Margarida Carmo Viola

Research

My research investigates how gut-derived microbial metabolites regulate allergic inflammatory responses in diseases such as asthma, and their potential for use in prevention and treatment. Nasal and bronchial epithelial cells produce cytokines and chemokines to contribute to an immune response against pathogens, allergens, and other environmental threats. However, their hyperactivation can drive allergic asthma. Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a significant immunomodulatory role in the development and progression of asthma. Nonetheless, the effects and mechanisms of gut-derived microbial metabolites on human airway epithelium remain poorly understood. In collaboration with Prof Benjamin Marsland (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia), I study their immunomodulatory effects using mucociliary differentiated cultures of primary nasal and bronchial epithelial cells grown at the air-liquid interface, aiming to dissect the induction of molecular pathways and the relationship with the metabolic (re)wiring of those cells in the context of type 2 tissue inflammation.

Curriculum vitae

I studied Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. During this time, I also spent one year at the University of Valencia, Spain. After completing my studies, I moved to Belgium, where I conducted a mutation screening for novel transcripts in Dravet syndrome patients at the VIB Center for Molecular Neurology. Following that, I worked for a year as a Research Assistant at the University of Coimbra. There, I tested subcutaneous polymeric implants for extended drug release in Goto-Kakizaki rats, which are a model for Type 2 Diabetes. I then relocated to Amsterdam to research the release of extracellular vesicles by osteosarcoma cells at the Cancer Center Amsterdam. This experience equipped me with the knowledge necessary to begin my PhD in 2018 at UMC Utrecht, focusing on extracellular vesicles in the heart. During my PhD, I investigated the role of extracellular vesicles released by cardiomyocytes and their role in inflammation during myocardial infarction. In August 2024, I joined Hermelijn Smits' research group as a postdoctoral researcher at LUMC, where I currently investigate the immunomodulatory effects of microbial metabolites on in vitro primary human airway epithelial cell models.