Curriculum Vitae

Education

• 1990-1994 Bachelor Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Permanbuco, Brazil
• May-Oct. 1994 Specialization Parasitology, Department of Tropical Mecicine, Federal University of Pernambucco, Brazil
• 1997-1999 Master's degree Biotechnology of Bioactive Products/Microbiology, Department of Antibiotics, Federal Universtiy of Pernamuco, Brazil Thesis Title: Bactericidal effect of several antibiotics against Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium smegmatis
• 2002-2006 Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences, Department of Microbiolgy and Pathology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
  

Professional Experience

• 1997-2001 Laboratory Technician, Department of Zoology, Federal Universtiy of Pernambuco, Brazil
• 1996-2001 Professor, Microbiology and Parasitology, Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Higher Learning Foundation in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
  

Research Experience

• Microbology
• Parasitology and Bacteriology
• Analytical Microbiology
• Electrospray Ionization- Mass spectrometry (ESI MS)
• Electrospray Ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI MS-MS)
• Matrix assisted laser desorption time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI) TOF MS
• Matrix assisted laser desorption time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI) TOF TOF MS-MS
• MALDI Ion trap- MS and MS-MS
• Molecular Biology
• Proteomics

Publications

1. Fox, A., Fox, K.F, Castanha, E.R., Muhammad, W.T. 2004. Detection of bioterrorism agents and human diagnostics: Polymerase chain reaction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry. In: I. Wilson, C. Poole, M. Cooke (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Analytical Science Elsevier, Holland 2nd Edition. 509-515

2. Castanha, R.C., Swiger, R.R, Senior, B., Fox, A., Waller, L.N., Fox, K. 2005. Strain discrimination among B. anthracis and related organisms by characterization of BCLA polymorhisms using PCR coupled with agarose gel or micro-chanel fluidics electrophoresis. J. Microbiol. Meth. 64:27-45

3. Castanha, R.C., Fox, A., Fox, K.F. 2006. Rapid discrimination of Bacillus anthracis form other members of the B. cereus group by mass and squence of "intact" small acid soluble proteins (SASPs) using mass spectrometery. J. Microbiol. Meth. 67:231-240.

4. Castanha, R.C., Vestal, M., Fox, A., Fox, K.F., Dickinson, D., Hoffmaster, A. 2006. Bacillus cereus strains fall into two clusters (one closely and one more distantly related) to Baciluus anthracis according to amino acid substitutions in small acid solube proteins as determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Molecular and Cellular Probes. (In press).

5.Fox, K., Castanha, E.R., Fox, A., Feigley, C., Salzberg, D. 2007. Human K10 epithelial keratin is the most abundant protein in airborne dust of both occupied and unoccupied school rooms. Journal of Environmental Monitoring (in press).

 6.Callahan, C., Castanha, E.R., Fox, K., Fox, A. 2007.The B. cereus containing sub-branch, most closely related to B. anthracis, has single amino acid substitutions in small acid soluble proteins, but remaining sub-branches are more variable. Molecular and Cellular Probes. (Submitted).

Presentations

1. Castanha, E.R.,  Azevedo-Ximenes, E.C.P.  Poster : “Bactericidal effect of

several antibiotics against Mycobacterium fortuitum. V Brazilian Congress of the South-American Pharmaceutical Federation.  Goania, GO, Brazil.  November 17-20, 1998.

 2. Castanha, E.R, Fox, A., Fox, K.F. Poster: “ PCR-MS for Biodetection of Bacillus anthracis. 5^th International Symposium on the Interface between Analytical Chemistry and Microbiology. Richland, Washington State, United States, April 19-21, 2004.

 3. Castanha, E.R., Fox, A., Fox, K.F. Poster: “Rapid discrimination of Bacillus anthracis from other members of the B. cereus group by mass and sequence of “intact” small acid soluble proteins (SASPs) using mass spectrometry”. 2006 ASM Biodefense Research Meeting Washington DC, February, 2006.

 4. Castanha, E.R., Fox, A., Fox, K.F. Poster: “ LTQ Orbitrap MS and MS-MS analysis of “intact” small acid soluble proteins of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus”. 55^th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry. Indianopolis, Indiana, June 3-7 2007.