Lisandra E. de Castro Brás, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Phone: 252-744-0391
E-mail: decastrobrasl14@ecu.edu

Research Interests

My group studies the mechanisms underlying scar formation after cardiac injury, such as post-myocardial infarction (MI) to identify triggers that lead to cardiac dysfunction and develop strategies to diagnose, slow, or reverse the progression to heart failure. To that fact, our lab uses multidimensional, translational, and proteomic approaches to investigate the mechanisms whereby tissue remodels and regenerates post injury.

We are particularly interested in the proteolytic formation of extracellular matrix peptides that are biologically active (matricryptins) and regulate the healing cascade following myocardial injury. We have recently identified collagen-derived peptides that are generated post-MI and modulate the inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibrotic responses. Currently, we are investigating the potential therapeutical use of these peptides in settings of impaired cardiac healing, such as diabetes.

Education/Employment

  • 1996 – 2002
    BS/Master in Biotechnology Engineering, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
  • 2003 – 2005
    Research assistant, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Azores, Portugal
  • 2005 – 2009
    PhD in Tissue Engineering, Brunel University, London, U.K.
  • 2009 – 2011
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
  • 2011 – 2013
    Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
  • 2013 – 2014
    Assistant Professor (research track), Univ. of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
  • 2014 – 2021
    Assistant Professor (tenure-track), East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
  • 2021 – present
    Associate Professor (tenured), East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Publications

Full List of Pubmed Citations

  • Cakir, S.N.; Whitehead, K.M.; Hendricks, H.K.L.; de Castro Brás, L.E*. Novel Techniques Targeting Fibroblasts after Ischemic Heart Injury. Cells 2022, 11, 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11030402
  • Lindsey ML, de Castro Brás LE, DeLeon-Pennell KY, Frangogiannis NG, Halade GV, O’Meara CC, Spinale FG, Kassiri Z, Kirk JA, Kleinbongard P, Ripplinger CM, Brunt KR. Reperfused vs. nonreperfused myocardial infarction: when to use which model. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2021 Jul 1;321(1):H208-H213. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00234.2021
  • de Castro Brás LE, Baccanale CL, Eccleston L, Sloan T, St Antoine JC, Verzwyvelt SM-L, Pittman P, O’Rourke D, and Meggs WJ. Efficacy of Methylene Blue in a Murine Model of Amlodipine Overdose. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2020 Aug 27;S0735-6757(20)30771-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.08.077
  • Cakir SN and de Castro Brás LE, Injury-specific Inflammation Leads to Organ-specific Fibrosis. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2020 Sep 1;319(3):H610-H612. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00598.2020.
  • Gaweda G, Iyer RP, Shaver PR, Grilo GA, Dinkins M-L, Stoffel HJ, Clemens S, and de Castro Brás LE.  Dopamine receptor D3 agonist (Pramipexole) reduces morphine-induced cardiac fibrosis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2020; 529:1080-1085 doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.06.137
  • de Castro Brás LE, Frangogiannis NG. Extracellular matrix-derived peptides in tissue remodeling and fibrosis. Matrix Biology. 2020 May 8:S0945-053X(20)30051-2. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2020.04.006.
  • Grilo GA, Shaver PR, Stoffel HJ, Morrow CA, Kennedy KR, Okafor V, Iyer RP, and de Castro Brás LE. Sex-specific Differences in Extracellular Matrix Metabolism Associate with Functional Changes in a Mouse Physiological Model of Cardiac Aging. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 2020 Feb;139:62-74. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2020.01.005.
  • DeLeon-Pennell K, Iyer R, Ma Y, Yabluchanskiy A, Zamilpa R, Chiao YA, Cannon P, Cates C, Flynn E, Halade GV, de Castro Brás LE, and Lindsey M. The Mouse Heart Attack Research Tool (mHART) 1.0 Database. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. (2018) May 18. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00172.2018
  • Lefcoski S, Kew K, Reece S, Torres MJ, Parks J, Reece S, de Castro Brás LE, Virag JAI. Anatomical-Molecular Distribution of EphrinA1 in Infarcted Mouse Heart Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. (2018) 29(3):527-534. doi: 10.1007/s13361-017-1869-7.
  • Lindsey ML, Kassiri Z, Virag JAI, de Castro Brás LE, Scherrer-Crosbie M. Guidelines for Measuring Cardiac Physiology in Mice. American Journal Physiology Heart Circ Physiol. 314: H733-752, (2018). doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00339.2017. PMID:29351456
  • Grilo GA, Shaver PR, de Castro Brás LE (2017) Mechanisms of cardioprotection via modulation of the immune response. Current Opinion in Pharmacology 2017, 33:6–11.

Ongoing Funding

  • 1R01HL152297-01: Collagen-derived peptides to target inflammation in myocardial infarction
    Funding Agency: NIH/ NHLBI
    Role: PI; Funding period: 12/15/21-11/30/2025