My research interests lie at the intersection of genome editing and applied physiology, with the overarching goal of impacting human health. Throughout my pre-doctoral and doctoral studies, I received extensive training in cell culture, animal physiology, and clinical studies, particularly in the field of muscle physiology. After completing my Ph.D. at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), I joined as a postdoctoral research fellow the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School to lead projects focused on the therapeutic effects of exercise to enhance systemic metabolism through inter-organ communication. Seeking a new research challenge, I later transitioned to the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where my work focused on the pathophysiology of neuromuscular diseases and the development of innovative genome editing technologies. Under the mentorship of Dr. Benjamin Kleinstiver, a leader in the field of gene editing, I received advanced training in engineering CRISPR technologies. This experience has come full circle, equipping me to pursue novel genome editing-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases as an independent investigator.
I have recently started my independent research program at Univesity of Pittsburgh and I have directed my research attention toward the application of state-of-the-art genome editing technologies to treat neuromuscular and metabolic diseases. I have implemented gene editing techniques into my research program and will continue to pursue high-impact questions related to neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular interest in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other severe diseases. The intersection of physiology, genome editing, and therapeutics is the core of my research laboratory. Our overall goal is to develop cutting-edge strategies that will significantly improve patients' quality of life.
View Dr. Alves' publications on PubMed
- Takahashi H*, Alves CRR*, Stanford KI, Middelbeek RJW, Nigro P, Ryan RE, Ruidan X, Sakaguchi M, Lynes MD, So K, Mul JD, MY Lee, Balan E, Pan H, Dreyfuss JM, Hirshman MF, Azhar M, Hannukainen JC, Kalliokoski K, Nielsen S, Pedersen BK, Kahn CR, Tseng YH, Goodyear LJ. TGF-β2 is an exercise-induced adipokine that regulates glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Nature Metabolism, 2019; 1(2): 291-303. PMID: 31032475. doi: 10.1038/s42255-018-0030-7. *These authors contributed equally.
- Alves CRR, Neves WD, de Almeida NR, Eichelberger EJ, Jannig PR, Voltarelli VA, Tobias GC, Bechara LRG, de Paula Faria D, Alves MJN, Hagen L, Sharma A, Slupphaug G, Moreira JBN, Wisloff U, Hirshman MF, Negrão CE, de Castro G Jr, Chammas R, Swoboda KJ, Ruas JL, Goodyear LJ, Brum PC. Exercise Training Reverses Cancer-Induced Oxidative Stress and Decrease in Muscle COPS2/TRIP15/ALIEN. Molecular Metabolism. 2020; 39:101012. PMID: 32408015. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101012
- Alves CRR, Zhang R, Johnstone AJ, Garner R, Nwe P, Siranosian BS, Swoboda KJ. Serum Creatinine is a Biomarker of Progressive Denervation in Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Neurology, 2019; 94:1-11. PMID: 31882526. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000008762
- Alves CRR, Petrillo M, Spellman R, Garner R, Zhang R, Kiefer M, Simeone S, Sohn J, Eichelberger EJ, Rodrigues E, Arruda EA, Townsend EL, Farwell W, Swoboda KJ. Implications of circulating neurofilaments for spinal muscular atrophy treatment early in life: a case series. Molecular Therapy - Methods & Clinical Development. 2021; 30; 23:524-538. PMID: 34853799. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.10.011
- Alves CRR, Ha LL, Yaworski R, Sutton ER, Lazzarotto CR, Christie KA, Reilly A, Beauvais A, Doll RM, de la Cruz D, Maguire CA, Swoboda KJ, Tsai SQ, Kothary R, Kleinstiver BP. Optimization of base editors for the functional correction of SMN2 as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Nature Biomedical Engineering; 2023; Dec 06. doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01132-z.
- Alves CRR*, Das S*, Krishnan V*, Ha LL, Fox LR, Stutzman HE, Shamber CE, Kalailingam P, McCarthy S, Lino Cardenas CL, Fong CE, Imai T, Mitra S, Yun S, Wood RK, Benning FMC, Lawton J, Kim N, Silverstein RA, da Silva JF, de la Cruz D, Richa R, Malhotra R, Chung DY, Chao LH, Tsai SQ, Maguire CA, Lindsay ME**, Kleinstiver BP**, Musolino PL**. In vivo Treatment of a Severe Vascular Disease via a Bespoke CRISPR-Cas9 Base Editor. doi: 10.1038/s41551-025-01499-1. Nature Biomedical Engineering; 2025. *These authors contributed equally. **These authors contributed equally.
- Yun S, Chekuri A, Art J, Kondabolu K, Slaugenhaupt SA, Zeltner N, Kleinstiver BP, Morini E, Alves CRR. Engineered CRISPR-Base Editors as a Permanent Treatment for Familial Dysautonomia. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Dec 20:2024.11.27.625322. doi: 10.1101/2024.11.27.625322.