Eneida de Paula

Biochemical pharmacology and pharmaceutical technology: 1) Development and characterization of drug-delivery systems in carriers such as cyclodextrins, liposomes, Nanostructured lipid carriers; 2) Biochemistry and Biophysics applied to the study of amphiphile interaction with biomimetic systems.

Elizabeth Bilsland

The current COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of our society to infections diseases. Whilst the current media focus is centered on SARS-CoV2, we must be prepared for the threat posed by drug-resistant parasites, fungi, and bacteria. The Synthetic Biology Laboratory (LaBS) was established in 2016 and is based on synthetic biology as a tool for drug discovery, using yeast and bacteria as hosts for heterologous expression and a platform for genome-wide screens. We have 3 well-established lines of investigation, which can further be improved and rapidly yield results. We are also introducing a novel highly ambitious line of research, taking advantage of our strong international collaboration network, for the development of novel antimicrobials inspired by secondary metabolites from native actinomycetes, filamentous fungi, or plant species.

Fabio Pinheiro

My research is focused to understand the evolution of reproductive barriers among lineages and populations, which is a key step in speciation. A diverse array of mechanisms, such as hybridization, introgression and selection for divergent habitats are investigated in order to understand plant speciation within Neotropical region. Our lab members use different but complementary approaches to understand the first steps of speciation. Students from different research fields are welcome.