The PI
Alfeu Zanotto-Filho, PhD
- National Council for Research and Development (CNPq) Researcher – PQ II
- Member of Society for Redox Biology & Medicine (SfRBM)
Complete CV and additional information are available with:
- CV Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8132409298368832
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4188-3095
- Publons: https://publons.com/researcher/1517492/alfeu-zanotto-filho/
email: alfeu.zanotto@ufsc.br
Personal Statement
Educated and trained in biochemistry and cell biology. I have worked in the field of
cancer biology for 10 years with a particular interest in oncogenes, tumor microenvironment and DNA damage response. My aim is to develop a robust research group and to establish myself as a reference in my field by making pertinent discovers that improve our understanding of basic biology that can be used to improve patient treatment.
My research focus is on how cancer cells responses to xenobiotics, especially cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, as well as the role of oncogenes and tumor suppressors gain- and loss-of-function in the control of tumor microenvironment, intratumoral inflammation and metastatic progression of cancers, with particular interest in breast, lung and brain tumors. I have been exploring the role of NRF2 antioxidant/xenobiotic detoxification and NFkappaB inflammatory responses in basal and DNA damaged cells, and how they impact cancer cells biology. My research requires cell culture, animal models of carcinogenesis and tumor implants, molecular biology and pharmacological approaches. My most recent publications reflect the diverse aspects of chemotherapy-induced antioxidant and inflammatory signaling in cancer cells, and how modulating these mechanisms via targeted therapies may impact cancer cells survival and tumor growth.
In 2016, I became an Independent Investigator and Associate Professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Department of Pharmacology, Brazil, and since then I have been mentoring PhD candidates, Master’s students as well as undergraduate students in a Brazilian program named “Scientific Initiation” for young scientists. I have a major interest in advancing my students to achieve their career goals. Towards this, since coming to UFSC, I have organized annual meetings and seminar series for graduate students in the department where I am housed, with the aim of improving their scientific communication skills. I am also member of our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (CEUA UFSC), where we have worked to establish guidelines and surveillance mechanisms aiming to achieve a high level standard of animal care in our institution.
Positions and Employment
2004 – 2007 – Scientific Initiation fellow (Undergrad), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Department of Biochemistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
2002 – 2006 – Pharmacist; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Department of Biochemistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
2007 – 2009 – Masters, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Department of
Biochemistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Supervisor: Dr José Claudio Fonseca Moreira.
2009 – 2012 – PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Department of
Biochemistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Supervisor: Dr. José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira.
2010 – 2011 – Assistant Professor, Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Campus Sertao, Sertao, RS, Brazil.
2013 – 2014 – Postdoctoral fellow, University of Texas at San Antonio, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), San Antonio, TX; Supervisor: Dr. Alexander James Roy Bishop
2015 – 2016 – Assistant Professor, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Department of
Biochemistry, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
2018 – 2020 – Member (IACUC UFSC), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC
2016 – present – Associate Professor, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Department of Pharmacology, Florianópolis, SC
2018 – present – Member, Brazilian Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (SBFTE)
2022 – present – Member of Society for Redox Biology & Medicine (SfRBM)
Honors
*2011 – 15th Prize for Young Scientists in Life Sciences, General Electronics & Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (SBBq), Latin American Prize.
*2012 –Distinguished Professor, Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Sertao, RS
2002 – 2003 – Teaching Assistant Scholarship, FAURGS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul -UFRGS
2003 – 2007 – Undergraduate Scientific Initiation Scholarship, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
2007 – 2009 – Masters Scholarship, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
2011 – 2011 – Travel Award – Scientific Interchange Fellowship, McMaster University – Hamilton, Canada
2009 – 2012 – Doctoral Scholarship, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)