Luis Graca
University of Lisbon
Portugal
Luis Graca has an MD from the University of Lisbon, Portugal; and a PhD in transplant immunology from the University of Oxford, UK. He developed his post-doctoral research first in Oxford and later at the Institute for Child Health Research, in Perth, Australia. He is currently Professor of Immunology at the University of Lisbon Medical School, directing a research group in Cellular Immunology at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular.
His most significant scientific contributions have been related with the field of transplantation and autoimmunity. Graca has worked on strategies to overcome transplant rejection, as well as in the induction of immune tolerance in autoimmunity and allergy. Among these topics he has been especially interested in the biology of different types of regulatory T cells, namely T follicular regulatory cells – a cell type he co-discovered. His recent interests include the development of strategies for stratification of immune-mediated disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren syndrome or lupus, based on blood biomarkers.
Graca has collaborated with several artists, including a long-term relationship with Marta de Menezes (www.martademenezes.com), a pioneer in the field of bioart. Artworks developed by different artists in collaboration with Graca’s laboratory have been exhibited worldwide.