Filipa Matos Semedo , Hospital da Luz immune-allergologist, concluded her doctorate degree in Medicine, last January 23, at Faculty of Health Sciences, Beira Interior University (UBI), earning the unanimous approval of the jury with distinction. Her thesis – entitled “House Dust Mite Molecular Sensitisation Profile and Allergic Respiratory Disease Expression” – falls under the field of molecular allergology, an innovating area enabling a more precise characterization of allergic sensitization and a better clinical evaluation of patients with allergic respiratory diseases. The research work was focused on the clinical relevance of molecular sensitization to dust mite, considered the major trigger of allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis, respiratory diseases estimated to affect between 65 to 130 million people all over the world. The research included a systematic review and meta-analysis, involving over 23 thousand patients, clinical studies with functional evaluation of the allergic response, and a longitudinal study with 20 years follow-up, showing that different molecular sensitization profiles can be associated to the severity of the disease and evolve throughout life following the clinical progression of patients. Among the main conclusions of the study, we highlight that the molecular diagnosis may be useful not only for the diagnosis, but also for prognostic and therapeutic guidance. Thus, reinforcing the role of precision medicine in the treatment of allergic respiratory diseases. The thesis has had Filipe Fernando da Cruz Inácio (Évora University) for advisor and Luís Taborda Barata (Faculty of Health Sciences, Beira Interior University) for co-advisor. In the photo above, the new doctor and the members of the jury: on the left, Luís Taborda Barata and Filipa Matos Semedo, and on the right, Miguel Castelo-Branco Sousa (UBI, president of the jury), and José Augusto Simões (UBI). On screen, Ana Todo-Bom (Coimbra Faculty of Medicine), Fernando Pineda La Losa (Immunotek S.L.), and Olga Luengo Sanchez (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), who have participated by video conference.
