Kaian Amorim Teles

Postdoctoral Fellow

Location:

4288-WS13

Biography

Kaian is a Brazilian native from Brasília, the capital city of Brazil and located in the heart of South America. His journey in scientific research began during his undergraduate studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Upon completing his Bachelor's degree, Kaian pursued a Master's and subsequently a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology at the Universidade de Brasília, within the Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology. Throughout his graduate studies, Kaian spearheaded the design and characterization of peptides that bind to the acidic patch of the nucleosome. The goal of this research was to disrupt interactions with nucleosome-binding proteins and modulate chromatin architecture. The project required Kaian to master a diverse array of techniques, including molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, cell-based assays, and in vivo methodologies using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism.

Following the completion of his Ph.D., Kaian embarked on postdoctoral research at the Lauberth Lab at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). There, he focused on elucidating the roles of enhancer RNAs in chromatin regulation. He then pursued a postdoctoral position at the Chromatin Biochemistry Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). In this role, Kaian investigated the mechanisms behind DNA methylation maintenance, particularly exploring the function of the DNMT1 enzyme in maintaining hemi-methylated chromatin.

Currently, Kaian is continuing his research as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Professor Kyle Lauersen at the Sustainable and Synthetic Biotechnology Group.

Research Interests

His work focuses on bioengineering algae to produce commercially valuable molecules.

Selected Publications

Teles K, Fernandes V, Silva I, Leite M, Grisolia C, Lobbia VR, van Ingen H, Honorato R, Lopes-de-Oliveira P, Treptow W, Santos G. Nucleosome binding peptide presents laudable biophysical and in vivo effects. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Jan;121:109678. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109678. Epub 2019 Nov 25. Erratum in: Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Mar;123:109805. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109805. PMID: 31810135.

 Fernandes V, Teles K, Ribeiro C, Treptow W, Santos G. Fat nucleosome: Role of lipids on chromatin. Prog Lipid Res. 2018 Apr;70:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.plipres.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 17. PMID: 29678609.

 Teles KA, Medeiros-Souza P, Lima FAC, Araújo BG, Lima RAC. Cyclophosphamide administration routine in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a review. Rev Bras Reumatol Engl Ed. 2017 Nov-Dec;57(6):596-604. English, Portuguese. doi: 10.1016/j.rbre.2016.09.008. Epub 2016 Oct 24. PMID: 29173694.

 Veluchamy A, Teles K, Fischle W. CRISPR-broad: combined design of multi-targeting gRNAs and broad, multiplex target finding. Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 12;13(1):19717. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-46212-x. PMID: 37953351; PMCID: PMC10641073.

Education

  • Ph.D Molecular Pathology, Molecular Pathology Program, University of Brasilia - UnB, Brazil, 2017-2020
  • M.Sc. Molecular Pathology, Molecular Pathology Program, University of Brasilia - UnB, Brazil, 2016-2017
  • B.Sc. Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Brasilia - UnB, Brazil, 2010-2015

Awards

Best oral presentation at: II Simpósio do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Brasília, Brasil. 2016

KAUST Affiliations

Sustainable & Synthetic Biotechnology Group

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering

Research Interests Keywords

Microalgae Algal Biotechnology Molecular Biology C. merolae