The Laboratory of Clinical Immunology (LIC) at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz) seeks to study different infectious and inflammatory diseases, investigating their impacts on the immune response and developing vaccines and therapies to combat them, as well as training qualified personnel in the area of ​​basic and applied immunology. It also develops study models, vaccines and therapeutics.

The laboratory's three macroprojects target the immune system, seeking activation (specific immunity or trained immunity) or immunoregulation/immunomodulation, with the aim of controlling diseases or pathological processes.

For this purpose, different experimental models are used, with protozoa (leishmania, Chagas and Malaria), viruses (Dengue and SARS-CoV-2), autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Immunological issues propose dialogues between different researchers.

In addition to training human resources and generating knowledge in immunology, some projects can lead to the development of products of importance for human health.

Therefore, the laboratory works on the development and research of vaccines and therapies for various diseases, focusing on the immune response.

The laboratory trains human resources from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels in various postgraduate programs and collaborates with research groups within and outside the country.

Below are the main points for each area of ​​study that is underway at LIC:

1. Leishmaniasis: The lack of vaccines and the toxicity of current treatments highlight the need for new vaccines and alternative therapies. Research aims to develop new treatments and vaccines for this serious parasitic disease.

2. Chagas disease: The pathogenesis is not yet fully understood, with hypotheses involving autoimmunity and prolonged immune response. The study seeks to understand and control the immune response to improve treatment of the disease, which is similar to other autoimmune conditions.

3. Malaria: The efficacy of treatments is influenced by the genetic variability of CYP450 enzymes. The project aims to characterize genotypic profiles in endemic populations to improve therapeutic strategies and malaria control.

4. Impact of the BCG vaccine: Investigate whether the BCG vaccine confers non-specific protection against malaria and leishmaniasis, evaluating its impact on infections and co-infections to potentially develop new vaccines and therapies.

5. Dengue: Focus on the immune response to dengue virus (DENV) and the development of alternative methods to assess vaccine efficacy, in addition to studying the role of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in infection.

6. National vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: Given the emergence of variants of the virus, the project aims to develop a national, fast and affordable vaccine to guarantee annual updates and Brazil's autonomy in facing Covid-19.

7. Diabetes, lupus and cancer: The project explores new treatment strategies, such as the use of substances produced by trypanosoma cruzi for type I diabetes and oral administration of BCG to prevent colon cancer and treat lupus, focusing on the immune response.

Head of the Clinical Immunology Laboratory
Herbert Leonel de Matos Guedes (Curriculum lattes)

Substitute Head of the Clinical Immunology Laboratory
Ana Cristina Martins de Almeida Nogueira (Curriculum lattes)