Pinho’s Lab has recently published a landmark study on colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis! Therein, we demonstrate that a progressive increase in N-glycan branching at the T cell surface not only accompanies CAC development but also debilitates T cell function during carcinogenesis.
Pinho´s Lab was honoured to receive the Best Paper Award 2025 at the Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Immunology (SPI – Sociedade Portuguesa de Imunologia), which took place in Lisbon last April.
Pinho’s Lab has recently been distinguished by the Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience, receiving funding for a groundbreaking research project dedicated to harnessing glycans to improve immunotherapies for colorectal cancer (CRC).
Catarina Azevedo, Srishti Shah and Rafaela Nogueira – PhD students from Pinho’s lab – have recently been awarded with Travel Grants from the European Federation for Immunological Sciences (EFIS)!
Our latest publication, published in the journal Gut Microbes, delves into how the glycosylation of the gut mucosa impacts the crosstalk between microbiota and immune cells in the context of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Joana Gaifem, a post-doctoral researcher in Pinho’s Lab, has recently been awarded with the Maria de Sousa prize. Currently in its 4th edition, this prize pays homage to the late Maria de Sousa, a pioneer in immunology and education in Portugal, and distinguishes notable young researchers in Portugal working in the health sciences.
This study, published in the journal Gut, focuses on how environmental pollutants influence the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease as well as disease outcomes. In total, information from a total of 32 human studies was utilized, allowing for a consolidation of the current knowledge on how escalating pollution levels relate to the increasing incidence of IBD globally.
Pinho’s lab has recently published a review article in the journal Carbohydrate Research. Trained immunity is an emerging concept in immunology and in this publication, first authored by Pedro Almeida, we highlight its tenets and delve into how glycans and their interactions with glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) influence key immunoregulatory networks in trained immunity.
Exciting news! In our most recent publication, we unveil a novel glycan signature in serum IgG antibodies years before the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. In addition to predating Crohn’s disease and being associated with its complications, we show how this glycan signature elicits pro-inflammatory immune responses and contributes to disease susceptibility.
Inês Alves, a researcher in Pinho's Lab, has been awarded a prestigious €10,000 Exploratory Research Grant by the European Society for Clinical Investigation (ESCI).
