Gonçalo Castelo-Branco

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco

Professor | Docent
Telephone: +46852487936
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9, 6C, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: C2 Medicinsk biokemi och biofysik, C2 Molekylär neurobiologi Castelo-Branco, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Professor of Glial Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm, Sweden

    Distinguished Professor of the Swedish Research Council within Medicine and Health

    Wallenberg Scholar

    Deputy Head and Chair of the Senate of the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics 

  • Member of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet



    Gonçalo Castelo Branco was born in Cantanhede, Portugal, in 1976. He is educated in Biochemistry at the University of Coimbra with a B.Sc.. degree in 1999 and defended his PhD at KI in 2005. He did postdocs at KI 2005-2008 and at the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Great Britain, 2009-2012. 

  • Gonçalo Castelo Branco started his research group at KI in 2012. He became a docent (associate professor) in 2016. In 2019 he was awarded the Swedish Society for Medical Research Jubilee Prize and in 2021 with both the Göran Gustafsson Prize in Medicine and the Eric K Fernström Prize for young, particularly promising and successful researchers, and he was elected to the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in 2023.. Gonçalo Castelo Branco is Professor of Glial Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet since 1 November 2021.

    Main interests: Single cell and spatial transcriptomics and epigenomics, oligodendroglia, remyelination, multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunology

    Education
    Associate Professor (Docent), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
    Post-doctoral fellow, The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Kouzarides' lab
    Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Hermanson's lab
    PhD, Medical Biochemistry, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Arenas's lab
    B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Coimbra, Portugal, B.Sc. student at Saraiva's lab, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Porto, Portugal

    Academic honours, awards and prizes
    2023- Member of Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet
    2022 Hans Wigzell Prize
    2021 Eric K. Fernström Prize
    2021 Göran Gustafsson Prize in Medicine
    2019 Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) Jubileum Prize

Research

  • Our research group is interested in the molecular mechanisms defining the epigenetic state of oligodendrocyte lineage cells. We are particularly focused on how interplay between transcription factors, non-coding RNAs and chromatin modifying enzymes contributes to the transition between epigenetic states in oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and could thereby lead to targeted therapies for illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.

    Visit our research group's webpage: https://ki.se/en/mbb/goncalo-castelo-branco-group

Selected publications

Articles

All other publications

Grants

Employments

  • Professor, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 2021-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2016
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 2005

Leadership and responsibility assignments

  • Head of department administration, Deputy Head of Department, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-
  • Head of department administration, Chair of Senate, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-

Committee work

  • Member, Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-

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