Projects

ON-GOING

As PI As Member of Team                                        

Horizon Europe ERA Chairs Actions project 101087571 CryoEM@NOVA: a cryo electron microscopy hub enabling drug discovery

Co-coordinators: Hartmut Luecke & Maria João Romão (UCIBIO-i4HB/FCT-NOVA)

2022.06104.PTDC “GlycOSELECT: Targeting a ‘toolbox’ of human microbiome O-Glycan-Selective proteins towards new approaches in cancer research" PI: Angelina Palma; Co-PI: Ana Luísa Carvalho (UCIBIO-i4HB/FCT-NOVA)

Project designation | GlycoMed: A new generation of enzymes for biofilm dispersion and immunomodulation in cancer

Project code | LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-047033

Main aim | OT1 - Strengthening research, technological development and innovation Intervention region | NUTS II Lisboa

Beneficiary entity | NZYTech, Lda.

Approval date | 30-03-2021

Start date | 01-07-2021

End date | 30-06-2023

Total eligible cost | 870.523,09 EUR

European Union financial support | FEDER - 435.261,55 EUR

Scope | The project aims to develop a catalog of carbohydrate active enzyme with biomedical applications (GlycoZymes). Specifically, the new enzymes are directed towards immunomodulation in cancer therapy and the treatment of chronic infections caused by biofilm producing microorganisms. A collection of enzymes capable of digesting the main exopolissacharides present in biofilms produced by the pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pel, Psl and alginate) and Staphilococcus aureus (PNAG) will be developed in order to promote its dispersion, allowing a better penetration of antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of chronic infections. A group of novel sialidases will also be developed, which are able to cleave the cell surface sialic acid, overexpressed in some cancer cells, in order to block its immunosuppressive effect, promoting an immune response against the tumour cells. It is expected that this project will have great impact in biomedical and clinical research has it will provide new tools for fighting two highly prevalent diseases such as cancer and chronic infections.

PTDC/BIA-MIB/31730/2017 “Glycan-human microbe interaction: glycan diversity and recognition in the human gut with impact on health and nutrition" PI: Angelina Palma (UCIBIO-FCT-NOVA)

PTDC/BII-BIO/28878/2017 “Characterization of reflectin proteins and reflectin-materials" PI: Ana Cecília Roque (UCIBIO-FCT-NOVA)

PTDC/BBB-BQB/29442/2017 “Destoxificação de peróxido de hidrogénio por Bactérias Patogénicas - Peroxidase tri-hémicas de E.coli como modelo" PI: Sofia Pauleta (UCIBIO-FCT-NOVA)
CONCLUDED

As PI

As Member of Team

PTDC/BBB-BEP/0869/2014 “B.EST.CBM: An integrative structural biology approach to characterise the protein-carbohydrate microbial recognition" 

PTDC/BIA-MIC/5947/2014 “Molecular determinants of bacterial cellulosome diversity in different ecological niches" PI: Carlos Fontes (FMV-UL)

PTDC/DTP-FTO/1981/2014 "ACTONP53: Targeting p53 family proteins: on the route to new anticancer agents" PI: Lucília Saraiva (FF-UP)

Prémio Inovação Bluepharma / Universidade de Coimbra (edição 2013) "DeCellMab: Trifunctional antibodies and dendritic cell-based technologies: a combined approach to cancer immunotherapy" (member of team) PI: Paula Videira (FCM-NOVA)

Prémio de Mérito Científico Santander-Totta (2012/2013 edition), Exact Sciences and Enginneering “Antibody Engineering for the Treatment of Breast Cancer” (member of team) PI: Paula Videira (FCM-NOVA)

RECI/BBB-BEP/0124/2012 “Modern Structural Biology: Resources for the advancement of in-house X-ray Crystallography" 

PTDC/BBB-BEP/3058/2012 “Novel approaches for protein crystallization using ionic liquid-based systems" (member of team) PI: Magdalena Kowacz (ITQB-NOVA)

PTDC/QUI-BIQ/100359/2008 "The Cellulosome assembly: structure, function and specificity of new cellulases and supramolecular complexes"

EXPL/BBB-BEP/0506/2012 “Development of cohesin- microarrays for determining cohesin-dockerin specificities of novel cellulolytic species" (member of team) PI: Benedita Pinheiro (FCT-NOVA)

Projecto Acções Integradas Luso-Espanholas Acordo FCT-CSIC: 2010/11 "Structural properties of xenobiotic reductases responsible for aromatic ring reduction" (co-proponent with Pieter van Dillewijn, CSIC, Granada)

PTDC/QUI-QUI/112537/2009 “A carbohydrate microarray platform for discovery of ligands in polysaccharides recognised by microbial carbohydrate-binding modules” PI: Maria Angelina Palma (FCT-NOVA)

PTDC/QUI/68286/2006 “A combined approach of X-ray Crystallography, NMR and Computational Chemistry for the study of the molecular interactions that define the ligand specificity in cellulosomal Carbohydrate Binding Modules” 

PTDC/BIA-PRO/103980/2008 “Structure and function of novel Glycoside Hydrolases and Carbohydrate-Binding Modules of Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome” PI: Shabir Najmudin (FMV-UL)

“Molecular Determinants of Ligand Specificity in Family 11 Carbohydrate Binding Modules: An X-ray Crystallography, NMR and Computational Chemistry combined approach” Project supported by Laboratório Associado ReQuimTe - Química Verde - Tecnologia e Processos Limpos (co-proponent with Eurico Cabrita)