Mafalda Fonseca

Mafalda Fonseca is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medical Sciences within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Covilhã, Portugal. She serves as a researcher at the CICS - Health Sciences Research Center and directs the Cell and Gene Therapies course. Her academic career spans over two decades at UBI, where she teaches Immunology, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, Blood and Immune System, Scientific Communication, and Cell and Gene Therapies.

• Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from University of Coimbra (1991-1996)
• PhD in Immunology from University of Porto (2003)
• Post-doctoral research at Faculty of Health Sciences of UBI and Monash University (Australia)

Mafalda Fonseca's research primarily focuses on cellular immune responses in physiological contexts and immune-based pathologies. Her work spans multiple sclerosis, allergies, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, with particular emphasis on T cell subsets, cytokine profiles, and biomarker discovery. She has developed expertise in analyzing immune responses in patients undergoing dialysis and those with neuroimmunological disorders.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on immune cell profiling in multiple sclerosis patients, particularly examining natural killer cells, T cell subsets, and B cell populations. She has also expanded her research to include hypertension and obesity-related immune dysregulation, as well as HIV epidemiology in pediatric populations in Angola. Her work consistently bridges clinical observations with immunological mechanisms.

• 2007 Travel award from European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Zurich
• 2006 Travel grant from European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Zurich
• 2002 Presentation award from Society for Redox Biology and Medicine, Indianapolis
• 2001 Gulbenkian Research Stimulus Programme from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon

Dr. Fonseca has been actively involved in multiple research projects including the Health Sciences Research Center (UID/Multi/00709/2019), clinical investigations in chronotherapy, and studies on the hormonal and inflammatory basis of age-related diseases. Her research has been supported by various funding mechanisms focusing on neurodegeneration, immunology, and clinical applications. She has directed the Cell and Gene Therapies course while contributing to academic training through her teaching in immunology and related disciplines.

Her research activities are centered at the CICS - Health Sciences Research Center, where she collaborates with multidisciplinary teams investigating immune responses in various pathological conditions. Her laboratory work focuses on cellular immunology techniques to analyze immune cell populations and their functional characteristics in patient samples.