Rui Castro completed his PhD degree in Pharmacy (Biochemistry) by the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon (FFULisboa) in 2006, having spent a total of 12 months at the Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, MN, USA. In 2007, he was awarded with an EASL fellowship to study the role of microRNAs during liver regeneration at the University of Minnesota. Later, he received the United European Gastroenterology Rising Star Award. Castro is now Assistant Professor at FFULisboa and leads his research group at iMed.ULisboa, where he is also Executive Committee member. Castro’s lab is studying how changes in complex miRNA regulatory networks can lead to the development of human pathologies, focusing on chronic liver diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome, particularly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as well as hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. The lab aims to elucidate the function of miRNAs and EVs in the liver and in inter-organ communication with the adipose tissue and skeletal muscle; and to explore their potential as circulating biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Rui Castro
