Projects

Participation in R&D activities

Scientific Coordinator

Team leader of Group of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry (CIIMAR) (2014 – …)

– Project: “Sustainable antifouling agents: from grape wastes to the sea with the green chemistry leading the way” (PTDC/CTA-AMB/0853”021)- R&D Project – FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) Co-Principal Investigator (2022-2025)

– Project: “Navigating through marine derived fungi: bioprospection and synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites and analogues as chemotherapic agents”( PTDC/MARBIO/ 4694/2014) – R&D Project – FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) Principal Investigator  (2016-2019 )

– BLUE and GREEN Boosting scientific excellence and innovation capacity in biorefineries based on marine resources, Horizon2020 Programme, Grant Agreement No. 692419, member and PI of “Medicinal Chemistry: drug discovery and drug design” (2016 -2019 )

– NOVELMAR “Novel marine products with biotechnological applications, member and PI of the WP7 “Molecular modification and total synthesis”, NORTE010145FEDER000035, Integrated in the project CIIMAR INNOVMAR – NORTE 2020 (2016 – 2019 )

– of Centro de Química Medicinal da Universidade do Porto (Research Center of Medicinal Chemistry of the University of Porto), (FCT, R&D N° 4040/07) (2007-2015)

– of Centro de Estudos de Química Orgânica, Fitoquímica e Farmacologia da Universidade do Porto (Research Center of Organic Chemistry, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of the University of Porto), (FCT, R&D N° 226/03) and team leader of Medicinal Chemistry Research (2003-2008)

– of the Multidisciplinary Project “Chiral xanthones: Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking as inhibitors of P-glycoprotein (Pgp), phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and cicloxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2)”, University of Porto (2012-2013, PP_IJUP2011 no 19)

– of the Project “Molecular and nanotechnology-based approaches to improve the antitumor activity of small molecules”, PTDC/SAU-FCF/100930/2008 of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal, 2010-2014.

– of the Project “Small Molecules as Antitumor and Anti-infective Agents”, Bilateral Cooperation between Research Center of Medicinal Chemistry of the University of Porto /Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto and Department of Chemistry of University of São Carlos, Brazil, GRICES/CAPES, 2 years, 2008.

– of the Multidisciplinary Project “Chiral Xanthones: Synthesis, Structure Elucidation, Enantiomeric Purity and Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities”, University of Porto (2009-2010).

– of the Project in Medicinal Chemistry of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal (R&D 226/94) – “Search for natural and synthetic bioactive compounds: isolation and synthesis, structural characterization, evaluation of biological activity and elucidation of mechanism of action” (2003-2008).

– of the Multidisciplinary Project “Chiral Xanthones Derivatives: Synthesis, Structural Elucidation and Biological Activities”, University of Porto, Portugal, in collaboration with undergraduate students and Institute of Biomedical Sciences (2007-2008).

– of the Project: “Small Molecules as Antitumor and Anti-infective Agents”, Bilateral Cooperation between Research Center of Medicinal Chemistry of the University of Porto /Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto and Department of Chemistry of University of São Carlos, Brazil, GRICES/CAPES (2008-2010).

– of the Project: “Chiral xanthonic derivatives: enantiomeric resolution, biological activities and application as new chiral selectors for HPLC”, Bilateral Cooperation between Research Center of Organic Chemistry, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of the University of Porto Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto and Department of Chemistry of University of São Carlos, Brazil, GRICES/CAPES (2002-2006).

– of Centro de Estudos de Química Orgânica, Fitoquímica e Farmacologia da Universidade do Porto (JNICT) – 1987-1993 Project 1 A: Chemistry of Natural Products 1 A 1: “Pheromones and derivatives: isolation, identification and synthesis” 1 A 2: “Isolation and structural determination of Secondary Metabolites” 1 B: Medicinal Chemistry “Isolation, identification and synthesis of compounds with potential pharmacological activities (xanthones, xanthonolignoids, flavonoids, coumarins)”.

– of the research project: “Synthesis of natural 1,4-benzodioxane derivatives by classic and/or biomimetic methods”- CI 76/85- University of Porto, Portugal (1984/85).

– of the “Subprograma X. Química Fina Farmaceutica; RIIDDMED. Red Iberoamericana de Investigación, Diseño y Desarrollo de Medicamentos (CYTED. Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnologia para el Desarrollo)”.

As Researcher

– Project ATLANTIDA- Platform for the monitoring of the North Atlantic Ocean and tools for the sustainable exploitation of the marine resources

– Project ERA CHAIR BlueBio4Future (Blue Bioengineering, 2020-2025), CIIMAR-UP by the Horizon 2020, program of the European Union.

– Project : “Antimicrobials from the sea: Models of Innovative Agents to Reverse Multidrug Resistance” (02/SAICT/2017, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028736; PTDC/SAU-PUB/28736/2017), Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização sua componente FEDER and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (June 2018-May 2021)

– Project “Chiral derivatives of xanthones and flavonoids: synthesis and biological activity evaluation (CHIRALBIOACTIVE-PI-3RL-IINFACTS-2019), CESPU-IINFACTS-2019

– In the project “Synthesis of new chiral derivatives of xanthones and antimicrobial evaluation (CHIRALXANT)”, Instituto de investigação e formação avançada em ciências e tecnologias da saúde – CESPU, 2018-2019

– Instituto de investigação e formação avançada em ciências e tecnologias da saúde, Project “Chiral Bioactive Substances in the Environment”, ChiralDrugs_CESPU (2017- 2019)

– In the project “Overcoming environmental problems associated with antifouling agents: synthesis of Nature inspired nontoxic biocides and immobilization in polymeric coatings – PTDC/AAGTEC/ 0739/2014 (2015-2019)

-In the project “PTDC/DTPFTO/ 1981/2014” Title: “Targeting p53 family proteins: on the route to new anticancer agents”(2015-2019 )

-In the project “Síntese enantiosseletiva de derivados xantónicos quirais e avaliação da atividade antiinflamatória”(COXANTCESPU2016), Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde (IIFACTS), (2016 ).

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Combining chemistry of marine fungi with medicinal chemistry and oncobiology towards the discovery of novel lead molecules with potential antitumour activity”, University of Porto (2010-2011).

– In the Multidisciplinary project “Virtual screening and in vitro evaluation of antitumour xanthones for anti-EBV activity in a Burkitt lymphoma cell line”, University of Porto (2009-2010).

– In the Multidisciplinary project “Fungal Secondary Metabolites as potencial growth inhibitory agents in cancer cell lines”, University of Porto (2009-2010).

– In the Multidisciplinary project “Searching for small-molecule modulators of caspase family members using yeast cell-based approaches”, University of Porto (2009-2010).

– In the Project Ref. 10-GCQF-CICS-09; “Chiral Xanthones, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Enantiomers”, GCQF- CICS/CESPU (2009-2010).

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis and elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of inhibitors of tumor cell growth with concomitant activity as inhibitors of P-glycoprotein”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 2010-2011

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis and evaluation of the activity of inhibitors of fungal ABC-transporters with implications in programmed cell death”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 2010-2011

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Functional and pharmacological studies of p53 family proteins: screening for selective small-molecule modulators”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 2010-2011

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis and elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of inhibitors of tumor cell growth with concomitant activity as inhibitors of P-glycoprotein”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 2010-2011

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis of Flavonoids with Antitumoral Activity”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 15 months, 2009

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Two small molecules as potent inhibitors of human tumor cell lines: Synthesis, evaluation of physicochemical and biological properties and incorporation in nanosystems”, University of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students, 15 months, 2009

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis, Structure Elucidation and Evaluation of Xanthone Amines for Dual Activity: Antitumor and P Glycoprotein Modulation”, of Porto, in collaboration with undergraduate students and Institute of Pathology and Molecular Imunology of the University of Porto (IAPTIMUP), (2007-2008)

– In “Chiral xanthones derivatives: synthesis, enantiomeric resolution, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant evaluations”, Project 10-GCQF-CICS-09, GCQF – CICS/CESPU, in collaboration with CESPU, 24 months, 2009

– In the Multidisciplinary Project “Synthesis, Structure Elucidation and Evaluation of Xanthone Amines for Dual Activity: Antitumor and P Glycoprotein Modulation”, University of Porto, Portugal, in collaboration with undergraduate students and Institute of Pathology and Molecular Imunology of the University of Porto (IAPTIMUP) (2007-2008).

– In the Project “Molecular Crystallography”- PRAXIS/2/2.1/QUI/17/94 (1994-1999).

– In SAPIENS Project 2001 from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) Title: “Characterization of the cellular mechanisms affected by the action of artelastin”; Reference: POCTI/FCB/37591/2001