New member in our lab

Suman Nayak has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and recently joined our group as a Postdoctoral Fellow, working on peptite-based coacervates for catalysis and molecular recognition. Welcome Suman!

Royal Society of Chemistry Grant awarded

Joana has been awarded a Royal Society of Chemistry Researcher Development and Travel Grant to attend the SupraLife Final International Conference in September!

SNOOPY COST Action WG1 Meeting

From June 15th to 17th, 2025, Joana Calvário represented our lab at the SNOOPY COST Action WG1 Meeting, held at Moise Palace in Cres, Croatia. During the meeting, Joana shared her latest research and engaged with fellow working group members, discussing computational methods for the assessment of peptides and peptide nanostructures.

EMBO Workshop CELLULAR MATTERS: A deeper look into the complex cytoplasm

From May 18th to 22nd, 2025, Joana Calvário attended the EMBO Workshop “CELLULAR MATTERS: A Deeper Look into the Complex Cytoplasm” held in Ascona, Switzerland. She presented a poster showcasing her ongoing research on uncovering the principles of LLPS, engaging in engaging discussions about her project with leading scientists and specialists in the field.

Biophysics Festival 2025

On May 8th and 9th, 2025, our team took part in the Young Biophysics Festival at NOVA School of Science and Technology, where Joana Calvário contributed as a member of the Organizing Committee. Joana was selected to give an oral presentation, while David Reis, Sandro Amador, and Francisco Seco presented their current work during the poster sessions.

ITQB Open Day 2025

On March 15th, our lab participated in ITQB NOVA‘s Open Day, themed “Mission Science: Asking is the first step.” We showed visitors of all ages our work and conducted an interactive experiment designed for children. Our PI, Ana Pina, led an entertaining workshop where children could explore the science behind cookie making.

Joana wins travel grant

Joana was awarded a travel grant to attend the EMBO Workhop “CELLULAR MATTERS: A deeper look into the complex cytoplasm” in Ascona, Switzerland! Congratulations Joana!

EPI 2025 – XIX Iberian Peptide Meeting

From February 26-28 we participated in EPI 2025 – XIX Iberian Peptide Meeting in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Joana Calvário was selected for an oral presentation where she shared her work on the molecular rules of LLPS for peptide design. David Reis presented a poster about catalytic peptide nanomotors, while Sandro Amador and Francisco Seco shared their work on peptide functionalization for electrochemical applications and the role of collagen mimetic peptides on structural integrity. It was an amazing event organised by Ana Pina and Javier Montenegro, with a great line-up of speakers and exciting talks!

New member in our lab

Fatima Boussad is an undergraduate student from ITS Nuove Tecnologie della vita Academy, and recently she joined our group as an Erasmus Student to work with liquid condensates. Welcome Fatima!

Using tau protein aggregates to diagnose neurodegeneration

A. Pina | CaixaResearch Health Call 2024

Several neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of tau protein in the brain.

According to the World Health Organization, 130 million people worldwide are expected to suffer from one of these neurodegenerative diseases by 2050. Current diagnostic approaches focus on symptoms, making early detection difficult. New methods are needed to detect these diseases early and accurately.

The study of tau protein aggregates holds great potential. However, the molecular complexity of the protein poses a major challenge. New tools are needed to isolate and study these aggregates.

With the support of a CaixaResearch Health Grant, our Project called Pep-SICO will advance the development of a tau protein aggregate detection tool, which uses fluorescent markers within artificial compartments to identify and differentiate abnormal tau proteins, with the aim of enabling early diagnosis of these diseases

Thus study will be carried out at the ITQB-NOVA with a team led by Ana Pina in collaboration with Pedro Mateus, Pedro Matos and Beatriz Royo, and in consortium with Mohit Kumar (Universitat de Barcelona), Luísa Alves (Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental), Leonor Morgado (FCT-NOVA) and Cláudia Almeida (NMS-NOVA).

European Researchers’ Night 2024

Our group, together with the Chemistry Division, participated in the European Researchers’ Night 2024 at the Marina of Oeiras, demonstrating the importance of compartmentalization in living systems and how this process can be created through liquid-liquid phase separation, such as the mixture of water and oil.