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Activity Funded

Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology

Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia

Reference
UIDP/04539/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Natural sciences
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Programático

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes CIBB is a Research Center of excellence in the domains of Biomedicine and Biotechnology created by merging CNC and iCBR (previously IBILI) institutes. With cutting edge equipment and facilities, and the largest critical mass of researchers in the Portugal Centre Region, internationally experienced and linked to the Faculties of Pharmacy, Medicine, Sciences and Technology and Economics, as well as to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research and CHUC, CIBB has a high-level of scientific production and attracts talent and funding at national and international levels. This multidisciplinary structure, composed of 30 research groups, has a 5-year mission to understand how and why diseases develop (particularly age-associated ones) and to transform knowledge into clinical application and technological innovation. CIBB is organized in 3 lines: Neuroscience and Disease, that aims to decipher brain functioning and dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric and vision disorders; Metabolism, Aging and Disease, which studies the cellular and molecular bases of metabolic dysfunction and aging and their impact on the progress of age-associated diseases; and Innovative Therapies that uses stem cells, genes and drugs to implement new therapies for neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, oncological and infectious diseases. CIBB will reinforce its strong tradition in international training at Masters and PhD levels, and in the career development of young researchers supporting their progress into scientific leadership positions with emphasis on Portuguese institutions. CIBB researchers will also connect with society, through communication and public engagement, advanced courses on continuing education, production of science content for multiple audiences and evaluation of the socio-economic impact of fundamental and translational research, promoting public awareness of science. In addition to a strong investment in fundamental research, the close link with CHUC and its Clinical Academic Center provides CIBB with privileged conditions to translate basic knowledge into clinical practice, stimulating researchers to transform scientific discoveries into new diagnosis and treatment. CIBB will also promote the transformation of scientific innovations in intellectual property, and the transfer of technology and creation of added economic value, taking advantage of Biocant Park and its biotechnology companies, as well as of the direct relationship with companies with intervention in the area of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. Advanced training in industrial environment will be fostered so as to give young scientists the opportunity to create new enterprises and secure their own future employability. CIBB is thus at the heart of an organized network of high-level valences, ranging from fundamental to translational clinical research and to creation of added value, with a strong component of advanced training, that make it an international reference Research Center. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation CIBB is a Research Center of excellence and international reference in the domains of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, created by merging CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and iCBR - Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research. CIBB has the mission of deciphering fundamental biological processes with relevance towards understanding health and disease mechanisms, and to use this knowledge to propose novel therapeutic strategies. CIBB brings together over 600 multinational researchers and support staff, the largest critical mass of internationally experienced researchers in the Centre Region and one of the largest in Portugal, linked to the Faculties of Pharmacy, Medicine, Sciences& Technology, and Economics, to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research and the Coimbra University Hospitals. CIBB was established in 2015 as CNC.IBILI, following an evaluation of Excellent by an international panel, as did its founding institutes before. It has a high-level scientific production (around 2500 publications since 2013) that allows it to attract talent and considerable funding, at national and international levels. Composed of 30 research groups, multidisciplinary and diversein nature, and supported by advanced scientific technological platforms, it has a 5-year mission to understand why disease develops and transform this knowledge into clinical application and technological innovation in order to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as neurodegenerative, cancer, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases. For this purpose CIBB is organized in 3 research lines gathering the research groups according to their research focus: The “Neuroscience and Diseases” line that aims to decipher brain functioning and dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric and vision disorders; the “Metabolism, Aging and Disease” line, which will study the cellular and molecular basis of metabolic dysfunction and aging and their impact on the evolution of age-associated diseases; and the “Innovative Therapies” line that will use stem cells, genes and drugs to discover new therapies for neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, oncological and infectious diseases. These lines intersect with 2 major domains, Biomedicine and Biotechnology, and are spaces of preferential interaction and flagship projects between research groups with scientific affinity. In addition, CIBB strongly promotes transdisciplinary projects crossing in a comprehensive and cohesive manner different areas aiming at breaking down barriers between disciplines, and integrating knowledge gained from studies at molecular, cellular, organ, whole organism and patient levels. CIBB also promotes collaborative projects with other research institutions in a continuous search for excellence. CIBB's activities are supported by world-class core facilities/infrastructures that will be sustained and reinforced. These are run by high-level technicians, including (a) the microscopy Units MICC/LMOA, a Zeiss Reference Center, for conventional and advanced bioimaging, featuring a multiphoton system unique in the Center and North regions of Portugal; (b) a cutting-edge medical imaging center (ICNAS) with MRI, PET and a cyclotron for tracer synthesis; (c) a state-of-the-art high-throughput screening platform; (d) Animal Facilities and (e) Mass Spectrometry, Flow Cytometry, and Next-Generation Sequencing Units. Additional supporting services include Project Management, Science Communication, and dedicated financial and administrative offices. CIBB's strong investment in fundamental research matches its commitment to rapidly translate scientific discoveries into new diagnosis and treatment, facilitated by its proximity and privileged collaborations with the major hospital center CHUC, which has over 50 of its clinicians (26 with PhD) integrated in our team. Such clinical translation also benefits from direct access to the CHUC-UC Academic Clinical Center (headed by a CIBB group leader), which fosters researcher-driven clinical trials and is member of the M8 Alliance. In parallel, research-driven IP, knowledge transfer and added-value creation will continue to be fostered and further reinforced by the strategic integration of a dozen researchers from the entrepreneurial sector, namely from Bluepharma, STEMLAB-CrioEstaminal, Treat U and CHEM4PHARMA companies, and from BIOCANT Technology Transfer Association (manager of BIOCANT Park, where 1/3 of the national biotech companies reside). The park also hosts one CIBB site - CNC/UC-Biotech building, home to several CIBB research groups, which will further boost research and advanced training in an industrial setting, spawning new spinoffs and offering young researchers a real opportunity to secure their own future employability. CIBB will reinforce its strong tradition in international training at undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels, as well as in the career development of young researchers to unravel their potential while contributing to success of the institute. CIBB fosters the development of world-class researchers and aims at empowering the national biomedical research landscape by training researchers who secure leadership positions in industry and academia, in Portugal and abroad. On the other hand, CIBB researchers will develop innovative actions of connection to society, through scientific dissemination in schools, open laboratories and production of content for different audiences, promoting an active and informed citizenship. CIBB is thus at the heart of an organized network of high-level valences, ranging from fundamental to translational clinical research and to creation of added value, with a strong component of advanced training that make it an international reference in several areas.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Universidade de Coimbra Instituto de Investigação Clínica e Biomédica de Coimbra (UC iCBR)
  • Universidade de Coimbra (UC)

Other Institutions

  • Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular (CNC-UC)

Funding 1.768.750,00 €

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

1.768.750,00 €