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Activity Funded

Health Sciences Research Centre

Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde

Reference
UIDB/00709/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Medical and health sciences
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Base

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes CICS-UBI is an R&D unit that aims to deepen the existing knowledge on the mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of neurologic and neurovascular diseases, endocrine-related disorders, and cancer, as well as, to develop more efficient diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools. Despite the astonishing advances in biomedical research, these diseases represent a major health problem worldwide causing high mortality, morbidity and disability. An added value of CICS-UBI to answer the current societal challenges is the continuous empowerment of its inter- and multidisciplinary research, having strong bonds between basic, applied, and translational research. To accomplish the envisaged goals and maintain the CICS-UBI sustainable growth, the organizational structure includes four highly collaborative research groups – Biopharmaceuticals and Biomaterials (BB), Biomedicinal Chemistry and Drug Research (BCDR), Hormones and Metabolism (H&M), and Neurologic and Neurovascular Disorders (NND), which were established on the basis of researchers’ interests and scientific contributions in the field. CICS-UBI has excellent facilities with high-throughput equipment and a stable core of human resources including technicians, MSc and PhD students, and PhD researchers, some of them clinicians, which potentiates the translation of research into the clinics. Besides coordinating research activities, the CICS-UBI governing bodies and researchers are committed with the implementation of specific structural programs, altogether expecting to increase the national and international recognition by the peers and society. The expertise in Biomedicine and Biotechnology research has sustained knowledge transfer and gathered international recognition, which we plan to expand by increasing the international grants, the participation in European and non-European research networks, and the establishment of knowledge-transfer agreements with international companies and R&D units. Another pillar of CICS-UBI’s mission is the offer of high-quality advanced training (MSc and PhD) and the initiation of undergraduate and MSc students to research, which will take benefit from the excellent facilities and work in a stimulating scientific environment that brings together in the same unit the basic, applied and translational perspectives of biomedical research. The CICS-UBI scientific and societal impact will be further promoted by a set of initiatives towards dissemination (published articles, books, conferences, seminars), and science communication and outreach events (CICS-UBI Open Days, World Cancer Day, Brain Awareness Week, European Researchers' Night, Science and Technology Week, European Obesity Day, World Diabetes Day, Pint of science). Also, the establishment of partnerships with national and international research centres, primary health care units and hospitals, will boost the relevance and impact of CICS-UBI in health sciences research. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation CICS-UBI main goal is the understanding of the onset and progression of neurologic and neurovascular diseases, endocrine-related disorders and cancer, transferring this knowledge to biotechnological platforms and to the clinics for the development of more effective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The continuous empowerment of inter- and multidisciplinary research, strengthening the bonds between basic, applied, and translational research will support this successful endeavour in the future as it did in the past. Over time, CICS-UBI researchers clustered around four main research areas based on their past achievements and goals for the future: Biomedicinal Chemistry and Drug Research (BCDR); Biopharmaceuticals and Biomaterials (BB); Hormones and Metabolism (H&M); and Neurologic and Neurovascular Disorders (NND), laying the foundation for the reorganization of the centre into four research groups with the same designation. The coordinators of each research group will articulate with the coordination of the centre in the management of the facilities and of specific structural programs. We expect that this novel organization will increase the national and international recognition of the unit in these research fields, by the peers and society. The strategic plan envisages sustainable growth of the centre for the 2018-2022 period. Many research objectives will give continuity to ongoing projects, but there are also novel issues to be explored. The BCDR group will focus on drug discovery, drug interaction, mechanisms of action and analysis of their toxic effects. Appropriate bioanalytical methods to investigate antimicrobial resistance, to support diagnosis and therapies’ monitoring will also be developed. The focus of the BB research group will be the development of new products, methods and solutions based on integrative research on biopharmaceuticals and biomaterials, with applications in diagnosis and treatment. The H&M group will follow-up the discoveries of biomarkers and molecular targets to develop innovative strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hormone-dependent cancers and other metabolic and endocrine-related disorders. The NND team will investigate the molecular and cellular biology and immunological aspects of neurologic and neurovascular diseases, envisaging the improvement of clinical approaches, through the identification of novel therapeutic agents and targets, biomarkers,and risk factors. Research relies on a core of stable human resources (PhD researchers and technicians) employed by the university, essential for ensuring long term research lines and projects. We shall reinforce the research team with additional PhD researchers contracted under the FCT scientific employment initiative and with the offer of PhD fellowships for the best students. New contracts for technical staff will enhance the capacity of generating data with the high-throughput equipment available in the centre. These additional human resources will boost the scientific productivity, the capacity to supervise MSc and PhD students, and will represent an additional taskforce to apply for national and international funding (H2020, ERCs, Interreg, FCT, others). The increased number of clinicians in all research groups will support translation of research into the clinical setting. The excellent facilities of the centre, and the planned repair and acquisition ofoverused equipment, will meet the needs of the increased research staff. CICS-UBI scientific and societal impact will be strengthened by the consolidation of existing national collaborations with distinguished research centres and with the widening and reinforcement of these collaborations through the establishment of partnership agreements, and collaborative grant applications. These partnerships will promote researchers’ mobility, and access to inter-Institutional specialized facilities and equipment, boosting scientific outputs and their relevance and impact in health sciences research. The increased number of PhD researchers will intensify the offer of high-quality advanced training. CICS-UBI will be able to supervise more PhD and MSc students that will benefit from the excellent facilities and working in a stimulating scientific environment. CICS-UBI will maintain the commitment of initiating undergraduate and MSc students to research, by participating in various national and international initiatives in that frame. The unit has gathered international recognition over the years and is now looking forward to extend international collaborations even further with partnerships in co-supervision of PhD students, international grants, collaboration in European and non-European research networks, and knowledge-transfer agreements and protocols with international companies and R&D units. The participation in international congresses will be encouraged, to foster more international collaborations and participation in consortia. Our expertise in Biomedicine and Biotechnology and international recognition have allowed a steady increase of knowledge transfer to the industry. The development of methods and products, such as drugs, biopharmaceuticals and biomaterials with diagnostic and therapeutic applications, were the basis for the establishment of the ongoing agreements, protocols and partnerships with national and international pharmaceutical and R&D companies. We plan to reinforce these partnerships with the industry network to keep up with the development of new technologies and processes at CICS-UBI. Dissemination of scientific contributions to the scientific peers will follow the principles of Open Science and will include several scientific conferences and seminars, where PhD and MSc students, and senior researchers will present their work. We will also continue promoting science and technology to the community, with the participation in several international initiatives.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Universidade da Beira Interior Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI)
  • Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI)

Funding 899.000,00 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

899.000,00 €