Profile
Paul de Figueiredo, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, and an investigator in the Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri, where he also has an appointment in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. Dr. de Figueiredo has broad experience and training in molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology and host-pathogen interactions, with specific expertise in functional genomics and pathogen intracellular trafficking.
During his doctoral training, Dr. de Figueiredo investigated the molecular mechanisms mediating membrane trafficking and lipid metabolism in mammalian cells. He expanded this research expertise as a postdoc at MIT, where he performed functional genomic experiments in a vertebrate model system (Zebrafish), and as a postdoc at the University of Washington, where he received training in microbiology.
His lab actively pursues research into host mechanisms that control intracellular parasitism by viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens, including Brucella melitensis, the causative agent of one of the world’s most prevalent zoonotic diseases, and Cryptococcus neoformans, the world’s deadliest fungal pathogen. He also has significant interest in using microbes to combat cancer and autoimmune disease in humans. Dr. de Figueiredo has led collaborative projects with engineers. This work has pioneered the development of high-throughput microsystem tools and technologies that illuminate novel biological processes, including mechanisms governing microbial physiology and host-pathogen interactions.
Academic Information
Office
240E Bond Life Sciences Center
Columbia, MO 65211
United States
Research Interests
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Biotechnology development
- Cancer
- Autoimmune disease
Areas of Expertise
- Molecular Biology
- Biotechnology
- Cell Biology
- Microbiology
- Host-pathogen interactions
Education & Training
Degrees
BA Mathematics and Political Science, Rice University, Houston TX
MA Religious Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
PhD Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Fellowship
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Vertebrate Genetics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
American Cancer Society Post-doctoral Fellowship, Microbiology, University of Washington, WA
Awards & Honors
- Keynote Speaker, Academic Scholarship Recognition Ceremony, Texas A&M
- Awardee, Ralph E. Powe New Investigator Award
Society Memberships
- Member, Society for Biological Engineers (SBE)
- Member, American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
- Member, American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
- Member, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
- Member, American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAS)
Publications
- Cabello AL, Wells K, Peng W, Feng HQ, Wang J, Meyer DF, Noroy C, Zhao ES, Zhang H, Li X, Chang H, Gomez G, Wan M, Mao Y, Patrick KL, Watson RO, Russell WK, Yu A, Zhong J, Guo F, Li M, Zhou M, Qian X, Kobayashi KS, Song J, Panthee S, Mechref Y, Ficht TA, Qin QM, de Figueiredo P.
Brucella-driven host N-glycome remodeling controls infection.
Cell Host Microbe. 2024 Apr 10;32(4):588-605.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.03.003. PMID: 40532706. - Plocica J, Guo F, Das JK, Kobayashi KS, Ficht TA, Alaniz RC, Song J, de Figueiredo P.
Engineering live attenuated vaccines: Old dogs learning new tricks.
J Transl Autoimmun 2023 Mar 27;6:100198. doi: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2023.100198. PMID: 37090898; PMCID: PMC10113845. - Huang C, Guo F, Wang H, Olivares J, Dalton J, Belyanina O, Wattam A, Cucinell C, Dickerman A, Qin, QM, Han A, de Figueiredo P.
An automated system for interrogating the evolution of microbial endosymbiosis.
Lab Chip. 2023 Feb 14;23(4):671-683. doi: 10.1039/d2lc00602b. PMID: 36227118 - Das JK, Guo F, Plocica J, Hunt C, Steinmeyer S, Kobayashi K, Jayaraman A, Ficht T, Alaniz R, de Figueiredo P*, Song J*
A live metabolically engineered bacterium controls autoimmunity and inflammation by remodeling the pro- inflammatory microenvironment and augmenting regulatory T cell function.
Gut Microbes, 2022 Jan-Dec;14(1):2143222. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2143222. PMID: 36404471 - Yang JM, Ren Y, Kumar A, Xiong X, Das JK, Peng HY, Wang L, Ren X, Zhang Y, Ji C, Cheng Y, Zhang L, Alaniz RC, de Figueiredo P, Fang D, Zhou H, Liu X, Wang J, Song J.
NAC1 modulates autoimmunity by suppressing regulatory T cell-mediated tolerance.
Science Advances 2022 Jul;8(26):eabo0183. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0183. Epub 2022 Jun 29. PMID: 35767626 - Willis JA, Cheburkanov V, Chen S, Soares JM, Kassab G, Blanco KC, Bagnato VS, de Figueiredo P, Yakovlev VV
Breaking down antibiotic resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: combining antimicrobial photodynamic and antibiotic treatments.
Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA. 2022 Sep 6;119(36):e2208378119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2208378119. Epub 2022 Aug 29. - Das JK, Kumar A, Ren Y, Peng H-Y, Xiong X, Alaniz RC, de Figueiredo P, Ren X, Liu X, Ryazonov AG, Yang J-M, Song S.
Elongation Factor-2 Kinase is a Critical Determinant of the Fate and Antitumor Immunity of CD8+ T Cells.
Science Advances. 2022 Feb 4;8(5):eabl9783. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl9783. Epub 2022 Feb 2 - Zhang, H, Huang C, Li Y, Gupte R, Samuel R, Dai J, Guzman A, Sabnis R, de Figueiredo P, Han A.
FIDELITY: A Quality Control System for Droplet Microfluidics.
Science Advances. 2022 Jul 8;8(27):eabc9108. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abc9108. Epub 2022 Jul 8 - Yang J, Eslami M, Chen YP, Das M, Zhang D, Chen S, Roberts AJ, Weston M, Volkova A, Faghihi K, Moore RK, Alaniz RC, Wattam AR, Dickerman A, Cucinell C, Kendziorski J, Coburn S, Paterson H, Obanor O, Maples J, Servetas S, Dootz J, Qin QM, Samuel JE, Han A, van Schaik EJ, de Figueiredo P.
Phenotype-Based Threat Assessment.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2022. PMID: 35363569 - Wells KM, He K, Pandey A, Cabello A, Zhang D, Yang J, Gomez G, Liu Y, Chang H, Li X, Zhang H, Feng X, da Costa LF, Metz R, Johnson CD, Martin CL, Skrobarczyk J, Berghman LR, Patrick KL, Leibowitz J, Ficht A, Sze SH, Song J, Qian X, Qin QM, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P.
Brucella activates the host RIDD pathway to subvert BLOS1-directed immune defense.
eLIFE. 2022. PMID: 35587649 - Guo F, Das JK, Kobayashi KS, Qin QM, A Ficht T, Alaniz RC, Song J, Figueiredo P.
Live attenuated bacterium limits cancer resistance to CAR-T therapy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment.
J Immunother Cancer. 2022. PMID: 34987022 - Yoo J-S, Sasaki M, Cho SX, Kasuga Y, Baohui Z, Ouda R, de Figueiredo P, Sawa H, Kobayashi, KS
SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the MHC class I pathway by targeting the STAT1-IRF1-NLRC5 axis.
Nature Communications. 2021. PMID: 34782627 - Pandey A, Ding SL, Qin QM, Gupta R, Gomez G, Lin F, Feng X, Fachini da Costa L, Chaki SP, Katepalli M, Case ED, van Schaik EJ, Sidiq T, Khalaf O, Arenas A, Kobayashi KS, Samuel JE, Rivera GM, Alaniz RC, Sze SH, Qian X, Brown WJ, Rice-Ficht A, Russell WK, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P.
Global Reprogramming of Host Kinase Signaling in Response to Fungal Infection.
Cell Host Microbe. 2017 May 10;21(5):637-649.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.04.008. PMID: 28494245; PMCID: PMC5538893.