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Cassio Mendes Fontes

Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering · 2023 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering

Recent Publications


Controlling Release Kinetics of an Adjuvant from a Depot Improves the Efficacy of Local Immunotherapy in Metastatic Cancer.

Journal Article Adv Sci (Weinh) · October 2025 Biomaterials can improve cancer immunotherapies by controlling their release and thereby optimizing their time-dependent engagement of the immune system. In this study, an approach is described to control the release of a potent immunostimulant-CpG oligode ... Full text Link to item Cite

Synthetic biomolecular condensates enhance translation from a target mRNA in living cells.

Journal Article Nat Chem · March 2025 Biomolecular condensates composed of proteins and RNA are one approach by which cells regulate post-transcriptional gene expression. Their formation typically involves the phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins with a target mRNA, sequesteri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Environmentally Resilient Microfluidic Point-of-Care Immunoassay Enables Rapid Diagnosis of Talaromycosis.

Journal Article ACS Sens · June 23, 2023 Point-of-care tests (POCTs) are increasingly being used in field settings, particularly outdoors. The performance of current POCTs─most commonly the lateral flow immunoassay─can be adversely affected by ambient temperature and humidity. We developed a self ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Development of point-of-care testing for Lassa and other hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses

ResearchResearch Scientist · Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · 2022 - 2027

A Fully Integrated Point-of-Care Test for Ebola

ResearchResearch Scientist · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Generation of antibodies specific for optimal non-HRP2 malaria diagnostic antigens

ResearchGraduate Student · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2023

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 2020 Ph.D.