Research Group
Current and former members of the Távora Research Group at the Federal University of Ceará Graduate Program in Pathology and Argos Laboratory.
Principal Investigator
Fabio Távora, MD, PhD Professor, Federal University of Ceará · CEO, Argos Laboratory
Surgical Pathologist with subspecialty expertise in pulmonary, genitourinary, and cardiovascular pathology. Post-doctoral fellow at Brown University (2019–2020). Contributor to the WHO Classification of Tumours (Lung/Thymus/Heart 2014, 2021, 2025–26; GU 2021) and member of the IASLC Pathology Committee (2025–2027).
Current Members
Cleto Dantas Nogueira, MD PhD Candidate · Federal University of Ceará
Associate Medical Director at Argos Laboratory and pathologist at Hospital das Clínicas da UFC and Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital. Research focus: molecular profiling of NSCLC in Northeastern Brazil, including HER2, PD-L1, ALK, and EGFR alterations.
Selected publications: HER2-mutated NSCLC in Northeastern Brazil (Oncotarget, 2025) · GSK-3β and overall survival in NSCLC (Front Oncol, 2021) · Molecular profile of NSCLC (J Bras Pneumol, 2019)
Guilherme de Sousa Velozo MSc Student · Federal University of Ceará
Pathology assistant at Argos Laboratory. Research focus: digital pathology implementation, whole-slide imaging, and AI-assisted image analysis in high-volume diagnostic settings. ORCID: 0009-0001-8959-1526
Selected publications: Implementation of digital pathology in a low-resource setting (Surg Exp Pathol, 2025) · Machine learning for lung biopsy subtyping (JTO Clin Res Rep, 2025) · Quantitative digital pathology in prostate cancer (Int Urol Nephrol, 2025) · Cervical cytopathology glass vs. digital slides (Diagn Cytopathol, 2023)
Raquel Feijó, MD MSc Student · Federal University of Ceará
Affiliated with the Department of Pathology at UFC and Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital. Research focus: neuroendocrine markers and precision medicine in small cell lung cancer, with emphasis on DLL3, ASCL1, TTF-1, and Ki-67 co-expression.
Selected publications: DLL3, ASCL1, TTF-1 and Ki-67 in SCLC — first steps of precision medicine (Oncotarget, 2024)
Juliana Cordeiro de Sousa, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher · Federal University of Ceará
Technical and Quality Manager at Argos Laboratory. Research focus: biomarker expression in lung cancer (GSK-3β, PD-L1) and digital pathology applications including QuPath-based quantification and urothelial carcinoma grading.
Selected publications: GSK-3β, PD-L1, and CD8 in urothelial carcinomas (Am J Clin Exp Immunol, 2023) · Computer-assisted tumor grading with QuPath (Surg Exp Pathol, 2022) · GSK-3β and overall survival in NSCLC (Front Oncol, 2021)
Iusta Caminha, MD, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher · Federal University of Ceará
Affiliated with the Department of Pathology at UFC and UNIFOR. Research focus: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer diagnosis, incidental pulmonary nodule detection, and immune profiling of NSCLC. Completed PhD thesis in 2025 on COVID-19’s impact on lung neoplasm diagnosis in Ceará.
Selected publications: Immune profiling of incidental NSCLC patients (Appl Immunohistochem, 2025) · Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer diagnosis (J Bras Pneumol, 2022)
Collaborating Members
Marclesson Santos Alves, MSc Research Collaborator · Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital
Pathologist at Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital. Long-standing research collaborator focused on PD-L1 expression, ALK detection, and molecular biomarkers in NSCLC. Co-author on multiple key lung cancer series from the group.
Selected publications: GSK-3β and overall survival in NSCLC (Front Oncol, 2021) · PD-L1 clones comparison in NSCLC (J Thorac Oncol, 2023) · Molecular profile of NSCLC (J Bras Pneumol, 2019)
André Costa Teixeira, MD, PhD Research Collaborator · Argos Laboratory · UNICHRISTUS
Doctor in Medical Sciences (UFC), MSc in Pathology (UFC). Pathologist at Argos Laboratory and Professor of Human Pathology at UNICHRISTUS. Residency at Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto–USP, with international exchange at the University of Porto, Portugal. Research focus: renal pathology, transplant pathology, hepatocellular carcinoma, and endothelial biomarkers in kidney allografts.
Selected publications: Von Willebrand factor as predictor of kidney allograft outcomes (Appl Immunohistochem, 2022) · Endothelial biomarkers in kidney allograft biopsies with antibody-mediated injury (Clin Exp Nephrol, 2021) · Angiogenesis markers in hepatocellular carcinoma (Appl Immunohistochem, 2018)
Francisco Martins Neto, MD Research Collaborator · Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital
Pathologist and oncologist at Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital. Research focus: thoracic oncology, molecular testing access in the Brazilian public health setting, and lung cancer biomarker studies. Active contributor to guidelines for molecular testing in NSCLC.
Selected publications: DLL3/ASCL1/TTF-1 in SCLC (Oncotarget, 2024) · Guidelines for molecular testing in NSCLC (Surg Exp Pathol, 2023) · Molecular profile of NSCLC (J Bras Pneumol, 2019)
How to Join
I welcome motivated students and collaborators interested in surgical pathology research, particularly in thoracic oncology, genitourinary pathology, digital pathology, and AI-assisted diagnostics. Graduate positions are available through the Federal University of Ceará Graduate Program in Pathology.
Contact: ftavora@gmail.com