Tiago M. Bandeiras - Assistant Researcher, IBET/ITQB-UNL

PhD in Biochemistry, 2005, ITQB-UNL

e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Our research focuses on the structural studies of human drug targets and proteins involved in oxygen detoxification. Our team uses an integrated alternative approach, where different but complementary biophysical tools guide us to better crystallization of our main targets. Limited Proteolysis combined with Stability studies allow us to better design new and better protein constructs, more prone to crystallize.

Micael Freitas - IBET Lab. Technician

B. Sc. University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 2008

e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

My current research focus on expression, purification and crystallization of proteins of interest to pharmaceutical companies, using several technical approaches like Limited proteolysis, Dynamic Light Scattering and X-ray diffraction. In parallel, I am interested in the structural determinants modulating protein stability and folding of small electron transfer proteins like Rieske proteins. More recently, I am also interested in understanding how the structure and oligomer organization may influence the architecture of centriole biogenesis, a relevant organelle in the cell cycle regulation.

Sara Silva - PhD Student (Co-supervision with Dr. Pedro Matias)

B. Sc. in Biology at Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, 2008

e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

My current research interests involve understanding the mechanisms through which chromatin remodelling is accomplished. Specifically, I aim to understand the mechanism of action of the human RuvBL1/RuvBL2 complex, which has been shown to have helicase activity when one of its domains is absent. Also of interest is the molecular basis of protein-DNA interaction and activity regulation by ATP hydrolysis. In this study, several techniques are employed, such as enzyme activity measurement, protein stability studies, limited proteolysis and X-ray crystallography.

RuvBL1 and RuvBL2 show higher levels of expression in several types of cancer, making these proteins important human drug targets.

Cristiana Sousa - BI Fellow (Co-supervision with Dr. Célia Romão)

B.Sc. in Biotechnology at Escola de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Évora, 2011

e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

My research interests involve the study of superoxide reductases, a protein recently discovered, that is involved in the process of the elimination of ROS (reactive oxygen species) in organisms. Precisely, our goal is to determine the structural determinants of the reaction intermediates involved in the mechanism, and understand the molecular basis of superoxide reduction. In this study several techniques are used like protein expression and purification, Dynamic Light Scattering and X-ray crystallography.

Margarida Silva - BI Fellow (IBET - in co-supervision with Dr. Ana Barbas)

B.Sc. in Cell and Molecular Biology at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2007

e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

My research interests are in Notch ligands and how they interact with Notch receptor. Notch pathway is up regulated in some types of breast cancer, especially by an over expression of its ligands at the cell surface. We aim to study this using X-ray crystallography to clarify what regions of both proteins interact in order to block these interactions. My main skills are in protein production, purification (also from inclusion bodies) and crystallization.