Virginia Picanço e Castro


  

Virgínia Picanço e Castro
Researcher at Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto
virginia.picanco.castro@gmail.com
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Education  

1995-1999 Graduated in Biologic Sciences, University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP), Brazil
1999-2000 Internship, for courses and research, at the University of Tuebingen. Germany.
2001-2006 PhD in Genetics, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo
2008-2010 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto.
2009 Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA. 
Research Interests  

Pluripotent Stem Cells
Cell reprogrammation
Hematopoietic differentiation
Recombinant proteins 
Research Overview   The major focus of our group is to understand the pluripotent pathway involved in cell reprogramming process. The goal of our laboratory is to generate pluripotent stem cells from human somatic cells. In addition, our group is interested in the characterization of molecular pathways and genomic targets that regulate hematopoietic and pluripotent stem cells differentiation. Our group aims to create a database of genomic proto-proteins involved in hematopoietic differentiation. The identification of new biomolecules will enable the overexpression of genes involved in differentiation pathway resulting in an in vitro differentiation protocol more effective, and also a new set of genes might be use in direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into adult blood cells. This project may bring as benefits to Brazilian society the possibility of obtaining cells more efficient and secure, as well as the formation of human resources with interdisciplinary character capable of dealing with this type of technology that is still little explored in our country. 
Lab Staff  

Biotecnology Laboratory Group

Elisa de Sousa de Russo Carbolante, Associated Professor of FCFRP-USP
Lilian Figueredo Moreir, PhD Student/CNPq
Marcela Cristina Corrêa de Freitas, PhD Student/Fapesp
Luiza Cunha Junqueira Reis, Master Student/Fapesp
Aline de Sousa Bomfim, Master Student
Fillipe Luiz Rosa do Carmo, Master Student
Maria Florencia Tellechea, Undergraduate student research assistant
Ana Paula Costa de Pontes, Master Student Candidate
Collaborators  

Flávio Vieira Meirelles, PhD
Universidade Estadual de São Paulo
Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos da USP, Departamento de Ciências Básicas.

Lygia da Veiga Pereira, PhD
Universidade Estadual de São Paulo 
International Collaborators  

Angelo Manuel de Almeida Cardoso, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Joseph E. Walther Hall, Room C321J
980 W. Walnut St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 274-3589
E-mail: aacardos@iupui.edu 
Facilities Coordination    
Selected Publications  

1. Sousa Russo-Carbolante, Elisa Maria ; Picanço-Castro, Virgínia ; Alves, Daiani Cristina Cilão ; Fernandes, Andrielle Castilho ; Almeida-Porada, Graça ; TONN, Torsten ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . Integration pattern of HIV-1 based lentiviral vector carrying recombinant coagulation factor VIII in Sk-Hep and 293T cells. Biotechnology Letters, v. 33, p. 23-31, 2011.
2. FERNANDES, A. C. ; FONTES, Aparecida Maria ; Rosa N G ; Picanço-Castro, Virgínia ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . Stable and high-level production of recombinant Factor IX in human hepatic cell line.. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, v. 2, p. 543, 2011.
3. Castilho-Fernandes, Andrielle ; de Almeida, Danilo Candido ; FONTES, Aparecida Maria ; Melo, Fernanda Ursoli Ferreira ; Picanço-Castro, Virgínia ; Freitas, Marcela Cristina ; Orellana, Maristela D. ; Palma, Patricia V.B. ; Hackett, Perry B. ; Friedman, Scott L. ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . Human hepatic stellate cell line (LX-2) exhibits characteristics of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Experimental and Molecular Pathology (Print), v. 91, p. 664-672, 2011.
4. Swiech, Kamilla ; Kamen, Amine ; Ansorge, Sven ; Durocher, Yves ; Picanco-Castro, Virginia ; Russo-Carbolante, Elisa MS ; Neto, Mario SA ; Covas, Dimas T ; PICANÇO-CASTRO, Virginia . Transient transfection of serum-free suspension HEK 293 cell culture for efficient production of human rFVIII. BMC Biotechnology (Online), v. 11, p. 114, 2011.
5. PICANÇO-CASTRO, Virginia ; Russo-Carbolante, Elisa Maria Souza ; Reis, Luiza Junqueira ; Fraga, Ana Maria ; Magalhães, Danielle Aparecida Rosa de ; Orellana, Maristela Delgado ; Panepucci, Rodrigo Alexandre ; Pereira, Lygia Veiga ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . Pluripotent reprogramming of fibroblasts by lentiviral-mediated insertion of SOX2, C-MYC and TCL-1A.. Stem Cells and Development, p. 100526083102065-XX, 2010.
6. Picanço-Castro, Virgínia ; FONTES, Aparecida Maria ; HEINZ, Stefan ; TONN, Torsten ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . The chimeric cytokine Hyper-IL-6 enhances the efficiency of lentiviral gene transfer in hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Biotechnology Letters, v. 30, p. 215-220, 2008.
7. PICANÇO-CASTRO, Virginia ; FONTES, Aparecida Maria ; Russo-Carbolante, Elisa Maria de Sousa ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . Lentiviral-mediated gene transfer a patent review. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, v. 18, p. 525-539, 2008.
8. Picanço, V. ; Heinz, S. ; Bott, D. ; Behrmann, M. ; Covas, Dt ; Seifried, E. ; Tonn, T. . Recombinant expression of coagulation factor VIII in hepatic and non-hepatic cell lines stably transduced with third generation lentiviral vectors comprising the minimal factor VIII promoter. Cytotherapy (Oxford), v. 9, p. 785-794, 2007.
9. Picanço-Castro, Virgínia ; Russo-Carbolante, Elisa Maria de Sousa ; FONTES, Aparecida Maria ; FERNANDES, A. C. ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu . An enhancer/promoter combination strengthens the expession of blood-coagulation factor VIII in non-viral expression vectors. Genetics and Molecular Research, v. 7, p. 314-325, 2007.
10. PICANÇO-CASTRO, Virginia ; COVAS, Dimas Tadeu ; TONN, Torsten ; BECKER, Sven ; SEIFREID, Ehard . Producao de FVIII por engenharia genética. Biotecnologia Ciência & Desenvolvimento, v. 32, p. 81-83, 2004.
11. PICANÇO-CASTRO, Virginia ; Passos, G.A. . Frequency of the CCR5 deletion allele in the urban brazilian population. Immunology Letters, v. 61, p. 205-207, 1998.