Ricardo Melo Ferreira, MS, PhD

2016 PhD Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

2011 MS Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

2008 BS Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

My primary research efforts focus on uncovering the molecular signatures of niches associated with renal disease. During my PhD I developed computational and analytical skills targeted to the study of biological systems, which I applied in my fellowship to develop methods to integrate orthogonal technologies for tissue interrogation. In the Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) I worked towards the implementation and approval of a pipeline for the analysis of spatial transcriptomics to include this technology in the kidney atlas. As part of KPMP and in The Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) consortia, our group generates tridimensional molecular data for the kidney combining RNA, protein, and brightfield images. As a leader in Spatial Transcriptomics analyzes in these consortia, I am co-first author on two recently published manuscripts, where we build an atlas of cell types and niches, and investigate nephrolithiasis.

A significant effort of my research has been geared towards understanding localized cellular changes in response to injury. In the context of diabetes, we utilized laser micro-dissection to uncover changes in the kidney interstitium, describe glomerular gene expression during mesangial expansion, and link human and murine proximal tubule metabolism. With Spatial transcriptomics we uncovered epithelial-immune cross-talk in acute kidney injury, and the localized response to nephrolithiasis in the human kidney papilla.

Deconvolution Tactics and Normalization in Renal Spatial Transcriptomics.
Melo Ferreira R; Freije BJ; Eadon MT; Frontiers in physiology 2022 Jan 13

Spatial transcriptomics and the kidney.
Melo Ferreira R; Gisch DL; Eadon MT; Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension 2022 Feb 3

Pharmacogenomics of Hypertension in CKD: The CKD-PGX Study.
Eadon MT; Maddatu J; Moe SM; Sinha AD; Ferreira RM; Miller BW; Sher SJ; Su J; Pratt VM; Chapman AB; Skaar TC; Moorthi RN; Kidney360 2022 Feb 24

Integration of spatial and single-cell transcriptomics localizes epithelial cell-immune cross-talk in kidney injury.
Melo Ferreira R; Sabo AR; Winfree S; Collins KS; Janosevic D; Gulbronson CJ; Cheng YH; Casbon L; Barwinska D; Ferkowicz MJ; Xuei X; Zhang C; Dunn KW; Kelly KJ; Sutton TA; Hato T; Dagher PC; El-Achkar TM; Eadon MT; JCI insight 2021 Jun 22

The orchestrated cellular and molecular responses of the kidney to endotoxin define a precise sepsis timeline.
Janosevic D; Myslinski J; McCarthy TW; Zollman A; Syed F; Xuei X; Gao H; Liu YL; Collins KS; Cheng YH; Winfree S; El-Achkar TM; Maier B; Melo Ferreira R; Eadon MT; Hato T; Dagher PC; eLife 2021 Jan 15

Molecular characterization of the human kidney interstitium in health and disease.
Barwinska D; El-Achkar TM; Melo Ferreira R; Syed F; Cheng YH; Winfree S; Ferkowicz MJ; Hato T; Collins KS; Dunn KW; Kelly KJ; Sutton TA; Rovin BH; Parikh SV; Phillips CL; Dagher PC; Eadon MT; Kidney Precision Medicine Project; Science advances 2021 Feb 10

Clinical, histopathologic and molecular features of idiopathic and diabetic nodular mesangial sclerosis in humans.
Eadon MT; Lampe S; Baig MM; Collins KS; Melo Ferreira R; Mang H; Cheng YH; Barwinska D; El-Achkar TM; Schwantes-An TH; Winfree S; Temm CJ; Ferkowicz MJ; Dunn KW; Kelly KJ; Sutton TA; Moe SM; Moorthi RN; Phillips CL; Dagher PC; Kidney Precision Medicine Project; Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association 2021 Dec 31

Interindividual Variability in Lymphocyte Stimulation and Transcriptomic Response Predicts Mycophenolic Acid Sensitivity in Healthy Volunteers.
Collins KS; Cheng YH; Ferreira RM; Gao H; Dollins MD; Janosevic D; Khan NA; White C; Dagher PC; Eadon MT; Clinical and translational science 2020 May 16