, my group helped identify Zika virus as the causative agent and generated early hypotheses linking congenital infection to microcephaly.

I have served as site principal investigator for multiple vaccine trials, including the Butantan/NIH/Merck dengue program, and led prospective cohort studies integrating virology and immunology. I have mentored over 30 graduate trainees and published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles (H-index >50). My current focus is complement dysregulation as a shared mechanism of immune-mediated injury across viral infections.