Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João
Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro
4200-319, Porto, Portugal
Phone: 351-22-5512100, Ext : 5024
email: mjsa@med.up.pt

Health Sciences Faculty, University Fernando Pessoa
Praça 9 de Abril, 349
4200 Porto, Portugal
Phone: 351-22-5071300
email: mariajs@ufp.pt

POSITION TITLE

Senior Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal Associate Professor of Neurology, Health Sciences Faculty, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto

EDUCATION / TRAINING

1970-1976 Graduation in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto
1994-1998 Ph.D. degree, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto

POSITIONS AND EMPLYMENT

1982-1987 Residency in Neurology, Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João, Porto
1988-1991 Eventual Registrar of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João, Porto
1991-1992 Registrar of Neurology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Porto
1992-1996 Registrar of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João, Porto
1996- Consultant of Neurology/Senior Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João, Porto
2001-2007 Auxiliary Professor of Neuroanatomy, Porto Medical School
2006- Associate Professor of Neurology, Health Sciences Faculty, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto

OTHER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

1993 – Head of the CSF Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Hospital S. João
2004 – Head of the MS Clinic of Hospital S. João
2007- Head of the Neurology Outpatient Clinical Care Unit of Hospital S. João
1991- Member of the Cerebrospinal Fluid Research Group, World Federation Neurology
2000-2006 Delegate of ECTRIMS – European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis
2001- Member of the Scientific Board of the European School of Neuroimmunology
2001- Peer-referee of the Portuguese Journals Arquivos de Medicina and Sinapse
2001-2004 Member of the Scientific Committee for the Portuguese Meetings of Neurology
2003-2005 President of the Multiple Sclerosis Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Neurology
2005-2007 Vice-President of the Portuguese Society of Neurology
2006- Portuguese delegate to the Scientists Panel of the EFNS/EAN
2007- Peer-referee of Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria
2008- Member of national and international advisory boards
2010- Expert of Integrated MS Management Group of the Directorate-General of Health, Portuguese Health Ministry
2010- Member of the Editorial Advisory Board and Area Supervisor “Neuroimmunology” of Arquivos de Neuro- Psiquiatria
2011- Peer-referee of Journal of Neurology
2012- Member of the Editorial Board of Latin American Multiple Sclerosis Journal

INVESTIGATION PROJECTS IN LAST 5 YEARS

2011 – Environmental Factors in Portuguese Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
2012 – Neuropsychological Tests for Multiple Sclerosis (BRBN-T): Validation of a battery for the Portuguese Population
2014 – Validation of BICAMS (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS) battery for the Portuguese Population
2014 – Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders
2014 – Biomarkers of neurodegeneration in dementia
2015 – Metabolic Diseases Masquerading As Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
2015 – Genetic and Epigenetic Biomarkers of Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis Portuguese Patients
2016 – Metabolic syndrome and Noradrenergic Modulation in Multiple Sclerosis
2016 – Immunological Biomarkers of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

MEMBER OF INVESTIGATION CENTRES – PORTUGUESE FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Unidade de Investigação em Energia, Ambiente e Saúde (FP-ENAS), Universidade Fernando Pessoa
• CLEPUL, Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias da Universidade de Lisboa, pólo do Porto, Universidade Fernando Pessoa.
• ISCTE/UNIDE – IUL, Unidade de Investigação em Desenvolvimento Empresarial, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa.

CLINICAL TRIALS IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Prevention of Flu-like Symptoms in RR-MS Patients during the first 3 months of Interferon beta 1-b Therapy, Phase IV, open, multicentric, randomized, comparinf the efficacy of oral acetaminophen versus prednisone in prevention of flu-like symptoms in MS patients treated with Betaferon®, Schering AG, 2001-2002.

BEST – “Betaferon® in Early relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Surveillance Trial”. Observational multicentric study, Schering AG/Bayer Schering Pharma, 2002-2008.

COGNIMS – “Observational Study to Assess Cognition in patients with early Multiple Sclerosis”. Multicentric study, Schering AG/Bayer Schering Pharma, 2005-2007.

TRANSFORMS – TRial Assessing injectable inteferoN vS FTY720 Oral in RrMS, “A 12-month double-blind, randomized, multicenter, active-controlled, parallel-group study comparing the efficacy and safety of 0.5 mg and 1.25 mg fingolimod (FTY720) administered orally once daily versus interferon beta 1-a (Avonex®) administered i.m. once weekly in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis”, Novartis. 2007-2010.

CFTY720D2316 – A 4-month, open-label, multi-center study to explore tolerability and safety and health outcomes of FTY720 in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Novartis, 2010.

TYGRIS – “TYSABRI® Global Observational Program in Safety – Rest of World”, Biogen Idec, 2008-2015.

BEGIN – “Betaferon treatment and Exercise data Gathering IN early MS”. Bayer Schering Pharma AG, 2008-2010.

STAR – “An international, multicentre, prospective, observational study of safety, tolerability and adherence of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis administered interferon beta-1a (Rebif® New Formulation) in real life settings.”, Merck Serono, 2010-2012.

SMART – Assessment of Adherence, Effectiveness & Convenience of Rebif® Treatment in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis patients using RebiSmartTM. Merck Serono, 2010-2012.

TOP – “TYSABRI® Observational Study, Biogen idec, ongoing since 2010.

JEMS – Epidemiology of Anti-JCV Antibody Prevalence in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. Biogen Idec, 2010.

SNAPSHOT – Multicentric Study of natalizumab-treated patients in Portugal. Biogen Portugal, 2010.

ENABLE – An Open-Label, Multicenter, Multinational Study to Assess the Effect of Long-Term Prolonged-Release Fampridine (BIIB041) 10 mg Twice Daily on Quality of Life as Reported by Subjects with Multiple Sclerosis. Biogen idec. 2012.

SOLAR – Supplementation of VigantOL® oil versus placebo as Add-on in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis receiving Rebif® treatment. Merck Serono. 2012

Longterms/CFTY720D2399 – A single arm, open-label, multicenter study evaluating the long-term safety and tolerability of 0.5 mg fingolimod (FTY720) administered orally once daily in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Novartis, 2010-2015.

MOVE 1 – Melhorias de Mobilidade (Mobility ImproVEments) com Espasticidade em Esclerose Múltipla. Recolha de dados restrospectiva sobre a prestação de cuidados e a satisfação com o tratamento de pacientes com esclerose múltipla com espasticidade na Europa (M/SATIVX/02). Almirall S.A. 2013.

CogniPlus – Cognition Plus Physical activity in Multiple Sclerosis. Bayer. 2014-2016.

JUSTIFY – Avaliação epidemiológica retrospetiva da seroprevalência do anticorpo anti-JCV em doentes com Esclerose Múltipla Surto-Remissão em Portugal (John Cunningham Virus seroprevalence in patients tested with the STRATIFY assay). Biogen Idec, 2014-2015.

PROTEC – A Multicenter, Open-Label Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Oral Tecfidera™ (Dimethyl Fumarate) on MS Disease Activity and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Subjects with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in the Real World Setting, 2015-2016.

TYPIFI – Tysabri na Esclerose Múltipla Surto-Remissão em fase Inicial. Biogen Portugal. 2015-2017.

PROADHER – Estudo observacional prospetivo de adesão à terapêutica em doentes com esclerose múltipla recidivante remitente a utilizar RebismartTM. Merck, S.A., 2016-2017.

REALMS – Estudo observacional, retrospetivo, multicêntrico, nacional para avaliar a experiência na prática clínica comum do tratamento com fingolimod (Gilenya®) em doentes com Esclerose Múltipla Surto Remissão. Novartis Farma. 2016.

SELECTED PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS IN LAST 5 YEARS
(in chronological order)

1. Cohen JA, Barkhof F, Comi G, Hartung HP, Khatri BO, Montalban X, Pelletier J, Capra R, Gallo P, Izquierdo G, Tiel-Wilck K, de Vera A, Jin J, Stites T, Wu S, Aradhye S, Kappos L; TRANSFORMS Study Group. Oral fingolimod or intramuscular interferon for relapsing multiple sclerosis. N Engl J Med. 2010 Feb 4;362(5):402-15. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0907839.
2. Costa D, Sá MJ, Calheiros JM. The effect of social support on the symptoms of depression experienced by Portuguese patients with multiple sclerosis. Rev Neurol. 2011 Oct 16;53(8):457-62.
3. Mendes A, Sá MJ. Classical immunomodulatory therapy in multiple sclerosis: how it acts, how it works. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2011 Jun;69(3):536-43.
4. Khatri B, Barkhof F, Comi G, Hartung HP, Kappos L, Montalban X, Pelletier J, Stites T, Wu S, Holdbrook F, Zhang-Auberson L, Francis G, Cohen JA; TRANSFORMS Study Group. Comparison of fingolimod with interferon beta-1a in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a randomised extension of the TRANSFORMS study. Lancet Neurol. 2011 Jun;10(6):520-9. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70099-0. Epub 2011 May 13.
5. Seixas D, Sá MJ, Galhardo V, Guimarães J, Lima D. Pain in portuguese patients with multiple sclerosis. Front Neurol. 2011 Mar 31;2:20. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2011.00020. eCollection 2011.
6. Sá MJ, Guimarães J, Abreu P, Mendes A, Souto E. Etiopathogenesis, Classical Immunotherapy and Innovative Nanotherapeutics for Inflammatory Neurological Disorders. Current Nanoscience, 2011;7(1):2-20.
7. Carvalho AT, Sá MJ. Switching and escalating therapy in long-lasting multiple sclerosis: not always necessary. ISRN Neurol. 2012;2012:451457. doi: 10.5402/2012/451457. Epub 2012 Dec 22.
8. Sá MJ. Disease-modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis must be globally available according to therapeutic guidelines suitable to different regions of the world. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2012 Oct;70(10):761-2.
9. Sá MJ. Physiopathology of symptoms and signs in multiple sclerosis. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2012 Sep;70(9):733-40.
10. Guimarães J, Sá MJ. Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. Front Neurol. 2012 May 24;3:74. doi10.3389/fneur.2012.00074. eCollection 2012.
11. Grimaldi L, Barkhof F, Beelke M, Burton J, Holmoy T, Hupperts R, Killestein J, Rieckmann P, Schluep M, Smolders J; SOLAR Study Group. A randomized trial of high-dose vitamin D2 in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2012 Mar 13;78(11):841. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000413180.13413.ce.
12. Costa DC, Sá MJ, Calheiros JM. The effect of social support on the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2012 Feb;70(2):108-13.13. Barros P, de Sá MJ. Month of birth and risk of multiple sclerosis in a Portuguese population. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2013 Sep;115(9):1762-5. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2013.04.007. Epub 2013 May 1.
14. Nogueira C, Barros J, Sá MJ, Azevedo L, Taipa R, Torraco A, Meschini MC, Verrigni D, Nesti C, Rizza T, Teixeira J, Carrozzo R, Pires MM, Vilarinho L, Santorelli FM. Novel TTC19 mutation in a family with severe psychiatric manifestations and complex III deficiency. Neurogenetics. 2013 May;14(2):153-60. doi: 10.1007/s10048-013-0361-1. Epub 2013 Mar 28.
15. Costa D, Sá MJ, Calheiros JM. Social Characteristics and Quality of Life of Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Patients. Neurol Ther 2013. DOI 10.1007/s40120-013-0011-4.
16. Barros P, Sá MJ. Management of Motor Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis. US Neurology, 2013;9(1):24–9.
17. Carvalho AT, Veiga A, Morgado J, Tojal R, Rocha S, Vale J,Sá MJ, Timoteo A. Multiple sclerosis and motherhood choice: an observational study in Portuguese women patients. Rev Neurol. 2014 Dec 16;59(12):537-42. 18. Sá MJ, de Sá J, Sousa L. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: patterns of response to disease-modifying therapies and associated factors: a national survey. Neurol Ther. 2014 Sep 3;3(2):89-99. doi: 10.1007/s40120-014-0019-4.
19. Sousa L, de Sa J, Sa MJ, Cerqueira JJ, Martins-Silva A; Portugal Experience with Natalizumab Study Group. The efficacy and safety of natalizumab for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in Portugal: a retrospective study. Rev Neurol. 2014 Nov 1;59(9):399-406.
20. Carvalho AT, Abreu P, Sá MJ. Multiple sclerosis treatment with natalizumab: analysis of a hospital-based cohort. Acta Med Port. 2014 Jul-Aug;27(4):437-43. Epub 2014 Aug 29.
21. Carvalho AT, Linhares P, Castro L, Sá MJ. Multiple sclerosis and oligodendroglioma: an exceptional association. Case Rep Neurol Med. 2014;2014:546817. doi: 10.1155/2014/546817. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
22. Sá MJ. Month of birth is not a definite risk factor for multiple sclerosis. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2014 May;72(5):397.
23. da Silva AM, Santos ME; Portuguese JEMS Study Investigators. JCV epidemiology in MS (JEMS)–epidemiology of anti-JCV antibody prevalence in multiple sclerosis patients–Portuguese data. J Neurol Sci. 2014 Feb 15;337(1-2):119-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2013.11.031.
24. Sá MJ. Exercise therapy and multiple sclerosis: a systematic review. J Neurol. 2014 Sep;261(9):1651-61. doi: 13.1007/s00415-013-7183-9. Epub 2013 Nov 22.
25. Domingos J, Isidoro L, Figueiredo R, Brum M, Capela C, Barros P, Santos E, Macário MD, Pinto Marques J, Pedrosa R, Vale J, Sá MJ. Neuromyelitis optica in Portugal (NEMIPORT) – A multicentre study. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2015 Apr 11;134:79-84. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2015.04.001.
26. Andrade C, Rocha H, Albuquerque A, Sá MJ. Gluten chorea. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2015 Jul 17;138:8-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2015.07.009. [Epub ahead of print].
27. Neves MR, Passos AM, Ferreira A, Sousa C, Sá A, Sá MJ. BRBN-T validation: adaptation of the Selective Reminding Test and Word List Generation. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2015 Oct;73(10):867-72. doi: 10.1590/0004-282X20150134.
28. Vieira B, Costa A, Videira G, Sá MJ, Abreu P. Prevalence of autonomic dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis. Acta Med Port. 2015 Jan-Feb;28(1):51-5. Epub 2015 Feb 27.

BOOKS

Sá MJ. CSF and biomarkers. Chapter “Diagnosis” of the book “Introduction to Multiple Sclerosis”, edited by the MS Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Neurology, 2010. pp: 245-272. ISBN 978-989-95692-3-2.
Sá MJ. Introdução às Doenças Neurológicas. In: Neurologia Clínica. Compreender as Doenças Neurológicas. 2ª edição. 2014. Edições UFP, Porto, ISBN 978-989-119-8, pp: 1-12.
Mendes, A, Gonçalves MJ, Sá MJ. Infeções do Sistema Nervoso Central. In: Neurologia Clínica. Compreender as Doenças Neurológicas. 2ª edição. 2014. Edições UFP, Porto, ISBN 978-989-119-8, pp: 293-372.
Guimarães J, Sá MJ. Esclerose Múltipla e Outras Doenças Inflamatórias e Desmielinizantes do Sistema Nervoso Central. In: Neurologia Clínica. Compreender as Doenças Neurológicas. 2ª edição. 2014. Edições UFP, Porto, ISBN 978- 989-119-8, pp: 373-434.

CITED PUBLICATIONS IN BOOKS

Sá MJ. Pereira A, Paula-Barbosa MM, Madeira MD. Anatomical asymmetries in the human hippocampal formation. Acta Stereol 1999: 18:161-176. Cited in the Chapter “Hippocampal Formation”, R Insausti e DG Amaral. In: “The Human Nervous System”, eds. G Paxinos e JK Mai, Elsevier Academic Press, Vol.1, 2nd ed., pp:886-888, 2004.

INVITED SPEAKER IN INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS IN LAST 5 YEARS

Sá MJ. How has imaging shaped the treatments we use in MS: new developments in immunomodulatory therapies in RRMS. 13th ESNI Course. Porto, 2013.
Sá MJ. Management, monitoring, discontinuation, (re-)start of natalizumab. Natalizumab Medical Academy Meeting. Barcelona, 2014.

CHAIRPERSON IN INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS AND SYMPOSIA

Sá MJ. MS: It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Clinical decision-making to support patients throughout the MS journey. ENS 2011, Merck Serono Satellite Symposium, Lisbon, 2011.
Sá MJ. Session Disease Mechanisms and treatment strategies 1. 11th ESNI Course, Glasgow, 2011.
Sá MJ. Session “Focus on Careers – Neuroimmunology Today and in Future, Careers, Funding Opportunities and Publishing”. 13th ESNI Course, Porto, 2013.
Sá MJ Management, monitoring, discontinuation, (re-)start of natalizumab, Horakova D. Natalizumab Medical Academy Meeting. Barcelona, 2014.
Sá MJ. The costs of MS in Europe, Gisela Kobelt. 3rd International Porto Congress of Multiple Sclerosis, 2015.
Sá MJ. Montalban X. Session 4. MS Therapy: the unknowns. 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy), Lisbon, 2016.

ORGANIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS IN LAST 5 YEARS

President of First International Porto Congress of Multiple Sclerosis, Porto, 2011.
President of Second International Porto Congress of Multiple Sclerosis, Porto, 2013.
Local organizer of 13th Course of the European School of Neuroimmunology (ESNI), Porto, 2013.
President of Third International Porto Congress of Multiple Sclerosis, Porto, 2015.

CHAIRPERSON AND ORAGANIZATION OF NATIONAL MEETINGS AND SYMPOSIA IN LAST 5 YEARS

Sá MJ. Gilenya roundtable: The new MS Clinical Perspective, Novartis. Lisbon, 2011.
Sá MJ. Viral infections in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. Porto, 2012.
Sá MJ. Cognitive dysfunction in MS patients. Meeting Cognition and Long-Term Outcomes in MS, Bayer Healthcare. Lisbon, 2012.
Sá MJ. Symposium Cognition and Long-term Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis. Bayer Healthcare, Braga, 2013.
Sá MJ. III Congress of the Therapy Speech Students of UFP. Porto, 2014.
Sá MJ. Symposium Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis. 10th National Congress of Health Psychology. Porto, 2014.
Sá MJ, Martins A. Meeting Novartis “Time Matters Meeting. Clinical Practice with Gilenya – Discussion of clinical cases. Porto, 2014.
Sá MJ, Cunha L. Symposium Novartis “Change the MS course – from evidence to clinical practice”. Congress of Neurology, Lisbon, 2014.
Sá MJ. Neuromyelitis Optica. Isabel Leite. Meeting of the Portuguese Study Group of Multiple Sclerosis. Lisbon, 2014.
Sá MJ, Pinheiro J. Basic concepts of immunology. The autoimmune response of the nervous system in damage of exogenous and endogenous agents. What happened to the classical immunological sanctuary? 1st Roundtable, 1st Course of Clinical Neuroimmunology of the Portuguese Society of Neurology. Coimbra, 2015.
Sá MJ, Martins A. Meeting Novartis “Time Matters. Clinical Practice with Gilenya – Discussion of clinical cases. Porto, 2015.
Sá MJ, Martins A. Symptomatic Therapy: neuropsychiatric symptoms and fatigue. Guimarães, 2015.
Sá MJ, Cunha L. Symposium Novartis “Fingolimod: Scientific actualization”, Guimarães, 2015.
Sá MJ. Symposium MS UPDATE (BAYER). Lisbon, 2015.
Sá MJ, Cunha L. Symposium Novartis “Gilenya: one step closer. Strategies in the treatment of MS”, Congress of Neurology. Lisbon, 2015.
Sá MJ. “Reshape MS. Plegridy Meeting”. Biogen Portugal. Lisbon 2016.

AREAS OF RESEARCH

• Neuroimmunology
• Multiple Sclerosis
• and Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
• Biomarkers of inflammatory and degenerative CNS diseases
• Infectious and inflammatory diseases of CNS
• Post-graduate education in neurology and immunology