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NOVA Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNL - Edifício Sede
Phone: 218803038 Ext: 22330

Ricardo Alexandre Santos Afonso

Professor Professor Auxiliar

Ricardo Afonso is Assistant Professor in the NOVA Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, New University of Lisbon (UNL), teaching Physiology in the Masters (MSc) in Medicine and in the Bachelor (BSc) in Nutritional Sciences, as well as Animal Experimentation in the Course of Nuclear Methodologies in Research from the PhD Program in Health Sciences. 
He is also the Coordinator Professor in Physiology in the Masters on Biomedical Engineering of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the UNL.
Holds a PhD in Health Sciences, Specialty of Physiology, by the UNL, for his work in Physiology of Insulin and Pathophysiology of Diabetes, Obesity and Hypertension.
He also holds a Masters in Medicine and a Bachelor in Biochemistry, by the Faculties of Medicine and Sciences of the University of Lisbon.
His Scientific activity, both clinical and fundamental (in vitro and in animal models), has been mostly related with the study of bilogical systems' Physiology, essencially Endocrine and Cardiovascular Physiology, as well as Pathophysiology associated with disruptions to those systems. More recently, he has been involved in collaborations in the fields of Medical Technology and Nanomedicine. 
At a clinical practice level, his interests are mostly related with Emergency Medicine, area in which he has been developing his clinical activity.

  • Amaral M, Charmier AJ, Afonso RA, (...), Reis CP. Gold-Based Nanoplataform for the Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A Step Forward. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Mar 12;13(6):1242. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061242. PMID: 33808984; PMCID: PMC8218498.
    - Amaral M, Afonso RA, Gaspar MM, Reis CP. Anaplastic thyroid cancer: How far can we go? EXCLI J. 2020 Jun 15;19:800-812. doi: 10.17179/excli2020-1302. PMID: 32636733; PMCID: PMC7332787.
  • Amaral M, Martins AS, Catarino J, Faísca P, Afonso RA, Gaspar MM, Charmier AJ, Figueiredo IV, Reis CP. How Can Biomolecules Improve Mucoadhesion of Oral Insulin? A Comprehensive Insight using Ex-Vivo, In Silico, and In Vivo Models. Biomolecules. 2020 Apr 27;10(5):675. doi: 10.3390/biom10050675. PMID: 32349416; PMCID: PMC7277740.
  • Diogo LN, Faustino IV, Afonso RA, Pereira SA, Monteiro EC, Santos AI. Voluntary Oral Administration of Losartan in Rats. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2015 Sep;54(5):549-56. PMID: 26424254; PMCID: PMC4587624.
  • Afonso RA, Gaspar JM, Lamarão I, Lautt WW, Macedo MP. Postprandial insulin action relies on meal composition and hepatic parasympathetics: dependency on glucose and amino acids: Meal, parasympathetics & insulin action. J Nutr Biochem. 2016 Jan;27:70-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2015.08.023. Epub 2015 Sep 26. PMID: 26410344.
  • Diogo LN, Pereira SA, Nunes AR, Afonso RA, Santos AI, Monteiro EC. Efficacy of carvedilol in reversing hypertension induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 2015 Oct 15;765:58-67. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2015.08.019. Epub 2015 Aug 18. PMID: 26291659.
  • Macedo MP, Lima IS, Gaspar JM, Afonso RA, Patarrão RS, Kim YB, Ribeiro RT. Risk of postprandial insulin resistance: the liver/vagus rapport. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2014 Mar;15(1):67-77. doi: 10.1007/s11154-013-9281-5. PMID: 24174131; PMCID: PMC4000159.
  • Afonso RA, Fernandes AB, Santos C, Ligeiro D, Ribeiro RT, Lima IS, Patarrao RS, Videira PA, Caldeira J, Macedo MP. Postprandial insulin resistance in Zucker diabetic fatty rats is associated with parasympathetic-nitric oxide axis deficiencies. J Neuroendocrinol. 2012 Oct;24(10):1346-55. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2012.02341.x. PMID: 22672343.
  • Afonso RA, Lautt WW, Schafer J, Legare DJ, Oliveira AG, Macedo MP. High-fat diet results in postprandial insulin resistance that involves parasympathetic dysfunction. Br J Nutr. 2010 Nov;104(10):1450-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510002400. Epub 2010 Jul 2. PMID: 20594392.
  • Ribeiro RT, Afonso RA, Guarino MP, Macedo MP. Loss of postprandial insulin sensitization during aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008 Jun;63(6):560-5. doi: 10.1093/gerona/63.6.560. PMID: 18559629.
  • Afonso RA, Ribeiro RT, Fernandes AB, Patarrão RS, Macedo MP. Hepatic-dependent and -independent insulin actions are impaired in the obese Zucker rat model. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Feb;15(2):314-21. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.524. PMID: 17299103.
  • Ribeiro RT, Afonso RA, Macedo MP. Hepatic parasympathetic role in insulin resistance on an animal model of hypertension. Metabolism. 2007 Feb;56(2):227-33. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2006.09.018. PMID: 17224337.
  • Afonso RA, Patarrao RS, Macedo MP, Carmo MM. Carvedilol action is dependent on endogenous production of nitric oxide. Am J Hypertens. 2006 Apr;19(4):419-25. doi: 10.1016/j.amjhyper.2005.11.011. PMID: 16580580.
  • Sadri P, Reid MA, Afonso RA, Schafer J, Legare DJ, Paula Macedo M, Wayne Lautt W. Meal-induced insulin sensitization in conscious and anaesthetized rat models comparing liquid mixed meal with glucose and sucrose. Br J Nutr. 2006 Feb;95(2):288-95. doi: 10.1079/bjn20051644. PMID: 16469144.
  • Guarino MP, Afonso RA, Raimundo N, Raposo JF, Macedo MP. Hepatic glutathione and nitric oxide are critical for hepatic insulin-sensitizing substance action. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2003 Apr;284(4):G588-94. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00423.2002. Epub 2002 Dec 4. PMID: 12466146.
  • Best Poster Award at the European Young Physiologists Symposium, atribuído pela Federation of European Physiological Societies (FEPS), durante a Reunião Conjunta da FEPS e da Spanish Physiological Society, em Santiago de Compostela, pelo trabalho intitulado: “Nutrient composition affects postprandial glucose disposal, which relies on insulin action rather than insulin secretion”, 2012.
  • Prémio de Melhor Poster em Investigação, atribuído pela Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia (S. P. D.), no âmbito do 9º Congresso Português de Diabetes, Vilamoura, Portugal, pela apresentação do trabalho intitulado: “O mecanismo de activação prandial da via da HISS: Origem gástrica ou entérica?”, 2010.
  • Prémio Sá Marques, concedido pela Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia, pelo trabalho original publicado na revista Obesity (Obes. Res.), intitulado “Hepatic–dependent and –independent insulin action are impaired in the obese Zucker rat model”, 2008.
  • Travel grant, atribuída pela European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), EASD 43rd Annual Meeting, Amsterdão, Holanda, 2007.
  • Prémio Hargreaves – S.P.D./JABA 2007, atribuído pela Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia (S. P. D.) em colaboração com a Jaba Farmacêutica, pelo trabalho original intitulado “HISS impairment is responsible for insulin resistance in high-fat diet-induced obesity”, 2007.
  • Travel grant, atribuída pela EASD, EASD 41st Annual Meeting, Atenas, Grécia.
  • First Place in the Poster Competition, atribuído pela Western Pharmacology Society (WPS), em Banff, Alberta, no Canadá, pela apresentação do trabalho “High-fat diet induces HISS-dependent insulin resistance” na Reunião Anual da WPS, 2004.
  • 1.º Prémio para Investigação em Obesidade, atribuído pela Sociedade Portuguesa de Endocrinologia Diabetes e Metabolismo (SPEDM), em colaboração com a ABBOTT, ao projecto de investigação intitulado “Papel terapêutico do óxido nítrico e glutationo na resistência à insulina associada à obesidade”, 2003.
  • Bolsa individual de Doutoramento (SFRH/BD/9082/02), atribuída pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).