Lines of research

Bioactive Compounds and Health

Field of Concentration that includes lines of research below, from the fields of basic and applied sciences which aim at clarifying physiopathological mechanisms in order to find new bioactive compounds or new functions for known substances. The search for new bioactive substances or functions ultimately aims at finding potential treatment for different pathologies and promoting health. In addition to this, this line of research also includes studies which promote a systematic review in health:

Physiopathology of pain and disorders of the central nervous system

• This line of research gathers projects that investigate about physiopathology in diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), specifically chronic pain and disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, learning and memory disorders, depression and anxiety. It is important to notice that the projects of this line of research use synthetic or natural substances (from medicinal plants) in order to research therapeutic alternatives to the mentioned pathologies. In addition to that, this line of research aims at finding correlations between chronic pain and these CNS disorders.

Prospection of biologically active compounds

• This line of research gathers projects that search for substances which may have any biological interest with regards to health. Projects involving biotoxinology, general toxicology and biochemical processes which are altered by bioactive substances or in chronic diseases, such as vascular or proliferative diseases: these are all part of the core theme of this line of research.

Biological Mechanisms

This field of concentration includes lines of research below, which aim at elucidating biological mechanisms and their functions as a whole. It comprehends lines of research about biological mechanisms of physiology and embryo development, mechanisms involved in genetic and evolution processes and mechanisms of microorganisms which can be used for studies in relation to human or environmental health:

Molecular and cellular biotechnology of prokaryotes and eukaryotes

• This line of research gathers projects which investigate biotechnological potentials of organisms such as fungi and bacteria with the objective of developing products or services that can promote the bioremediation of environments that are impacted by pollution, production of surfactants or antimicrobial agents for application in humans.

Genetics, mutations and gene therapy

• This line of research gathers projects developed by researchers who have a basic education background in education but who are interested in the diverse ramifications of this science. These projects involve themes from environmental genotoxicity and genetic biodiversity to studies about human genetics, such as gene and chromosome mutations in humans and gene therapy and mesenchymal stem cells.

Mechanisms of physiology and development

• This line of research gathers projects which investigate themes that are inherent to General Physiology, Physiology of Metabolism and Developmental Biology. Themes like the metabolism of biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, bioenergetics and immunometabolism, and the effects of molecules and bioactive compounds on the embryo development are among the core interests of this line of research.