Where are the alumni from Bioengineering now? The 'Made in Bio' panel will guide you through the journeys of former students from each branch of Bioengineering, tracing their paths from academy to their current lives.
Álvaro Samagaio
Álvaro Samagaio is a trailblazer in the integration of bioengineering with technologies such as machine learning and AI. With a strong foundation in both technical and managerial aspects of technology application, Álvaro has made significant contributions to organizations like Fraunhofer Portugal and LTPlabs. Now, as an Analytics Engineer at Rows, he continues to push the boundaries of innovation, empowering data-driven decision-making with his technical prowess and managerial acumen.
Catarina Costa
Catarina Costa completed her integrated Masters in Bioengineering in 2017, specializing in Molecular Biotechnology. Catarina’s journey epitomizes a relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation. From volunteering at esteemed labs in Porto to conducting groundbreaking research on brain development and disease at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Catarina’s contributions have earned her numerous awards and accolades, including the prestigious Impact Award from the City of Vienna.
Rita Santos
Graduating in the top 3 of her class at FEUP in 2011, Rita Santos’ journey began with pioneering research on fruit texture enhancement, leading to a patent application. Her quest for knowledge took her across Europe, earning her a double PhD with distinction. Returning to FEUP, Rita immersed herself in groundbreaking research, earning accolades and contributing to the biotech startup scene. Now, as an innovation consultant at Innovayt, she continues to drive progress, helping academic and industry partners secure vital funding for their ventures.
In today's rapidly evolving landscape of scientific exploration, the ethical dimensions of research practices have come under heightened scrutiny. As research institutes burgeon and scientific inquiry expands into new frontiers, the ethical implications of experimental methodologies, particularly those involving animal testing, have taken center stage. In this panel, several of the moral questions implicated in scientific research will be addressed, while also inviting the participants to engage in the discussion and raise their own concerns.
Anna Olsson
Animal experimentation is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary biomedical research. This controversy is not new: for as long as researchers have been using animals in experiments this practise has been the subject of criticism from both inside and outside the research community. The 3Rs principle of Replacement (of animal experiments with non-animal models), Reduction (of numbers of animals used) and Refinement (of animal experiments to minimize suffering) was first presented in 1959 as a guiding principle for scientists to minimize the harm caused to animals in research. In this presentation, I will give an overview of what the 3Rs mean in practice for researchers in 2024, present the 3Rs resources that are available to researchers in Portugal, and discuss what it means for the personal and professional ethics of early stage researchers.
Anna Olsson is the Principal Researcher, Group Leader at I3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto. Her main research interests are related to animal science, such as its behavior and welfare and ethics of the use of animals in various research areas.
Darla Goeres
Engineers have an ethical obligation to protect public safety, the environment, and industry. Decisions based on integrity and that consider the risks and benefits, both in the short and long term, must be considered. It is also important to engage specialists outside of the engineering field and to elicit input from the multiple stakeholders. Three case studies will be explored in this presentation that investigate ethical decision making in planetary protection that is associated with the exploration of space, the use of human subjects in clinical tests, and ethics in publishing.
Darla Goeres is a Research Professor of Regulatory Science at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University and ERA Chair at LEPABE, here in Porto. Her studies are related to the US regulatory bodies and the development and validation of Standard Test Methods for growing, treating sampling and analyzing biofilm bacteria.
Tiago Marques
Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer with more than 2 million new cases diagnosed every year and with one in eight women developing it during their lives. Despite improvements in early detection and treatment options, there are still several problems with current treatment workflows, leading to increased clinical costs and non-optimal clinical outcomes. Namely, tumor localization in the operating room (OR) relies on invasive and imprecise methods that result in failure to fully remove cancer tissue and requiring subsequent surgical interventions. To address this, my team is developing an innovative medical device, combining artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR), to allow precise and non-invasive tumor localization in the OR. Central to it, is the creation of high-fidelity, digital breast models (digital twins) from medical imaging data that provide anatomical information and can simulate tissue deformation with changes in patient’s position. In the OR, an intelligent 3D sensing system scans the patient, and aligns the digital twin with the patient’s body in real-time. Finally, the tumor is displayed to the surgeon using an XR headset, allowing them to see the tumor through the patient’s skin. This novel type of AI-enabled, XR-guided precision surgery will result in more accurate surgeries, leading to improved clinical workflows and better quality of life for patients, while reducing treatment costs.
Tiago Marques is a Senior Research Scientist at the Champalimaud Clinical Center where he co-leads the Digital Surgery LAB. His main research focuses on the development of innovative medical devices that allow surgeons to visualize relevant anatomical information through the patient’s skin. Before, Tiago worked at the McGovern Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT.
A panel where the freshest ideas from life’s science are discussed.
Chong Li
The development of the human brain involves unique processes that can contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders. Cerebral organoids enable the study of these disorders in a human context. The CRISPR–human organoids–single-cell RNA sequencing (CHOOSE) system was developed for pooled loss-of-function screening in mosaic organoids. By perturbing 36 high-risk autism spectrum disorder genes, it was found that dorsal intermediate progenitors, ventral progenitors, and upper-layer excitatory neurons are the most vulnerable cell types. We constructed a developmental gene regulatory network of cerebral organoids using single-cell transcriptomes, chromatin modalities, identified autism spectrum disorder-associated and perturbation-enriched regulatory modules. Perturbing members of the BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodeling complex leads to an enrichment of ventral telencephalon progenitors. This study enables high-throughput phenotypic characterization of disease susceptibility genes in organoid models with cell state, molecular pathway, and gene regulatory network readouts.
Chong Li is a trailblazer in Human Genetics and Genomics. Through his pioneering research at Austria’s Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Chong delves deep into the intricate gene regulatory mechanisms shaping brain development and unraveling the mysteries of neurodevelopmental disorders. Leveraging state-of-the-art techniques like the CRISPR-human organoids-single-cell RNA-seq (CHOOSE) system, he unveils groundbreaking insights into synaptic degeneration, pushing the boundaries of possibility.
Inês d’Avila
Inês d’Avila embodies the spirit of resilience and ambition, channeling her expertise in aerospace engineering to propel the Portuguese space sector to new heights. As a key figure within the Portuguese Space Agency, she spearheads initiatives in Space Transportation and Safety, imprinting her mark on prestigious international platforms like the European Rocketry Challenge. Her unwavering dedication and visionary leadership herald a future where the sky is not the limit, but merely the beginning.
Sandra Cardoso
Recent research suggests that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis by modulating immune responses. In Parkinson's disease patients(PD), gut microbiota-mediated intestinal immune alterations may trigger PD-related neurodegeneration. To test this hypothesis, we colonized wild-type mice with fecal material, observing a caudo-rostral accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates that correlated with a decrease in mitochondrial function. In the midbrain neuronal mitochondrial fragmentation may be involved in the activation of immune and inflammatory responses. Our findings reveal that PD gut microbiota induces the pathogenesis of PD in wild-type mice, providing new insights into the relationship between the gut microbiome, the immune system and the brain.
Sandra Cardoso is an esteemed Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and visionary leader of the Gut-Brain Axis Group at CNC, University of Coimbra. With a prolific record of over a hundred publications and a mantle adorned with prestigious accolades such as the Pfizer award, Sandra’s research resonates at the forefront of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease exploration. Her pioneering insights into the intricate interplay of microbiome-mitochondria crosstalk illuminate new pathways in understanding neuronal immunity and disease progression, paving the way for transformative breakthroughs in healthcare.
All around the world, couples struggle with the impossibility of having genetically related children. Luckily, technology has been evolving and the investment in new cutting-edge approaches is immense. From in vitro fertilization, a technique that goes back more than half a century, to in vitro gametogenesis, a new method under development that may allow infertile people and same-sex couples to have progeny, there are endless possibilities enabling, through baby steps, novel and innovative ways of reproduction.
Begoña Aran
Genome Editing (GE) techniques in preimplantation embryos can be used to alter disease-causing genetic mutations and to study the role of specific genes during embryo development. In order to validate the CRISPR/Cas9 technique as an EG tool in zygotes and to study the morphokinetics of embryos, our team realized some experiments that consisted on injecting zygotes on embryos and then incubate them to analise if GE was observed, the results showed that GE as present in 72.1% of the embryos on the study group. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 to study the role of specific genes in early human embryos represents a unique opportunity to explore and further clarify basic molecular and genetic mechanisms of human pre-implantation embryo development.
Begoña Aran is the Stem Cell Bank Coordinator at the CMRB. Her activity is focused on the derivation, generation, culture, characterization and banking of human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC) and their clinical translation. She is also involved in human embryo research projects and also interested in legislation and bioethics in embryo and hPSC research.
Marcia Ferraz
Traditional methods for in vitro embryo production often face challenges in efficiency and consistency. Microfluidic systems offer precise fluid control, reduced reagent consumption, and enhanced throughput, revolutionizing gamete handling, fertilization, and embryo culture. Technologies like droplet-based microfluidics and on-chip monitoring have the potential to significantly enhance embryo production outcomes while advancing our understanding of early embryo development. By leveraging the advantages of microfluidics and 3D culture systems, we anticipate substantial progress in the efficiency, effectiveness, and clinical success of in vitroembryo production. This talk will highlight the convergence of bioengineering and reproductive biology, offering promising insights for attendees interested in assisted reproduction and biotechnological advancements.
Marcia Ferraz is a Professor of Clinical Experimental Reproductive Medicine, and has her research focus on combining the fields of veterinary science, biotechnology, and molecular biology to create dynamic reproductive models to improve reproductive aspects spanning biomedical, agricultural, and wildlife sciences. In addition to that, Marcia was the first one creating an oviduct-on-a-chip. Nowadays, Ferraz lab is the second German University based laboratory to receive the My Green Lab certification.
Ramon Botigelli
Significant advancements have been made in the development of culture methods that can adapt PSC lines to different states of pluripotency,being a key to establishing species and the genetic link between generations. In mice, in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) allows viable gametes to be generated from PSCs, replicating the female reproductive cycle in vitro. In humans some reports have successfully described the ability to differentiate PSCs into primordial germ cell-like cells, showing advancements in the induction and propagation of the human embryonic germline, indicating the real possibility of IVG. Despite the promises, various technological, ethical, and biological challenges must be addressed before IVG can be translated into clinical practice. This talk will highlight recent advances, ongoing challenges, and future prospects in the field of in vitro gametogenesis, offering insights for attendees interested in reproductive biology, regenerative medicine, and assisted reproduction.
Ramon Botigelli is a postdoctoral fellowship, with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Biotechnology from IBB-UNESP, who carried out part of his doctoral project at the University of California Davis (USA). His researches focus on mammalian embryo development, embryonic cell fate, and reprogramming of adult cells into iPSCs to understand the key players of these pathways/mechanisms in maintaining pluripotency and cellular differentiation for application in in vitro models.
Frederico Barban
Manuel João Pinto
Onur Parlak
Ana Paula Mucha
Paula Alvarenga
Virginia Echavarri-Bravo
Cátia Santos-Pereira
Sandra Pucciarelli
Sudhakar L. Rajulu
Catarina Pinheiro
Catarino Pombo
Marta Menezes
