RUI PEDRO BRÁS MARTINS FAISCA

Rui Pedro Brás Martins Faisca is a Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (FMV-ULHT), where he has served since 2005 as regent of Pathological Anatomy I and II and professor of Cytology and Histology I and II practices. He is affiliated with multiple research centers, including I-MVET, CBIOS, and the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), where he has been Head of the Histopathology Facility since 2017. He is also an experimental pathologist at IGC and a histopathologist at Dnatech.

• PhD in Veterinary Pathology, FMV-ULg, Belgium (2007)
• DEA, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULg, Belgium (2002)
• Degree in Veterinary Medicine, UTAD (2000)

His research focuses on veterinary pathology, oncology, and nanomedicine, with a particular interest in animal cancer models, histopathological diagnostics, and nanoparticle-based therapies. Key research areas include melanoma, breast cancer, mast cell tumors in dogs and cats, and the use of gold nanoparticles in photothermal therapy. His work bridges translational medicine and comparative pathology.

Recent publications highlight his contributions to feline mastectomy margin assessment, canine mast cell tumor grading, and innovative melanoma treatments using gold nanoparticles. His research demonstrates a strong trend toward integrating advanced materials science with veterinary oncology to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

He has held leadership roles in professional societies, including:

• Secretary, Portuguese Society of Veterinary Pathology (2011–2015)
• President, Portuguese Society of Animal Pathology (2015–2019)

He is currently Co-Principal Investigator in two major projects: SARCOCAT (feline soft-tissue sarcoma) and TCLMUM1 (ongoing until 2025). He has supervised over 50 academic works and serves as Associate Editor of the Lusófona Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine. His laboratory work is centered at the Histopathology Facility of IGC, Oeiras, where he leads experimental pathology efforts.