UCIBIO researchers have successfully secured funding for nine research projects under the 2024 Call for Exploratory Research Projects in All Scientific Domains (PEX-2024), promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
Together, these eight projects will bring nearly €5200,000 in competitive funding to UCIBIO. In addition to the financial support, the funded projects will benefit from access to advanced computing resources, including the Deucalion and MareNostrum 5 supercomputers. The most represented scientific areas, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology Sciences, and Natural Sciences, align closely with UCIBIO´s core domains and its awarded projects. This achievement further consolidates UCIBIO’s role in delivering high-impact science and reinforces its sustained commitment to research excellence, positioning it as a leading centre for cutting-edge research and technological innovation in strategically important fields.
Get to know the UCIBIO Awarded Projects (click project title for details):
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Benedita Pinheiro | GlyCanTargeters - Engineering Glycan Targeters for Precise Recognition in Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics and Modulation of Microbiome-Cancer Cell Interactions 🔎
The project “GlyCanTargeters - Engineering Glycan Targeters for Precise Recognition in Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics and Modulation of Microbiome-Cancer Cell Interactions” will be coordinated by Benedita Pinheiro (Senior Research Technician in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry) at the Functional Glycobiology Lab.
This project focuses on aberrant mucin O-glycosylation - an established hallmark of colorectal cancer - and its interplay with the gut microbiome. By investigating how changes in mucin O-glycans influence interactions with key bacterial species in the tumour microenvironment, the project aims to identify novel glycan-based biomarkers and to uncover new opportunities for targeted intervention. The project aims to develop GlyCanTargeters: engineered glycan-binding proteins that specifically recognise mucin O-glycans and can be used as molecular probes and modulators of bacteria–cancer cell interactions in CRC models, with potential applications in diagnostics, biotechnology, and precision medicine.
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Célia Fortuna Rodrigues | ToxiBug4Candida - Polymorphic toxins and Insect-Derived Peptides: potential anti-Candida and anti-biofilm effects 🔎
The project “ToxiBug4Candida - Polymorphic toxins and Insect-Derived Peptides: potential anti-Candida and anti-biofilm effects”, will be coordinated by Professor Célia Fortuna R. (Invited Assistant Professor & Senior Researcher) at the Translational Toxicology lab.
This project will explore innovative therapeutic approaches leveraging novel molecules derived from insects and bacteria to combat Candida biofilm infections and address antifungal resistance - one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare.
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Francisca Rodrigues | GLIOKIWI - Revolutionizing GLIOblastoma Treatment with KIWIberry Byproducts: From Molecular Pathways to Advanced Spheroid Models 🔎
The project “GLIOKIWI - Revolutionizing Glioblastoma Treatment with Kiwiberry Byproducts: From Molecular Pathways to Advanced Spheroid Models” will be led by Francisca Rodrigues (Assistant Researcher & Senior Researcher), at the UCIBIO’s Pharmaceutical Technology lab.
This project aims to develop and validate functionalized liposomes loaded with bioactive compounds from kiwiberry byproducts (KBP) as innovative chemotherapeutic or adjuvant candidates for glioblastoma (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive brain tumour, with limited therapeutic success due to rapid progression, resistance, and the restrictive blood–brain barrier (BBB), making new delivery strategies urgently needed. Polyphenols have recently gained interest as adjunct anticancer agents, given their ability to regulate proliferation, angiogenesis, carcinogen inactivation, cellcycle arrest and apoptosis. The research team has shown that fruits byproducts contain high polyphenol levels, and that KBP extracts improve antioxidant defences after topical and oral administration, supporting their antitumor potential. Previous projects of the research team founded by the FCT (KIWI4HEALTH, FFCASTANEA) confirmed that KBP from damaged fruits, peels, leaves and seeds modulate GBMrelevant pathways such as oxidative stress, angiogenesis, inflammation and proliferative signalling. However, the therapeutic use of polyphenols is limited by instability, rapid biotransformation and low bioavailability, and for GBM, by the difficulty of crossing the BBB. Nanomedicine, particularly functionalized liposomes, offers a promising solution by stabilising compounds, prolonging release, and enhancing BBB permeability. Liposomes can also codeliver agents that target complementary pathways, improving pharmacokinetics and tumour accumulation. In GLIOKIWI, KBP extracts will be produced using optimized protocols from KIWI4HEALTH and encapsulated into mathematically optimised liposomes. A 3D BBB model will assess transport, and 3D GBM spheroids will be used to evaluate therapeutic effects. Complementary 2D and 3D assays will investigate signalling pathways related to proliferation, apoptosis and resistance, enabling a mechanistic understanding of KBPdriven liposomal therapy. The project aims to open new therapeutic avenues for GBM and prepare future in vivo validation. The project will be carried out by researchers with complementary expertise in green extraction techniques, encapsulation technologies and advanced in vitro/in vivo models. Industrial partners and two international consultants support the proposal. Despite the youth of the research team, previous collaborative outputs demonstrate strong scientific competence. GLIOKIWI aligns with societal needs in public health and sustainable resource use, supporting global objectives in health and environmental sustainability.
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Helena Carmo | EpigenDrugTox - Epigenetic-based prediction of the neurotoxicity of drugs of abuse 🔎
Helena Carmo (Assistant Professor & senior researcher), at the Toxicology lab will coordinate the project “EpigenDrugTox - Epigenetic-based prediction of the neurotoxicity of drugs of abuse”. The research team includes João Pedro Silva, Ema Rocha both from UCIBIO Toxicology lab, in collaboration with Diana Dias da Silva, from LAQV.
Neurotoxicity induced by drugs of abuse remains a major public health concern and a significant challenge for current risk assessment strategies. Conventional approaches rely largely on animal models and the detection of overt cellular damage, limiting both ethical acceptability and translational relevance to human health. Although New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are emerging, their application to adult neurotoxicity assessment is still insufficiently developed. This project proposes an innovative in vitro model to assess early neurotoxic effects of drugs of abuse by focusing on epigenetic alterations in neuronal function. Rather than measuring cell death, the approach targets subtle, sub-lethal changes in DNA methylation and histone modifications that precede irreversible damage and are increasingly recognized as key mediators of drug-induced neuroadaptations, craving, relapse, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived glutamatergic neurons, the study will characterize global and gene-specific epigenetic changes induced by methamphetamine, cocaine, the synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2, and fentanyl. Through methylome sequencing, histone modification profiling, pathway analysis, and protein validation, the project aims to identify robust epigenetic biomarkers associated with early neurotoxicity. By establishing a human cell-based model grounded in epigenetic mechanisms, this work seeks to provide a sensitive and predictive tool for neurotoxicity screening, reduce reliance on animal testing, and generate new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying drug-induced neurotoxicity and addiction, with potential implications for risk assessment and therapeutic intervention.
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Joana Pinto | CHARLIE - Carcinogenic potential of heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in bladder cancer development 🔎
The CHARLIE project “Carcinogenic potential of heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in bladder cancer development” will be led by Joana Pinto (Senior Assistant Researcher), at the UCIBIO’s Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto.
It addresses a critical knowledge gap by clarifying the potential carcinogenic effects of alternative tobacco products, including heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, on the bladder, an organ highly susceptible to tobacco-related cancer. By integrating urinary metabolomics with in vitro carcinogenesis studies, the project will identify product-specific exposure markers and test their effects in human urothelial cells, generating early mechanistic evidence of risk before epidemiological data become available. Conducted in collaboration with LAQV-CiSA and iMed.ULisboa, and supported by the Italian National Institute of Health, the study brings together expertise in analytical chemistry, toxicology, and cancer biology to inform timely public health and regulatory decisions.
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Jorge Ascensão Oliveira | SPINALS - Interrogating SPinal INterneurons to understand motor neuron vulnerability in ALS 🔎
The project “SPINALS - Interrogating SPinal INterneurons to understand motor neuron vulnerability in ALS” will be developed under the supervision of Jorge Ascensão Oliveira (Associate Professor with "Agregação”), coordinator of the Disease Pathways & Biomarkers research group and Lab leader of the Mitochondria and Neurobiology lab.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that causes paralysis and death due to the loss of motor neurons. Its midlife onset and rapid progression lead to heavy individual and societal burdens, and current treatment options offer limited improvements. The complex pathophysiology and incomplete understanding of ALS pose a challenge to the development of more effective treatments. Past research has mostly focused on the subcellular mechanisms of motor neuron dysfunction, but recent evidence from patients and animal models associates motor neuron degeneration with the dysfunction of neighbouring spinal inhibitory interneurons. These recent breakthroughs open new opportunities for mechanistic understanding of the role of spinal interneurons, highlighting the potential of targeting them in ALS. We use zebrafish models because their optical transparency and genetic tractability allow us to observe, characterise, and manipulate different spinal interneuron subpopulations in vivo. We are developing novel transgenic zebrafish ALS models and functional reporters, and testing experimental therapeutics. Findings from zebrafish models will provide mechanistic insights and proof-of-concept to inform follow-up studies in mammals, towards clinical translation.
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Margarida Dias | INSPIRE - Innovative Detection Tools for Monitoring skeletal diseases and cancer across species 🔎
The project “INSPIRE – Innovative Detection Tools for Monitoring skeletal diseases and cancer across species” will be developed by Margarida Dias (Assistant Professor & Senior Researcher) at the Biomolecular Engineering lab.
World population and life expectancy is on the rise. By 2050, from the 9.7B world’s population, 2.1B will be people aged 60 years, outnumbering 5-year-olds. This brings important challenges for society, economy and specially for healthcare systems, concerns UN and European Union. Ageing impacts health and increase pressure over healthcare systems. Thus, age-related diseases required to bridge science and clinical care for earlier detection, prevention and personalized treatments. In INSPIRE we aim to contribute with novel strategies to study and monitor skeletal diseases and cancer. INSPIRE will contribute to bridge the gap between basic & applied research, contributing to more accurate, timely, and effective healthcare solutions. INSPIRE aims to bring innovation to bioproduction biotherapeutics (SDG9, 12) and develop novel tools to monitor age related diseases (SDG3). INSPIRE will provide a novel tool to monitor disease that are more affordable than conventional methods (SDG3). Thus, INSPIRE project is aligned with UN2030 sustainability goals 3, 9 and 12, as well as the European Green Deal and Beating Cancer plan promoted by EU.
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Marino F. A. Santos | PtpAgainsTB - The Phosphatase PtpA as a Suitable Target to Fight Tuberculosis - A Structure-based Drug Design Approach🔎
The project “PtpAgainsTB - The Phosphatase PtpA as a Suitable Target to Fight Tuberculosis - A Structure-based Drug Design Approach” will be developed by Marino F. A. Santos (Volunteer Researcher with PhD & Senior Researcher) at the XTAL - Macromolecular Crystallography lab.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading infectious causes of death worldwide, with more than 10 million new cases reported each year. The growing emergence of drug-resistant strains has made the development of new therapeutic strategies more urgent than ever. PtpAgainsTB focuses on a promising target involved in TB infection: the mycobacterial enzyme Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase A (PtpA). This enzyme helps the pathogen survive inside human immune cells by interfering with normal cellular defense mechanisms. Blocking PtpA activity can compromise bacterial survival, potentially improving treatment outcomes. Combining expertise in chemistry, computational methods, biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology, PtpAgainsTB will investigate potential PtpA ihnibitors – both non-metal and metal-based complexes – aiming to reveal how these molecules interact with the enzyme. The results will provide new insights into TB biology and may open new avenues for the development of innovative anti-TB therapies.
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Patrícia Antunes | SMARTKITCHEN - Next Gen Microbial Analysis for Predictive Environmental Monitoring and Biocontrol to Transform Food Safety in Large Scale Foodservices 🔎
The project “SMARTKITCHEN: Next Gen Microbial Analysis for Predictive Environmental Monitoring and Biocontrol to Transform Food Safety in Large Scale Foodservices”, is a collaborative project that will be led by Patrícia Antunes (Associate Professor with "Agregação" and Senior Researcher) at UCIBIO’s BacT_Drugs lab.
The SMARTKITCHEN project aims to enhance food safety in collective catering kitchens by using next-generation microbial analysis methodologies for predictive environmental monitoring and biocontrol strategies. It combines whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and metagenomic sequencing (WMS) with traditional culture-based methods to characterise the persistent microbiota on kitchen surfaces, identify reliable bioindicators, and assess the impact of biocides and biocontrol solutions. This approach will allow the optimisation of sanitation protocols, reduction of microbiological and environmental risks, and advancement towards proactive food safety management, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030).
Public Link: https://sciproj.ptcris.pt/177913PRJ/
Congratulations to all researchers and their teams!!