Organization

Organizing Committee
Ana Fernandes
Ana Filipa Costa
Ana Filipa Terceiro
Ângela Alves
Bruno Pinheiro
Catarina Marques
Clara Bento
Franco Ramírez
Inês Lua Freitas
Inês Lorga
Joana Reis
João Pissarra
Marta Silva
Martyna Podlasiak
Tiago Gião
Vitor Yang

The MCBiology PhD Program - organized by ICBAS (Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar), FCUP (Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto), and IBMC (Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology) - provides advanced practical and theoretical training in Molecular and Cellular Biology field.
The program provides the necessary tools for the students to excel either in academia, or industry. The eighth edition is focused on the hallmarks of molecular and cellular biology to stimulate progress and multidisciplinarity in life sciences discoveries.

The MCbiology PhD program is jointly organized by:
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS)
Faculdade de Ciências (FCUP)
Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)

EXTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD:
The External Advisory Committee of the MCbiology PhD program has 3 members:
Professor Peter Lindblad, Uppsala University, Sweden
Professor Nicholas Proudfoot, University of Oxford, UK
Cord Brakebusch, Universidade de Copenhaga

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD:
Claudio Sunkel - Program Director (i3S/IBMC/ ICBAS)
Vítor Costa (ICBAS)
Paula Tamagnini (FCUP)
Margarida Saraiva (i3S/ IBMC)
Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro (i3S/ IBMC)
Alexandra Moreira (UP)
Didier Cabanes (i3S/ IBMC)
Anna Olsson (i3S/ IBMC)

ADVISORY COMMITTEE (including students):
Claudio Sunkel (i3S/IBMC/ ICBAS)
Alexandra Moreira (ICBAS)
Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro (i3S/ IBMC)
Steeve Lima (PhD student)
Ana Nascimento (PhD student)

Program

Mariano Gago Auditorium, i3S & Online (via Zoom)

9h45 | Registration i3S main hall (in-person participants)

10h15 | Welcome Session

10h30 | SESSION I – NEUROBIOLOGY AND NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS
Chair: Teresa Summavielle, i3S, University of Porto, Portugal

Ana Luísa Carvalho, PhD (CNC) - The ghrelin receptor supports synaptic plasticity and memory formation

MCBiology Students’ presentations

1.1. Camila Oliveira - String/Cdc25 phosphatases suppress Tau- associated toxicity and neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model
1.2. Jorge Ferreira - Anaesthesia induced memory impairment: the silent variable
1.3. Ana Isabel Silva - Psychostimulant-induced neuroinflammation: Is there a protective role for IL-10?

12h00 | SESSION II – CANCER
Chair: Cord Brakebusch, Copenhagen University, Denmark

João Barata, PhD (iMM) - Gone wild: IL-7 and its receptor in leukemia development

MCBiology Students’ presentations

2.1. Ana Eufrásio - Genetic variants associated to type 2 diabetes modulate endocrine enhancers in vivo
2.2. Margarida Moura - Polo/Plk1 represses Protein Phosphatase 1 activity in mitosis
2.3. Margarida Gonçalves - The impact of polarized adhesion on epithelial cytokinesis robustness

13h30 | Lunch

14h30 | SESSION III – HOST INTERACTION & RESPONSE
Chair: Peter Lindblad, Uppsala University, Sweden

Ana Espada de Sousa, MD, PhD (iMM) - The immune system perspective: learning with HIV-2

MCBiology Students’ presentations

3.1. Diogo Silvério - Exploring Mycobacterium tuberculosis immune evasion strategies to investigate the role of the host IL-1 axis
3.2. Joana Pereira - Exploring novel mechanisms of host plasma membrane repair triggered by pneumolysin
3.3. Laura Guedes de Sousa - LAMP-2 in thymic epithelial cells shapes the selection of CD4 T cells

16h00 | Poster session

17h30 | Closing Session

18h00 | Chill Out i3s (to be confirmed)

Abstract Submission

Authors are invited to submit abstracts for a virtual poster presentation until 10th February 2022. Participants will be requested to upload a short video presentation - 3 minutes maximum - of their poster. More details will be provided later.

Abstracts should be structured according to the following template:
Abstract Layout >>

Abstract submission deadline: 10th February 2022
Poster presentation submission until 21st February 2022

Abstract submission >>

Please find below the video presentations* of the meeting:
https://www.i3s.up.pt/McBiology/

*Available only for registered participants. Password for access will be sent via e-mail.

Registration

Registration is free, but mandatory until 14th February.
Registration includes participation in the event and certificate.

Registration form >>

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