Investigador
Investigador Doutorado
Principal Investigator
João Ferreira is a biologist and Principal Investigator at NOVA Medical School, with an MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Coimbra and a joint PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Coimbra. His research focuses on extracellular vesicle biology, hypoxia signaling, and autophagy, with a strong interest in translating mechanistic discoveries into therapeutic innovation.
João identified HIF1A as a substrate of chaperone-mediated autophagy and later helped define a LAMP2A/HSC70-dependent mechanism for selective protein loading into exosomes. This work led to the discovery of ExoSignal, a platform for engineering exosome cargo loading.
He has secured competitive funding as PI, including FCT projects, established his independent laboratory in 2025, and currently lead a multidisciplinary team developing exosome-based strategies for intracellular delivery in vascular and retinal disease.