We are pleased to welcome Sorbonne Université students to the University of São Paulo (USP) for research experiences in oncology. The program starts in February 2027.
For the student mobility program between Sorbonne Université, Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP) and the Comprehensive Center for Precision Oncology (C2PO), 10 research laboratories are available to host students, all located in the city of São Paulo.
The laboratories offer a diverse range of research opportunities in cancer biology, including tumor biology, immunology, gene therapy, genomics, molecular biology, nanotechnology, experimental oncology, and cancer treatment.
Students will have the opportunity to join research groups working on different types of cancer and approaches, and to gain experience in a research environment within Brazil’s leading university.
Below, you can find information about the available laboratories and their respective research areas to help you identify the opportunities that best match your academic interests.
Prof. Ana Paula Lepique
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas – Department of Immunology, Laboratory of Immunomodulation
Research areas in which students may work:
– Immunomodulatory mechanisms in cancer (we study interactions between tumor and immune cells, investigating the role of extracellular vesicles, metabolites, and inflammatory mediators).
Prof. Bryan E. Strauss
Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP) and São Paulo State Cancer Institute (Icesp) – Viral Vector Laboratory
Research areas in which students may work:
– Cancer gene therapy.
– Use of recombinant viral vectors to modify tumor cells in vitro.
– Evaluation of cellular responses to treatment, including proliferation and cell death assays, gene expression analysis, and flow cytometry.
Prof. Daniela Sanchez Bassères
Instituto de Química da USP (IQ-USP) – Laboratory of Cancer Molecular Biology
Research areas in which students may work:
– Identification of lncRNAs associated with pancreatic and lung CSCs: Identification of differentially expressed lncRNAs in CSCs through analysis of bulk and single-cell transcriptomic data (bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq).
– Regulation of Cancer Stem Cells by lncRNAs: Investigation of the functional role of lncRNAs in the epigenetic reprogramming of CSCs, aiming to reverse their aggressive phenotype, using genetic manipulation in tumor cells to silence or express lncRNAs, followed by biological assays to assess the stem-like tumor phenotype in vitro and in vivo.
– Identification of the mechanisms of action of lncRNAs in CSCs: Identification of molecular partners and programs associated with the lncRNAs of interest using cutting-edge technologies, such as RNA pulldown and mass spectrometry, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), among others, followed by functional evaluation of the identified partners and pathways.
Prof. Edna Teruko Kimura
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB-USP) – Laboratory of Cancer Molecular Biology
Research areas in which students may work:
Coding and Non-Coding Gene Networks in Thyroid Cancer: Interplay Between microRNAs and Signaling Pathways
Prof. Fabio L. Forti
Instituto de Química da USP (IQ-USP) – Department of Biochemistry
Research areas in which students may work:
– Cancer Biology: genomic instability and DNA repair; chemo-radiosensitization by the actin cytoskeleton; RPTPs and cancer.
– Immunology: “heating” GBM tumors; targeting the Pyrin inflammasome to trigger pyroptosis in GBMs.
Prof. Gisele Monteiro
Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da USP (FCF-USP) – Department of Biochemical-Pharmaceutical Technology, Cell Culture Laboratory
Research areas in which students may work:
– Development and preclinical evaluation of biopharmaceuticals for metastatic melanoma.
– Metabolomic analysis of tumors treated with asparaginase.
– Analysis of human bioactive factors involved in the activity of asparaginase against leukemic cells.
– Development of scFvs to decorate nanoparticles for site-specific drug delivery to tumors.
Prof. Gustavo P. Amarante-Mendes
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB-USP) – Department of Immunology, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology
Research areas in which students may work:
– Melanoma tumor biology.
– CD8 T-cell biology.
– Vaccination with recombinant live vectors (Listeria monocytogenes).
Prof. Maria Aparecida Azevedo Koike Folgueira
Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP) and São Paulo State Cancer Institute (Icesp) – Oncogenomics Laboratory
Research areas in which students may work:
– Immune response in head and neck cancer in non-smoking, non-drinking, HPV-negative patients: cellular interactions and the activation status of immune cells infiltrating the tumor, and their correlation with prognostic factors.
– Identification of non-invasive methods for the early diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx: WES, transcriptomics, and methylomics to identify molecular targets to be investigated through liquid biopsy.
Prof. Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia – Pathology Laboratory
Research areas in which students may work:
– Comparative cutaneous carcinogenesis – in vivo and in vitro models.
– Oral melanoma: new forms of therapy for primary and metastatic neoplasms based on gene editing.
– Epithelial neoplasms: new therapies targeting cell-to-cell communication.
Prof. Roger Chammas
Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP) and São Paulo State Cancer Institute (Icesp) – Experimental Cancer Research Laboratory
Research areas in which students may work:
– Tumor progression.
– Characterization of the tumor microenvironment and its involvement in mechanisms of tumor resistance/tolerance to different types of treatment.
– Experimental oncology focused on the development of innovative platforms for the diagnosis and treatment of neoplasms, emphasis on extracellular vesicle-mediated microenvironmental responses.
