Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciênciahttp://www.igc.pt
1. Evolutionary cell biology We study the evolutionary origins of cellular properties and their evolutionary dynamics. We have a special interest in compartmentalization, in other words, the modular nature of cell biology. We focus our research in: the origins and evolution of compartmentalization in cell biology, with an emphasis on the endomembrane system as well as its interaction with bacterial symbionts and parasites the molecular determinants of cellular shape and movement, with an emphasis on microtubule-derived organelles Current projects include: The study of the origins of intracellular compartments, by cataloguing the evolutionary dynamics of protein repertoires and interactions The development of data integration environments where protein, interaction and localization information can be intersected with morphological descriptions of organelles and processes. The flagship resources we are developing are:  A data integration platform for microtubule-derived organelles, where organelle morphology is considered in its evolutionary and molecular context. This is a collaborative project with: Monica Bettencourt-Dias (IGC, PT) Juliette Azimzadeth (UCSF, PT) Keith Gull (Oxford University, UK) Michel Bornens (Inst. Curie, FR)  The automated reconstruction of repertoires of protein trafficking regulators 2. Translational bioinformatics Translational bioinformatics is a term that describes the use of bioinformatics methods in translational research, i.e. aimed at solving medical problems (diagnosis, predict prognosis, new therapies, personalized medicine, etc.). To us it is the ultimate test ground of the sometimes very abstract research that we do in computational biology. Currently, our main research lines are: Dissecting centrosomal abnormalities in tumor progression: Numerical and structural centrosomal abnormalities are observed in a variety of cancers. Are they cause or consequence in tumor progression? Do their effects transcend a potential role in causing aneuploidy? This is a collaborative project with: Monica Betencourt Dias (IGC, PT) Paula Chaves (IPO, PT) David Pellam (Dana Farber Inst., USA) Max Loda (Dana Farber Inst., USA) Centrosomes in Cancer Consortium Identifying Prognostic markers for triple-negative breast cancer: Triple negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer with heterogeneous prognosis and response to chemotherapy. We are integrating molecular and epidemiological data to develop a prognostic predictor for this disease. This is a collaborative project with: Jose Luis Passos Coelho (IPO, PT) Anabela Miranda (ROR - IPO, PT) Manuela Martins (Hosp. São José, PT) Carlos Caldas (Univ. Cambridge, UK) Host pathogen interactions and Drug repositioning: Drug development pipelines are drying, and few new drugs are entering on the market. There is however some indication that current drugs may have broader uses than currently known. We are exploring bioinformatics and evolutionary approaches to find new antibacterial uses of existing drugs. We focus on understanding the adaptation of intracellular parasitic bacteria to the host cells. http://www.centrioledb.orghttp://www.evocell.org/wikisome

Research

1. Evolutionary cell biology
2. Translational bioinformatics

  1. Home

  2. People

  3. Research

  4. Publications

  5. Supplementary materials

  6. Resources

  7. Lab photos

  8. Opportunities

  9. Press

  10. Schedule

  11. Blog

  12. Courses/Workshops

  13. Contacts

  14. Internal