Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D.
- Postdoctoral Scholar
- Molecular Immunologist and Human Genome Engineer
- Tang and Bluestone Labs
Contact Information
Education
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ph.D., Biochemistry, 2016
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, A.M., Biology, 2013
University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, B.Sc., Biochemistry, 2011
Biography
Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D. is a molecular immunologist and human genome engineer in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang (Department of Surgery) and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone (Diabetes Center) at UCSF.
Dr. Ferreira has a B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University in 2016. During his doctoral studies, under the supervision of Dr. Jack Strominger and Dr. Chad Cowan at Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, he focused on studying immune tolerance using pregnancy as a model, as well as on developing new tools to edit the genome of primary human T cells.
Currently, Dr. Ferreira is working to develop the next generation of chimeric antigen receptors for regulatory T cell therapy, aiming to establish tolerance in the contexts of autoimmune disease and transplant rejection.
Awards & Honors
Research Overview
The adaptive immune system has evolved to specifically recognize and destroy a virtually infinite variety of pathogens, while remaining unresponsive towards self-tissues, a state known as immune tolerance. T cell-based antigen-specific immune tolerance was first postulated in 1970. Yet, it was not until the 1990s that the identity of the cell type responsible for this phenomenon was firmly established: regulatory T cells (Tregs).
Manipulating human Tregs offers the unprecedented opportunity to induce tolerance in a clinical setting, potentially providing cures for autoimmune disease and transplant rejection. However, vanishingly low numbers of antigen-specific Tregs and Treg instability upon prolonged expansion have hampered the implementation of Treg-based therapies.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology has greatly expedited the generation of tumor antigen-specific effector T (Teff) cells. CARs are synthetic receptors comprising an extracellular antigen-binding domain and an intracellular signaling domain that allow for potent T cell activation directly downstream of antigen recognition.
Adoption of the CAR platform for Treg engineering represents a promising strategy to generate custom-made antigen-specific Tregs for therapy. Yet, there are marked differences in signaling and function between Tregs and Teff cells. My goal is to design the next generation of CARs for Treg therapy, aiming to establish tolerance in the contexts of autoimmune disease and transplant rejection.
Publications
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 32
- Muller YD, Nguyen DP, Ferreira LMR, Ho P, Raffin C, Valencia RVB, Congrave-Wilson Z, Roth TL, Eyquem J, Van Gool F, Marson A, Perez L, Wells JA, Bluestone JA, Tang Q. The CD28-Transmembrane Domain Mediates Chimeric Antigen Receptor Heterodimerization With CD28. Front Immunol. 2021; 12:639818. View in PubMed
- Gershteyn IM, Burov AA, Miao BY, Morais VH, Ferreira LMR. Immunodietica: interrogating the role of diet in autoimmune disease. Int Immunol. 2020 11 23; 32(12):771-783. View in PubMed
- Ferreira LMR, Mostajo-Radji MA. Plasma-based COVID-19 treatments in low- and middle-income nations pose a high risk of an HIV epidemic. NPJ Vaccines. 2020; 5:58. View in PubMed
- Ferreira LMR, Mostajo-Radji MA. Plasma-based COVID-19 treatments in low- and middle-income nations pose a high risk of an HIV epidemic. NPJ Vaccines. 2020 Jul 06; 5(1):58. View in PubMed
- Ferreira LMR, Li AM, Serafim TL, Sobral MC, Alpoim MC, Urbano AM. Intermediary metabolism: An intricate network at the crossroads of cell fate and function. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2020 10 01; 1866(10):165887. View in PubMed
- View All Publications
Posters & Oral Presentations
- Ferreira LMR, Bluestone JA, Tang Q. Designing the next generation of chimeric antigen receptors for regulatory T cell therapy. Oral presentation, Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS), Chicago, Illinois, 2017, (Best Poster Award; FOCIS Travel Award)
- Ferreira LMR, Meissner TB, Mikkelsen T, O'Donnell C, Sherwood R, Mallard W, Rinn J, Cowan, CA, Strominger JL. Long-range chromatin interactions control trophoblast-restricted HLA-G expression during pregnancy. Oral presentation, American Association of Immunologists (AAI), New Orleans, Louisiana, 2015 (AAI Travel Award)
Videos
- HOW TO SOLVE THE AGING PROBLEM with Leonardo Ferreira, Harvard PhD & UCSF Stem Cells Researcher
- VACUNAS VACUNAS Y VACUNAS ... ¿QUÉ HACEMOS? = ¿Nos vacunamos o no?
- Todo sobre el Dióxido de Cloro, acompañamos.
- How the NIH Funds American Science
- PhD Defense: Transcriptional Control of Immune Tolerance at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
- Clubes de Ciencia Bolivia 2017
- How to cure type 1 diabetes using immunology
- Postdoc Slam 2017 Finalist: LEONARDO FERREIRA
- Leonardo Ferreira te invita a participar en Clubes de Ciencia Bolivia
- Reescrevendo o nosso DNA com CRISPR/Cas9
- Clubes de Ciencia Bolivia 2018
- The future is today: designer cell therapies for complex diseases
- Leonardo Ferreira at the AAI StoryBooth 2018
- Cognitum Episode 3 // CRISPR+HIV
- Cognitum Episode 4 // TREGS+T1D
- Approaching biology and aging research through engineering: LEONARDO FERREIRA
- Immunodietica
- Leonardo Ferreira 2019 National Youth Science Camp
- Immunodietica Introduction
- Cognitum S2 Episode 1 // Immunodietica
- Bioquimicos pelo Mundo - Leonardo Ferreira
- Dr. Leonardo Ferreira - Inmunodietica
- COVID-19/Coronavirus: Dr. Leonardo Ferreira
- Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic: Dr. Leonardo Ferreira
- El nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19): Dr. Leonardo Ferreira
- COVID-19 live QnA session with Dr. Leonardo Ferreira - AILD
- La Vacuna para exterminar el Covid-19– EL DEBER
In the News
- UCSF Tang Lab - - August 22, 2019Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., @enhancerleo, postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang (Department of Surgery) and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone (Diabetes Center) at UCSF, is changing the way science is taught in Latin America. Accounting for over 10% of the world's population, Latin America nevertheless contributes less than 5% of the world's scientific publications. In the United States, Latino students are underrepresented in scientific careers. Bolivia is a diverse country [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - April 25, 2019UCSF molecular immunologist Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D.,@enhancerleo, a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone at UCSF, received a Future of Science Fund Scholarship from the Keystone Symposia on Molecular Biology to attend one of the organization's meetings in Breckenridge, Colorado, on "Uncovering Mechanisms of Immune-Based Therapy in Cancer and Autoimmunity". Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology has a 47-year history of convening [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - February 26, 2019UCSF molecular immunologist Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D.,@enhancerleo, a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone at UCSF, has been awarded the 2019 Jeffrey G. Klein Family Diabetes Fellowship to study engineered regulatory T cells (Tregs). The proposal, titled "Designing next-generation regulatory T cell therapies for type 1 diabetes",supports translational immunology research in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Specifically, Dr. Ferreira will investigate [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - December 06, 2018Molecular immunologist and human genome engineer Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang (Department of Surgery) and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone (Diabetes Center) at UCSF, was interviewed about his research on the talk show 'Cognitum' on NewTV. 'Cognitum' is a show dedicated to exploring the present and future of science and technology. Over the course of two episodes, Dr. Ferreira expounded his work as a pioneer in the use of genome editing in [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - May 21, 2018Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar and molecular immunologist in the Tang Lab and Bluestone Lab at UCSF, received a "Trainee Poster Award" from the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) at the organization's 2018 annual meeting in Austin, Texas. The award is given for first-author abstracts submitted for poster sessions found to be exceptional by the AAI Abstract Programming Chairs. The poster, entitled "Tailoring a New Generation of Chimeric Antigen Receptors for [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - March 24, 2018Molecular immunologist and human genome engineer Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratories of Dr. Qizhi Tang (Department of Surgery) and Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone (Diabetes Center) at UCSF, recently gave a captivating talk about his research at the Future of DNA, Blockchain, and Synthetic Biology Symposium on March 7th at Galvanize SF. The symposium brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, and angel investors to discuss the latest advances in research and [...]
- UCSF Tang Lab - - July 11, 2017Leonardo M.R. Ferreira, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar and molecular immunologist in the Tang Lab and Bluestone Lab at UCSF, received the "Best Poster Award" from the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) at the organization's 2017 annual meeting in Chicago. The Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) exists to improve human health through immunology by fostering interdisciplinary approaches to both understand and treat immune-based diseases. Dr. Ferreira also [...]
