Tiago Matos, dermatologist and research fellow in the department of dermatology at Amsterdam UMC, has gained academic recognition by becoming a member of the Amsterdam Young Academy (AYA). Ten new members were rigorously selected from all different faculties of both the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). Dr. Matos is the only member selected from medicine and natural sciences. AYA is an independent platform where talented young scientists from different disciplines lead altruistic work on policy change, create scientific societal impact, and build bridges between science and society. In recognition of his new position, we asked Tiago 5 questions to get to know him and his research better.
Congratulations
Congratulations with the AYA membership Tiago, it sounds like a wonderful position. Could you share with us what it means to be a part of the Amsterdam Young Academy?
"First, it is a great honor to be selected as one of the AYA 2022 members. The selection process was as follows: potential candidates were selected by the deans of each faculty. This was followed by a rigorous selection process based on each candidate's academic curriculum and motivation. The selection process concluded with an interview.
As a member of the AYA, I will contribute with my scientific and academic knowledge. However, I especially want to contribute in the area of social impact. During my time as an AYA member, I want to focus on the evolving cultural and societal needs and challenges while trying to actively contribute in a positive and constructive way. In particular, I want to be part of policy changes by ensuring that career grants and scholarships are awarded in a fair and transparent manner. In this way, I hope to contribute to an inclusive and diversified environment, both of which are essential to scientific success.
To give an example, in addition to my position at AYA, I am also part of the Impact Program of Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA). By combining AYA and IXA, I was able to initiate the Global Health in Skin Sciences program. It aims to financially support researchers from developing countries to attend a European Dermatology Conference. Secondly, to identify unmet dermatology and research needs within their country of residence and support their careers by connecting them with successful career mentors."
Two PhD's
You hold two PhD’s, one in immunology and the other in Biomedical Sciences. Could you share more about your decision to gain a PhD in both fields?
"My two completely distinct PhD’s: one in immunology (fundamental research) and one in biomedical sciences (translational and clinical research) gave me a holistic knowledge about pathophysiology, new drug identification and the whole drug development process. During my PhD programs, I learned how to conduct complex laboratory research, how to design clinical trials aimed to study new drugs, and how to bring those new drugs to the patients. It was not always easy, and certainly not always positive, but fortunately I had the constant support of my wonderful mentor, Prof. Menno de Rie. I am very proud to have completed both my PhDs with the distinction Cum Laude, as the first ever within the dermatology department of Amsterdam UMC."
Profound outcome
What is the most profound (research) outcome you have encountered in your career so far?
“As a scientist, I am proud that our work led to “a critical and ground-breaking redefinition of the cutaneous immune system” as described by The Scientist Magazine.
Additionally, it caused two major paradigm shifts:
- It showed that psoriasis (a chronic autoimmune disease) is caused by resident memory T cells, which are cells that always remain in the skin and do not migrate to the blood. This is why psoriasis still cannot be cured and many treatments are ineffective. This caused a paradigm shift, as it was previously thought that psoriasis was caused by a different type of cells (γδ T cells), which are found mainly in mouse models of psoriasis, but not in human skin. This has profound implications for the development of new therapies, and the publication was nominated as a top publication by the International Psoriasis Council.
- The second paradigm shift was the understanding that T cells from solid tissue survive chemo- and radiotherapy in patients prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (a type of bone marrow transplant). It also causes transplant rejection. Until then, treatments against
transplant rejection focused only on the cells of the transplant itself, without considering the effects of T cells in solid tissues of recipients (the patient receiving the transplant).
Greatest challenge
What do you experience as the greatest challenge within your field?
"The biggest challenge within dermatology is that we are seen as a cosmetic specialty, so other medical specialties do not always take it seriously. Of course cosmetic dermatology gets the most attention in the media, even though dermatovenereology is one of the specialties with the largest number of individual diseases, with more than 3,000 different diseases. Unfortunately, many of these diseases are still chronic. This is the second challenge: treating skin diseases is difficult. Many skin diseases must be treated with a cream, which is not as convenient as swallowing a pill. Unfortunately, many of the dermatological diseases are chronic and recurrent, for which we do not yet have a cure."
Future focus
What will you focus on in the coming period?
"In the near future, I will focus on 'that second challenge in dermatology,' the development of clinical trials for new therapies to treat skin diseases. My dream is that one day countless patients can benefit from a new therapy that I helped to create.
Within my research area, I focus on T cells and their precursors in the blood. One example is my research on regulatory T cells (Tregs) in skin diseases. Tregs are crucial for a healthy immune system, and we cannot live without them. When Tregs are dysfunctional or reduced, it leads to various diseases, but we do not yet fully understand how to strengthen Tregs to alleviate immunological skin diseases. I am pursuing better treatments for such Treg-related immunological diseases and new insights into human immune responses.
As mentioned earlier, I also participate in several volunteer projects with the goal of improving global health within dermatology in developing countries. And, I contribute positively and constructively to the development of science policy, creating fair, transparent and equal opportunities for all."
Get to know Tiago
Tiago is a dermatologist and research fellow in the department of dermatology. He is extroverted and gets energy from interacting with friends, family and strangers and being active during CrossFit. Tiago enjoys traveling the world, exploring new cultures and customs and interacting with local people, learning from their experiences and history. In terms of his work and studies, Tiago has also been a resident of several countries: the Czech Republic, United Kingdom, United States of America and the Netherlands. Tiago loves nature: gardening, visiting parks, botanical gardens, and taking long walks. Fun fact: Tiago ran the New York Marathon with only 2 weeks of training and finished within 4 hours.
Tiago is a rising star, both the EADV (European Association of Dermatology and Venereology) and the ESDR (European Society of Dermatology Research) have nominated him as a future leader in dermatology. Moreover, Tiago was honored with several biotech awards, including the 1st prize Entrepreneurship in Health and Life Sciences and nominated within the top 12 European dermatology innovators for the Magic Wand Program (Innovation in Dermatology) of Harvard Medical School/MGH.
Text: Esmée Vesseur
Legend of the photo: Rectors Jeroen Geurts (VU) and Peter-Paul Verbeek (UvA) introduce AYA members of 2022.
Learn more about our AII members: