Dimas Tadeu Covas

Dimas Tadeu Covas

Coordinator of the Center for Cell-based Therapy

Director of the Instituto Butantan
Full Professor of Clinical Medicine – Hematology and Transfusion Medicine
Director-President of Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto – FMRP-USP
Deputy Coordinator of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Stem Cells and Cell Therapy in Cancer
President of the Brazilian Association of Hematology and Hemotherapy
Full Member of the Brazilian Technical Commission on Bio-security (CTNBio – 2008/2011)
Associate Member: American Society of Hematology and European Hematology Association
Full Member of the Technical Board of Hematology for Federal Council of Medicine (CFM)
Coordinator of the Postgraduate Course – Professional Master’s in Hemotherapy and Biotechnology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto – USP, Department of Medical Clinic
Full Member of the Advisory Committee of the Strategic Committee for Transplantation and Organ Donation Affairs of the Ministry of Health
Member of the Technical Chamber of the Blood and Hemodynamic Coordination of the Ministry of Health

dimas@fmrp.usp.br
PubMed  Scopus  ORCID ResearchID  Scholar

Somatic and Pluripotent Stem Cells
Cell and Gene Therapy
Cell Culture
Functional Genomics
Recombinant Protein Expression
Sickle Cell Anemia
Blood Transfusion
Virology

BV-CDI FAPESP

Our main lines of research are:
1. Mesenchymal Stem Cell – isolation, functional characterization, production on a large scale in bioreactors, biodistribution and clinical potential of isolated MSC of diverse tissues as feral adnexa, umbilical cord, vascular fraction of the adipose tissue and bone marrow. We are also developing clinical studies of phase I in diabetes type I, on GVHD and in aplastic anemia.
2. Embryonic Stem Cell – induction of the hematopoietic and endothelial differentiation with the objective to get therapeutically amounts of platelets, erythrocyte and endothelial cells.
3. Generation of lineages of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) from fibroblasts of hemophilic and osteogenesis imperfect patients for the study of mechanisms and establishment of pluripotent cellular lineages with corrected genome aiming future therapeutic use.
4. Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts or keratinocytes from normal individuals into hematopoietic stem cell aiming at studies of mechanisms and of ideal combination of genes for induction of the reprogramming.
5. Molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), endothelial-mesenchymal (EndMT) and their reverses MET and MEndT, mainly in the process of induction of the tumor metastasis and in the generation of cancer stem cells.
6. Production of recombinant proteins, mainly of the coagulation factors VIII, IX and VII.
7. Development of molecular tests for detection of viral illnesses transmitted by cellular products.

Molecular Biology and Gene Expression

Simone Kashima Haddad, PhD – Laboratory Coordinator
Maristela Delgado Orellana, MsC – Laboratory Coordinator
Gil Cunha De Santis, PhD Medical Doctor

Cytometry

Patricia Viana Bonini Palma – Laboratory Coordinator

Confocal Microscopy

Josiane Serrano Borges DTI3, CNPq fellow

Recombinant Protein Expression

Virginia Picanço Castro, PhD – Laboratory Coordinator

Elisa Maria Russo Carbolante, PhD
Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto

Kamilla Swiech, PhD
Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto

Maria Angélica Miglino, PhD
Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia

Claudio Alberto Torres Suazo, PhD
Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia
Universidade Federal de São Carlos

Fabíola Attie de Castro, PhD
Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto
Departamento de Análises Clínicas Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas

Ricardo Pasquini. MD, PhD
Universidade Federal do Paraná
Setor de Ciências da Saúde – Departamento de Clínica Médica

Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D.,
Member Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Professor of Biology, MIT
Director, MIT Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology

Graça D. Almeida-Porada, MD,PhD
Professor of Regenerative Medicine
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Gregory J. Riggins, M.D. Ph.D.
Professor of Neurosurgery & Oncology

Irving J. Sherman Research Professor in Neurosurgery
Director, Division of Neurosurgery Research

1. Ferreira, AF; Moura, LG. ; Tojal, I. ; Ambrósio, L; Pinto-Simões, B; Hamerschlak, N; Calin, GA; Ivan, C; Covas, DT; Kashima, S; Castro, FA. ApoptomiRs expression modulated by BCR-ABL is linked to CML progression and imatinib resistance. Blood Cells, Molecules & Diseases (Print), v. 53, p. 47-55, 2014.

2. De Santis, GC; Prata, KL; Rodrigues, RB; Sankarankutty, AK; De Castro e Silva, O; Covas, DT. Blood group O patients require more blood transfusion in orthotopic liver transplantation. Transfusion and Apheresis Science, v. 14, p. 9, 2014.

3. Picanço-Castro, V; Moreira, LF; Kashima, S; Covas, DT. Can Pluripotent Stem Cells Be Used in Cell-Based Therapy?. Cellular Reprogramming, v. 1, p. 140307082255007, 2014.

4. Slavov, SN; Kashima, S; Rocha-Junior, MC; Oliveira, LC; Silva-Pinto, AC; Yamamoto, AY; Covas, DT. Frequent human parvovirus B19 DNA occurrence and high seroprevalence in haemophilic patients from a non-metropolitan blood centre, Brazil. Transfusion Medicine (Print), v. 24, p. 130-132, 2014.

5. Rodrigues, ES; De Macedo, MD; Pinto, MT; Orellana, MD; Rocha Junior, MC; De Magalhães, DAR; Tanaka, Y; Takayanagui, OM; Covas, DT; Kashima, S. HTLV-1 infects human mesenchymal stromal cell in vitro and modifies their phenotypic characteristics. Virology (New York, N.Y. Print), v. 449, p. 190-199, 2014.

6. Perlingeiro Beltrame, M; Malvezzi, M; Bonfim, C; Covas, DT; Orfao, A; Pasquini, R. Immune reconstitution in patients with Fanconi anemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Cytotherapy (Oxford), v. 1, p. 1, 2014.

7. Malta, TM; Silva, IT; Pinheiro, DG; Santos, ARD; Pinto, MT; Panepucci, RA; Takayanagui, OM; Tanaka, Y; Covas, DT; Kashima, S. Altered Expression of Degranulation-Related Genes in CD8 + T Cells in Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type I Infection. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, v. 29, p. 826-836, 2013.

8. Santis, GCD; Ubiali, EMA; Covas, DT. Compassionate use of cell products. Revista Brasileira de Hematologia e Hemoterapia (Impresso), v. 35, p. 144, 2013.

9. Oliveira, FM; Araujo, ARL; Favarin, MDC; Palma, PVB; Rego, EM; Falcão, RP; Covas, DT; Fontes, AM. Differential expression of AURKA and AURKB genes in bone marrow stromal mesenchymal cells of myelodisplastic syndrome: Correlation with G-banding analysis and FISH. Experimental Hematology, v. 41, p. 198-208, 2013.

10. Mizukami, A; Orellana, MD; Caruso, SR; De Lima Prata, K; Covas, DT; Swiech, K. Efficient expansion of mesenchymal stromal cells in a disposable fixed bed culture system. Biotechnology Progress (Print), v. 29, p. 568-572, 2013.

11. Palma, C; Tannous, M; Malta, T; Carbolante, ES; Covas, DT; Picanço-Castro, V. Forced expression of OCT4 influences the expression of pluripotent genes in human mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts.. Genetics and Molecular Research, v. 2, p. 1054-1060, 2013.

12. Pinto, MT; Malta, TM; Rodrigues, ES; Pinheiro, DG; Panepucci, RA; Panepucci, RA; Farias, KCRMD; De Paula Alves Sousa, A; Takayanagui, OM; Tanaka, Y; Covas, DT; Kashima, S. Genes related to antiviral activity, cell migration, and lysis are differentially expressed in CD4+ T cells in HAM/TSP patients.. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, v. 29, p. 130917035218000, 2013.

13. Brunetta, DM; De Santis, GC; Vilar, FC; Vilar, FC; Brandão, RA; Muniz, RZDA; De Lima, GMN; Amorelli-Chacel, ME; Covas, DT; Machado, AA. Hematological particularities and co-infections in injected drug users with AIDS. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases (Impresso), v. 13, p. S1413-8670(13)0, 2013.

14. Slavov, SN; Kashima, S; Silva-Pinto, AC; Amarilla, AA; Aquino, VH; Covas, DT. Molecular and clinical evaluation of the acute human parvovirus B19 infection: comparison of two cases in children with sickle cell disease and discussion of the literature. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases (Impresso), v. 17, p. 97-101, 2013.

15. De Santis, GC; Brunetta, DM; Nardo, M; Oliveira, LC; Souza, FF; Cagnolati, D; Mente, ÊD; Sankarankutty, AK; Covas, DT; De Castro E Silva, O. Preoperative variables associated with transfusion requirements in orthotopic liver transplantation. Transfusion and Apheresis Science, v. 1, p. 1, 2013.

16. Del Lama, LS; De Góes, EG; Petchevist, PCD; Moretto, EL; Borges, JC; Covas, DT; De Almeida, A. Prevention of Transfusion-Associated Graft-versus-Host Disease by Irradiation: Technical Aspect of a New Ferrous Sulphate Dosimetric System. Plos One, v. 8, p. e65334, 2013.

17. Rodrigues, ES; Kashima, S; Picanço-Castro, V; Espanhol, MR; De Andrade, LA; Palma, PV; Kashima, S; Fontes, AM; Covas, DT. Quantitative correlation between transcriptional levels of ER chaperone, peroximal protein and FVIII productivity in human Hek-293 cell line. SpringerPlus, v. 2, p. 328, 2013.