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  8. Camila Silva
  1. Science & Research (NCTR)

Camila S. Silva Ph.D.
Leadership Role

Research Biologist — Division of Biochemical Toxicology

Headshot of Dr. Camila Silva

Camila Siqueira Silva, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

Back to NCTR Principal Investigator page

About  |  Publications | Lab Members

Background

Dr. Camila Silva graduated from Triângulo University Center (Brazil) with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition. She received a master’s degree in immunology and parasitology from the Federal University of Uberlândia (Brazil) and a Ph.D. in biomedical research from the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (Brazil). During her Ph.D. training, Dr. Silva spent four months as a visiting scientist at the Institute of Molecular Nutrition, Technische Universität München (Germany).

Dr. Silva joined the Division of Microbiology at FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) postdoctoral fellow from 2010–2011 to conduct research on the molecular diagnosis of human coronaviruses circulating in Arkansas during the flu season. In 2014, Dr. Silva joined the Division of Biochemical Toxicology at NCTR as an ORISE postdoctoral fellow, was converted to an FDA staff fellow in 2016, and became a Research Biologist in 2022. In 2023, she received an FDA Chief Scientist Publication Award for her manuscript on COVID-19 wastewater screening.

Research Interests

Dr. Silva has collaborated in studies using animal models to assess the toxicity of products of interest to the FDA, including food adulterants and dietary supplements. She has experience in the molecular detection of biomarkers of toxicity—including microRNAs and genes—and pathogens. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Silva led a project to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and variants in wastewater and to investigate its genomic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Dr. Silva is assessing the performance of a reconstructed human epidermis model for in vitro skin irritation testing.

Dr. Silva is interested in investigating the reliability of new in vitro alternative methods to assess the toxicity of compounds of interest to the FDA.

Professional Societies/National and International Groups 

Society of Toxicology 
Member
2015 – Present

South Central Chapter of the Society of Toxicology
Member
2019 – Present

Selected Publications

Gene Expression Analyses Reveal Potential Mechanism of Inorganic Arsenic-Induced Apoptosis in Zebrafish.
Silva C.S., Kudlyk T., Tryndyak V.P., Twaddle N.C., Robinson B., Gu Q., Beland F.A., Fitzpatrick S.C., and Kanungo J. 
J Appl Toxicol. 2023, 43(12):1872-1882. doi: 10.1002/jat.4520. Epub 2023 Jul 27. PMID: 37501093.

Inorganic Arsenic Alters the Development of Dopaminergic Neurons but Not Serotonergic Neurons and Induces Motor Neuron Development via Sonic Hedgehog Pathway in Zebrafish. 
Kanungo J., Twaddle N.C., Silva C., Robinson B., Wolle M., Conklin S., MacMahon S., Gu Q., Edhlund I., Benjamin L., Beland F.A., and Fitzpatrick S.C. 
Neurosci Lett. 2023, 795:137042. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.137042. Epub 2022 Dec 29. PMID: 36587726.

Temporal Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Genome and Detection of Variants of Concern in Wastewater Influent from Two Metropolitan Areas in Arkansas. 
Silva C.S., Tryndyak V.P., Camacho L., Orloff M.S., Porter A., Garner K., Mullis L., and Azevedo M. 
Sci Total Environ. 2022, 849:157546. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157546. PMID: 35914602 PMCID: PMC9338166.

A Robust Biostatistical Method Leverages Informative but Uncertainly Determined qPCR Data for Biomarker Detection, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment.
Zhuang W., Camacho L., Silva C.S., Thomson M., and Snyder K.  
PLoS One. 2022, 17(1):e0263070. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263070. PMID: 35100319; PMCID: PMC8803186.

Reproducibility Challenges for Biomarker Detection with Uncertain but Informative Experimental Data.
Zhuang W., Camacho L., Silva C.S., and Hong H.
Biomark Med. 2020, 14(13):1255-1263. doi: 10.2217/bmm-2019-0599. PMID: 33021389.

Data on the Effect of Heat and Other Technical Variables on the Detection of MicroRNAs in Human Serum.
Camacho L., Porter-Gill P., and Silva C.S.
Data Brief. 2019, 24:103750. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.103750. eCollection 2019 Jun. PMID: 30976632.

Identification of Whole Blood mRNA and microRNA Biomarkers of Tissue Damage and Immune Function Resulting from Amphetamine Exposure or Heat Stroke in Adult Male Rats.
Camacho L., Silva C.S., Hanig J.P., Schleimer R.P., George N.I., and Bowyer J.F.
PLoS One. 2019, 14(2):e0210273. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210273. eCollection 2019. PMID: 30779732.

Effects of a 28-day Dietary Co-Exposure to Melamine and Cyanuric Acid on the Levels of Serum microRNAs in Male and Female Fisher 344 Rats.
Silva C.S., Chang C.W., Williams D., Porter-Gill P., Gamboa da Costa G., and Camacho L.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2016, 98(Pt A):11-16. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2016.09.013. Epub 2016 Sep 9. PMID: 27621052.

Human Respiratory Coronaviruses Detected In Patients with Influenza-Like Illness in Arkansas, USA.
Silva C.S., Mullis L.B., Pereira O. Jr., Saif L.J., Vlasova A., Zhang X., Owens R.J., Paulson D., Taylor D., Haynes L.M., and Azevedo M.P.
Virol Mycol. 2014, (Suppl 2):004. doi: 10.4172/2161-0517.S2-004. Epub 2014 Mar 26. PMID: 27588218.

Effects of α-tocopherol Supplementation on Liver of Rats Chronically Exposed to Ethanol.
Silva C.S., Monteiro T.H., Simões-Ambrósio L.M., Sunaga D.Y., Cardoso J.F., Furtado K.S., Ong T.P., Moreno F.S., Zucoloto S., and Vannucchi H.
J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics. 2013;6(3):125-36. doi: 10.1159/000354081. Epub 2013 Aug 10. PMID: 23942415.

Investigation on the 19S ATPase Proteasome Subunits (Rpt1-6) Conservation and Their Differential Gene Expression in Schistosoma Mansoni.
Pereira-Júnior O.S., Pereira R.V., Silva C.S., Castro-Borges W., Sá R.G., Cabral F.J., Silva S.H., Soares C.S., Morais E.R., Moreira E.B., Magalhães L.G., de Paula F.M., and Rodrigues V.
Parasitol Res. 2013, 112(1):235-42. doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-3130-4. Epub 2012 Sep 28. PMID: 23052763.

Vitamin E Alters Inflammatory Gene Expression in Alcoholic Chronic Pancreatitis.
Monteiro T.H., Silva C.S., Cordeiro Simões Ambrosio L.M., Zucoloto S., and Vannucchi H.
J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics. 2012;5(2):94-105. doi: 10.1159/000336076. Epub 2012 Aug 8. PMID: 22890014.

Schistosoma Mansoni Encodes SMT3B and SMT3C Molecules Responsible for Post-Translational Modification of Cellular Proteins.
Cabral F.J., Pereira O.S. Jr., Silva C.S., Guerra-Sá R., and Rodrigues V.
Parasitol Int. 2008, 57(2):172-8. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2007.12.003. Epub 2007 Dec 15. PMID: 18243776.

Schistosoma Mansoni: Gene Expression of the Nucleotide Excision Repair Factor 2 (NEF2) During the Parasite Life Cycle, and in Adult Worms After Exposure to Different DNA-Damaging Agents.
Silva C.S., Silva S.H., Pereira-Júnior O.S., Cabral F.J., Costa-Cruz J.M., and Rodrigues V.
Acta Trop. 2007, 104(1):52-62. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2007.07.006. Epub 2007 Jul 31. PMID: 17850756.

Characterization of the Gene Expression Related to the Process of DNA Damage Tolerance in Schistosoma Mansoni.
Silva S.H., Pereira-Júnior O.S., Silva C.S., Brigatto O.M., Macedo E., and Rodrigues V.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2006, 101 Suppl 1:157-60. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762006000900025. PMID: 17308764.

The Influence of Iron, Vitamin B(12), and Folate Levels on Soluble Transferrin Receptor Concentration in Pregnant Women.
de Azevedo Paiva A., Rondó P.H., Guerra-Shinohara E.M., and Silva C.S.
Clin Chim Acta. 2003, 334(1-2):197-203. doi: 10.1016/s0009-8981(03)00237-7. PMID: 12867292.

Lab Members

Contact Information for all lab members:
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov 

Luísa Camacho, Ph.D.
Research Biologist 

Kenneth Barry Delclos, Ph.D.
Research Pharmacologist

Tetyana Kudlyk, M.S.
Staff Fellow

Contact Information
Camila S. Silva
(870)543-7121
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