ATG Newsletter Issue 10
December 2019
Science after Brexit
Welcome to another edition of the ATG Member Newsletter
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ATG Newsletter
Science after Brexit
Issue 10
Mafalda Azevedo
December 2019 Contributors: Afonso Bravo Ana Rita Araújo Chiara Cossetti Diogo Dias Filipa Ferreira João Arezes Lígia Tavares Mafalda Azevedo Maria De Sousa Maria Inês Marreiros Mariana Campos Marta Madureira Miguel Coelho Pedro Beltrão Raquel Real Raquel Sousa Telmo Catarino
Editor-in-Chief
It’s been over three years since the citizens of the United Kingdom voted for Brexit. Leaving the European Union will certainly affect the lives of the many, British or not, that live in the country. Historically, the UK has been one of the best funded countries in terms of research, and several institutions and universities have been expressing their concerns about the effects Brexit will have in science funding. For this newsletter, we reached out to GABBAs and ATGs that chose to be in the UK and asked them about their opinions about how Brexit will (or not) affect research and funding, and whether moving to the UK for science would still be a good
Cover: Mafalda Azevedo
choice.
Editors:
To end this decade, we challenged two people to do a
Filipa Ferreira
#10YearChallenge, where they looked into the last 10 years
Mafalda Azevedo
and tell us about what they expect 10 years from now.
Maria Inês Marreiros Marta Madureira
We hope you enjoy reading what we prepared for you!
Telmo Catarino ATG - All Time GABBA The Alumni Association of the Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology University of Porto - Portugal
Lastly, we wish you all Happy Holidays! May you start the new decade with the right foot!
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www.atg.up.pt
i3S, R. Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
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Contents Message from the President of the Executive Board
Lígia Tavares 5 De Sousa et al.
Maria de Sousa 8 Brexit and Science
10 City of Knowledge Part I. Knowledge
Ana Rita Araújo & Telmo Catarino 35 Part II. Citizens
Marta Madureira 43 ATG News
Maria Inês Marreiros 51 Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program
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Have you already become a member? To become a member, all you need to do is pay the annual dues, fill out the membership form, and email us the payment confirmation along with the membership form. You may find the form on the ATG website: www.atg.up.pt
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Message from the President of the Executive Board Lígia Tavares
Dear GABBA community and ATG newsletter readers Christmas is approaching and together with the most traditional traditions ranging from making a tree, going to Christmas markets or buying/making presents it is time for the already traditional ATG Christmas newsletter!
This newsletter is about Brexit and its impact in science. Brexit was voted “People argue about Brexit being beneficial or detrimental for the UK and Europe but for universities, I believe they are unanimous in considering Brexit bad for the scientific community.”
on June 2016, so we have had more than 3 years of information about the pros and cons of the UK exit from the EU. For better or for worse (as we might have different opinions), it will impact all areas of life from agriculture to goods trading and the most advanced areas of science, development, technology and medicine. People argue about Brexit being beneficial or detrimental for the UK and Europe but for universities, I believe they are unanimous in considering Brexit bad for the scientific community. The Royal society president states: “no deal is a bad deal for science”. UK universities are conscious that they will lose money as they will not be able to access European funding as the European Research Council (ERC), some parts of the Marie Sklodowska5
Curie fellowship programme and the SME Instrument for instance. The influx and efflux of researchers will also decrease, decreasing knowledge transfer. Brexit will have also a major impact on clinical trial, research regulations (as many are made in EU) and access to medicines.
Because science is made from collaborations and knowledge transfer, “… we have to believe that the moving forth and back surrounding Brexit may actually be beneficial to make people rethink their values and help both the UK and the EU move forward…”
this is far from being an UK problem, this will affect us all. The ATG community in the UK is quite big and those might suffer the direct impact of Brexit. Nevertheless, we should all reflect on the bigger impact of a country leaving an organization, a community! The longterm effect of the raise of a physical border on knowledge transfer and on the advances of science, innovation and technology. As Christmas is also a time of reflection, we should also take time to think on our actions in the community, with the others as this all started with a country trying to ban migration… But to end this message with a positive note we have to believe that the moving forth and back surrounding Brexit may actually be beneficial to make people rethink their values and help both the UK and the EU to move forward in the respect of the countries and the Europeans. So, lit the fire and cheer with a mug of mulled wine while waiting for Santa! Feliz Natal!
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We know you are really busy with other impact factors, but your help would really have a major impact on ATG! ATG really needs your help! Send us an email when you are ready to help us, will you?
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DE SOUSA et al. Maria de Sousa
Flowers tell Remembrance Day 2019
Poppies, of Normandy Carnations, of a Revolution Twenty roses, of September All one in their different pasts Seeking reason for being one today Today of so many divisions Of so many new questions Of more Nationalisms than Nations Where Love and Science not War Should be the unifying forces Veterans who celebrate the past Should transmit to the young The power of new forces for their future Real flowers, not paper flowers Representing the young and the hope And on this day celebrate the gold medal And specially Science 10th November 2019 8
Dear ATG Newsletter I watched very carefully the Remembrance Day ceremonies in England. “I think Science, research in Universities, valuing research, like ancient ceremonies will remain unchanged.”
I am now following with great interest the election campaign, called the Brexit election on Sky News. In fact, what is emerging from the campaign as those ATGs that are in Britain may note in addition to an interest in football, is that several other topics are proving to be of great importance to the country besides Brexit: the NHS, the inequality of development between the North in England and London for example, the need to update the railway system, the cost of carbon 0 emissions by 2030, etc. I think Science, research in Universities, valuing research, like ancient ceremonies will remain unchanged. If Mr. Johnson is to be believed, interest in the high quality of intellectual activity to be found in Universities, in Research Institutes, etc, will, if anything, improve in order to become attractive to the most talented people outside the Kingdom. Thus, what Brexit or no Brexit may do to ATGs is probably find more
“My hope is that those who will be there will learn enough how to do it and one day change Portugal in that same direction: of Pride and Consequence.”
going to the United Kingdom, benefiting from belonging to a long History of great contributions through Science to Humanity, and how to keep them going in these present days. My hope is that those who will be there will learn enough how to do it and one day change Portugal in that same direction: of Pride and Consequence. Lisbon 28th November 2019
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Science after Brexit In this edition of the newsletter, we asked GABBAs and ATGs about living in the UK and their opinions on the future of science after Brexit.
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Science after Brexit Pedro Beltrão GABBA 6th edition, Class of 2002
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? I am a group leader at the European
Bioinformatics Institute, a part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-EBI)
When and why did you move to the UK? I have been living in the UK for almost 7 years now and I moved here in January of 2013 to start my own research group after a postdoc in San Francisco. What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ postdoc)? “After living in Portugal, doing a PhD in Germany and a postdoc in USA I was happy to go to a place that was closer to Portugal but was still an English-speaking country.”
I didn't stay in the UK, I moved to the UK after the postdoc. The offer to manage a group at EMBL-EBI was the main reason I decided to move here. After living in Portugal, doing a PhD in Germany and a postdoc in USA I was happy to go to a place that was closer to Portugal but was still an English-speaking country.
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Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision?
As with most EMBL group leaders I have a limit of 9 years on my contract. That means that I have 2 years left at EMBL after which I will move to another position. At the moment, as family we are open to moving to other countries in Europe but we are also perfectly happy to stay in the UK. I don't want the UK to leave the EU but I like living here and the UK will continue to be one of the best places in the world to do science even if it leaves the EU. So Brexit will not influence strongly our decision to stay.
“The UK is very supportive of science in general with the large public, charity and private research funds, so losing the EU funding would not be disastrous.�
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? There are several different types of Brexit and the impact will depend on the actual implementation. In the worst-case scenario (hard Brexit), the UK loses access to EU funding and has a strong reduction in qualified applicants. The UK is very supportive of science in general with large public, charity and private research funds, so losing the EU funding would not be disastrous. Losing qualified EU applicants for PhD and postdocs would be worst part of a hard Brexit, in my opinion. Even without Brexit we already noticed at EMBL-EBI a reduction in EU applicants. There are much less extreme scenarios where the UK leaves the EU but retains the free movement of people and contributes to the EU research funding. In this case, the impact to research would be minimal.
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In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? Ideally Brexit does not happen. If it happens, then the UK needs to match any loss of funding from the EU with increases in the UK science budget. Ideally the UK should still contribute and keep access to the ERC funding as do some other countries that are outside of the EU “[the UK] is at the cutting edge of many research fields such as genomics in the health sector, has many generous sources of research funding and most political parties have a very positive attitude towards science.�
(e.g. Israel). Access to the talented researchers needs to be agile and they will need a strong campaign sending out a positive message that science is important and scientists are well received.
Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? I still think the UK is a great place to do science. It is at the cutting edge of many research fields such as genomics in the health sector, has many generous sources of research funding and most political parties have a very positive attitude towards science. We still don't know what type of Brexit, if any, we will have so it is still difficult to give advice. Germany is probably the country in Europe with the best outlook for science. They have committed to increase research funding by 3% every year for the next 10 years and have many local state initiatives in science.
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Chiara Cossetti GABBA 9th edition, Class of 2005
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? Since 2013, I'm a Flow Cytometry Senior “In recent years Cambridge, other than the well renowned University, has become a world-class cluster for life sciences, and it is still growing with the possibility of further expansion. For the high amount of technology business in the area Cambridge has also been re-named as the Silicon Fen.”
Assistant in the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR), University of Cambridge.
When and why did you move to the UK? I’ve moved to the UK in June 2010. I’m from the 2005 Edition of GABBA and at that time I was doing my PhD in Italy, in Milan, under the supervision of Dr. Stefano Pluchino. He got a position here in Cambridge and decided to move the lab over. I still had to finish up my project so I’ve willingly followed him in the UK.
What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ postdoc)? I’ve finished my PhD in 2012 here in Cambridge, in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. My project’s aim was the characterization of neural stem/precursor cell (NPC) immune-modulatory properties and communication via microvesicles. I’ve stayed for another year as a
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Postdoc in the same lab and then decided to take a different career path, more technical-oriented. During my studies and PhD, I’ve learned quite a bit about flow cytometry, so I chose to pursue this as a career, as I really liked the technique. Moreover, working in a flow core had the advantage to keep contact with science but without the drawbacks and burden coming from carrying out your own research. I’ve started in 2013 and after 6 years I’m still a happy cytometrist. At “Maybe in the long run, being already here and settled can turn out, paradoxically, as an advantage, compared to EU citizens having to face different and maybe discouraging immigration rules.”
that time, I’ve found Cambridge a very lively environment with many exciting opportunities. Without much background and experience I’ve been given the possibility to learn and grow in this job. In recent years Cambridge, other than the well renowned University, has become a world-class cluster for life sciences, and it is still growing with the possibility of further expansion. For the high amount of technology business in the area Cambridge has also been re-named as the Silicon Fen. Whenever I’ve compared Italy, and especially the rural area of the North-East where I come from, to UK, there is simply no comparison in terms of job opportunities. The area spanning London, Cambridge and Oxford is kind of a bubble though, given that the reality outside this area can be very different in terms of mentality and liberal attitude.
Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? I’m still thinking to stay in the UK, despite Brexit. For peace of mind I’ve obtained my Settled Status, through the EU Settlement Status
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scheme. I’m lucky enough to have been here for more than 5 years, continuously employed by the University, so the process for me was fast and smooth. Maybe in the long run, being already here and settled can turn out, paradoxically, as an advantage, compared to EU citizens having to face different and maybe discouraging immigration rules. Cambridge University, up to now, has been very supportive towards EU citizens living in the UK, trying to reassure us that there will be no “Following the Brexit referendum result in June 2016, Research Institutes and Universities, also here in Cambridge, have seen a drop of number of applications coming from EU either students, young or more senior scientists�
change to our rights.
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? The possibility of a no-deal Brexit brought a state of deep uncertainty, together with a feeling of being unwelcome, with many concerns arising about what this will mean for us, both professionally and personally. Despite the reassurance, I guess the prolonged uncertainty of this never-ending Brexit pantomime, is the key that is undermining EU citizens stability. This is why some of us already tried to find a way out and built a career elsewhere, where at least we could have a clearer path ahead, with lower risks. Following the Brexit referendum result in June 2016, Research Institutes and Universities, also here in Cambridge, have seen a drop of number of applications coming from EU either students, young or more senior scientists. Brexit has been identified as the trigger to leave UK also for many nurses employed by NHS, worsening the staff crisis already in place.
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The main problem is funding at the moment and accessibility of UK to EU resources, of which the UK has largely benefited so far. I guess the trend will be this one at least until a final Brexit deal is in place. “The immigration arrangements regarding movement of people are essential in order that Brexit would not turn out as a diminished ability to recruit internationally and attract the world’s best people.”
In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? It’s been frustrating and daunting to live in this limbo situation so far, where alleged alternative scenarios are depicted and possible political, social and scientific consequences are anticipated with a sort of guesswork exercise. At a certain point, no matter the decision UK has to move on, and at least to come out of this deadlock. Science is an activity flourishing and mostly relying on international collaboration and networking. The immigration arrangements regarding movement of people are essential in order that Brexit would not turn out as a diminished ability to recruit internationally and attract the world’s best people. The government’s commitment is much needed for financial backing, to provide additional or replacement science funding programmes and
“After a decision is taken the UK will eventually “resurrect”, but it will take a lot of investment in terms of time and resources just to get back to the point we are now.”
to set out the terms and conditions for the UK’s participation in EU programmes. This is secondary to an overall economic growth, so it might be that the government will probably struggle to keep its promises of increased research funding given the potential, still unpredictable, economic impact of Brexit.
Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators?
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Considering Cambridge only, I’m still confident that this surreal “bubble” will not dissolve as a soap bubble, but it will remain in place for the future, still growing and prospering. The huge investments done recently in the life sciences sector here are unbelievable, so I doubt that Brexit will reduce massively the unique attractiveness and competitiveness of the city. After a decision is taken the UK will eventually “resurrect”, but it will take a lot of investment in terms of time and resources just to get back to the point we are now. But the sooner the better! I still very much hope they will scrap Brexit altogether!
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Diogo Dias GABBA 19th edition, Class of 2016
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? PhD student – Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Oxford University.
When and why did you move to the UK? I moved to the UK to start my PhD project on the 1st of November, 2016. “Brexit does not and will not influence my decision whether to stay or not.”
Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? I haven’t decided yet, but Brexit does not and will not influence my decision whether to stay or not.
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? It will probably impact it on the strength of the European ties and collaborative efforts, as well as in the number of European workers who would like to join the UK institutions. I think it already is becoming hard to get people from Europe to apply to the open positions, and in the future applying for grants with European ties will also be quite tricky. I 19
don’t think it will come to a stop, but it will require more creative ways to get joint funding. “… it already is becoming hard to get people from Europe to apply to the open positions, and in the future applying for grants with European ties will also be quite tricky. I don’t think it will come to a stop, but it will require more creative ways to get joint funding.”
In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? Encourage
institutions
to
fill
a
quota
of
foreign/European
students/researchers so as not to lose on those potential countries’ best and brightest, since as of now the trend will be to pick up on a majority of overseas applicants.
Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? Yes of course, it’s a great place to do science and live, at least up until now.
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Miguel Coelho GABBA 9th edition, Class of 2006
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? I’m currently a team leader at a start-up biotech company called PhoreMost. We are a target discovery company, where we carry out phenotypic screenings using small peptides to find new druggable “… I believe most negative consequences [of Brexit] will take a while to fully come into effect.”
space within various therapeutic fields.
When and why did you move to the UK? I moved to Cambridge, UK on October 2006 to carry out the lab-based part of my PhD, after the initial GABBA programme in Porto. I wanted to do a PhD in basic biology, more specifically in the regulation of gene expression. This is a broad field with excellent labs around the world, although I was keen on being “close” to home which meant European labs. The second factor that brought me to the UK was the choice of supervisor – the PhD is still a long affair and is a crucial learning period so I really wanted to make sure I would be working with someone who could challenge me and make me grow as a scientist. Finally, Cambridge is a city full of opportunities to learn from and collaborate with other scientists, in addition to the rich history in scientific 21
discoveries, therefore working here can open doors to many scientific fields.
What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ “Brexit will mean limited or no access to EU funding (…), more red tape in collaborations and most importantly reducing the talent pool that comes every year to the UK from all over Europe to do great science.”
postdoc)? Upon completing my PhD, I did a postdoc within the same group. This allowed me to explore some ideas that arose from my PhD work, and expanded my knowledge from basic biology to many other aspects of biology, and how they all connected with my initial work. A couple of years ago, I realised that carrying out basic science did not motivate me enough anymore and I wanted to witness the science I do impact on a more translational level. This led me to move into the biotech field where I now apply my previously gained knowledge into identifying new targets that could be key in treating diseases. This transition is something that happens all the time in places like the UK, and my background in basic biology and biochemistry was actually valued despite having never worked in oncology or neurodegeneration.
Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? I’m planning on staying a couple more years in the UK despite Brexit, as I believe most negative consequences will take a while to fully come “Brexit has also presented an image of a UK society that is hostile to Europeans, and while I believe this is not the case, it has definitely made the UK less appealing…”
into effect. Brexit has made me reevaluate my future and convinced me that I want to move away from the UK in a couple of years, and my current plan is to go to Portugal and contribute to the biotech field there.
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In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? It is no secret that Brexit has been damaging to the British science, even before it has happened! Brexit will mean limited or no access to EU funding (for example, in 2018, the UK was the biggest beneficiary of ERC grants), more red tape in collaborations and most importantly reducing the talent pool that comes every year to the UK from all over Europe to do great science. Brexit has also presented an image of a UK society that is hostile to Europeans, and while I believe this is not the case, it has definitely made the UK less appealing in comparison to “Brexit has definitely replaced the weather chat as the go-to ice breaker, and thankfully the scientific community stands together in opposing any barriers to the current fruitful scientific relationship the UK maintains with other EU countries.�
other European countries which value people more equally, independent of their country of origin. Brexit has definitely replaced the weather chat as the go-to ice breaker, and thankfully the scientific community stands together in opposing any barriers to the current fruitful scientific relationship the UK maintains with other EU countries.
In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? I believe the damage could be partially mitigated by excluding the scientific community from restrictions to movement, especially of European PhD students. Another crucial point is to keep the UK participating in EU collaborative grants in the future. The UK already spends less than the EU average in research and development (1.69% UK vs. 2.07% EU average, from ons.gov.uk), so any reduction to grants and incentives could frighten off more researchers to countries that are willing to contribute more to science and its scientists.
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Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? Currently the UK is still a great place in the world to do science, and I “Another crucial point is to keep the UK participating in EU collaborative grants in the future.�
think even a hard Brexit would not be sufficient to completely damage its scientific capabilities. The last couple of months have shown a clear will of most politicians to avoid a hard, no-deal Brexit, although even the most experienced political analysts struggle to predict what will happen in the next couple of months. That said, the life of most scientists is highly mobile, especially in the beginning of their career when they are moving from grant to grant, and if the group, institution or company is the right one, I would say: come to the UK!
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Raquel Sousa GABBA 16th edition, Class of 2012
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? I am currently working as a postdoc researcher in the department of zoology at the University of Oxford.
When and why did you move to the UK? I first moved to the UK in 2014 to start my PhD research. “after Brexit it is likely that mundane but useful things, such as easy and free movement of people and goods across borders, free NHS healthcare, valid EU driving license and ‘free’ mobile roaming will change for the worse.”
What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ postdoc)? The opportunity to continue and follow up research in projects I am interested in. Bee research in the UK is more competitive and more funding is available. Besides, I am also involved in a spin off and, if abroad, it would be less feasible to take part on company matters. Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? Yes. If possible two to three more years. If not for all the uncertainties still raised by the never-ending Brexit 'soap opera’, I could consider
25
staying longer. Now, other options in Europe are Portugal, Germany and Sweden.
“… if the UK leaves the EU with a negotiated deal, UKbased scientists will still be able to apply for EU funding until the end of the Horizon 2020 period”
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? As for every EU citizen in order to keep the right to stay and work after Brexit, we need to apply to the EU settlement scheme. Though, after Brexit it is likely that mundane but useful things, such as easy and free movement of people and goods across borders, free NHS healthcare, valid EU driving license and ‘free’ mobile roaming will change for the worse. Also, let’s say you, as an EU academic keep those rights, but you want to bring your older parents or a sibling to live with you in the UK. Will they be granted the right to live here with you? Uncertain. Now, if the UK leaves the EU with a negotiated deal, UK-based scientists will still be able to apply for EU funding until the end of the Horizon 2020 period (i.e. to the end of 2020). If no-deal exit occurs, the UK government has committed to underwrite any awards made, where
“… I believe that the UK will still be a good place to be a scientist and conduct research after Brexit (if it really happens).”
applications were submitted before the end of January 2020 - Brexit date. Nonetheless, scientists are still encouraged to plan and apply for potential EU funding such as ERC and incoming Marie Curie fellows throughout 2020. In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? No Brexit. Mandatory psychiatric assessment for the House of Commons dwellers. With deal or no deal, I guess new bilateral agreements will be negotiated; it is just a matter of knowing when and how long it will take to implement. 26
Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? While the UK is still very competitive in many research areas, and taking into consideration all the above mentioned unpredictabilities, if you are a student with non-UK status expect to pay 3x more tuition and fees for your University degree per year like every non-EU postgraduate until now. If you are a postdoc/early career researcher it will depend on your whereabouts in the UK, family situation and the type of contract of employment. For example, having a toddler in the kindergarten in London/Oxford can take up 50% of a postdoc salary every month. Nonetheless, I believe that the UK will still be a good place to be a scientist and conduct research after Brexit (if it really happens).
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João Arezes GABBA 15th edition, Class of 2011
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? Senior Scientist at UCB, UK
When and why did you move to the UK? I moved to the UK in July 2015 after accepting a postdoc position at the University of Oxford. This happened as I was finishing my PhD and the postdoc position was aligned with my scientific interests. Also, I intended to move back to Europe after my “As it stands, Brexit won't make a difference on my decision to stay or leave the country.”
PhD in the US.
What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ postdoc)? After my postdoc I decided to pursue a career in bio-pharmaceutical research. I've always been interested in drug development, and this interest was solidified after a collaboration with Pfizer during my postdoc. The UK presents a vibrant environment in that area, both for Biotechs and "big-pharma". So, I applied for a couple of positions that caught my attention and accepted an offer at UCB.
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Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? I'm planning to stay in the UK for now. I enjoy living in London and as long as the science is interesting here that's where I'll stay. As it stands, Brexit won't make a difference on my decision to stay or leave the country.
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? Some effects of Brexit can already be noticed even though it has not happened yet (by the time I'm writing this). There is a clear division in “… one of the most evident consequences will be the lack of access to European funding, which may be a big blow for laboratories in public institutions.”
the public opinion regarding the decision of leaving the EU. It will be hard to consolidate these two views, which in itself makes for a divided country. The uncertainty about what is going to happen ("deal"," no deal" or "no Brexit") makes it very hard to assess how the UK will be affected. On Science, one of the most evident consequences will be the lack of access to European funding, which may be a big blow for laboratories in public institutions. This will not only affect the capacity of labs to finance their research, but also the capacity to attract the best people, who may prefer to move across the Atlantic. In the private sector, while it may be more difficult to attract big companies to the UK, I don't envision many changes to the companies already based here.
“… ensure that funding for public research is increased to compensate for the diminished European funding.”
In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? Firstly, ensure that funding for public research is increased to compensate for the diminished European funding. It's also essential to 29
guarantee that foreign scientists (students and professionals) can carry on their work with minimal disruption despite not having British citizenship. Both the University of Oxford and UCB, (the two places I've worked at since the referendum) have teams in place to mitigate the possible negative effects of Brexit. It would be good if these teams remain “… ensure that UK institutions retain access to European clinical trials, and that regulatory and ethics considerations remain aligned with the European Union… “
active
after
Brexit,
promoting
security
for
current
student/professionals and facilitating the integration of newcomers. Finally, ensure that UK institutions retain access to European clinical trials, and that regulatory and ethics considerations remain aligned with the European Union to make sure patients can benefit from new developments independently of their origin (UK or EU).
Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? I don't think Brexit should be a determining factor in deciding to study or work in the UK. I believe the UK is (and will continue to be) a great place for scientific research.
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Raquel Real GABBA 17th edition, Class of 2013
What
is
your
job
position
and
company/institution? Research Associate at University College London.
When and why did you move to the UK? I moved to the UK in late 2014, for the PhD. “I think Brexit will bring about changes that will be detrimental to workers, consumers and environmental rights and protections.�
What made you stay in the UK (in case you already finished your PhD/ postdoc)? After the PhD, I only looked for positions in the UK, both for personal and professional reasons. The UK is one of the best places in Europe for science, and because I am currently also working with patients it was important, I was fluent in the language.
Do you plan to stay longer in the UK? If not, is the possibility of Brexit influencing your decision? For the time being I am planning to stay, at least until the end of my current contract. But I have been thinking about moving back to
31
continental Europe for my next position. Undoubtfully, Brexit is part of this decision.
In what way do you think Brexit will impact the UK, particularly science? I am not optimistic. For the UK society in general, I think Brexit will bring about changes that will be detrimental to workers, consumers and environmental rights and protections. The greater risk for science is the loss of EU funding and the right to participate in EU-funded “The greater risk for science is the loss of EU funding and the right to participate in EUfunded networks.�
networks. There are reports that UK-based scientists are already being excluded from collaborative grant applications despite Brexit delays, due to uncertainty about the details of a future UK-EU relationship. Also, a lot of the Brexit debate has been about immigration, and current ministers take a very hard line on the subject. Non-EU academics already have to deal with a draconian Home Office, so it is expected that similar bureaucracy will affect EU scientists in the future.
In your opinion, what would be a fundamental measure to implement/maintain for Post-Brexit science? The UK government has promised to increase the budget for science to at least match whatever European funding that could be lost after Brexit. It is not certain, however, that the economic situation after Brexit will allow for this to happen. Ideally, the UK should keep close ties and contribute to the EU science budget, so that scientists in the UK wouldn't be excluded from European grants, networks and collaborations. It will also be important that there are no immigration barriers to scientists moving into the UK for work.
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Would you recommend the post-Brexit UK for students and/or investigators? Right now, the UK is still a great place for science in Europe. Whether that will still be the case in 10-15 years, only time will tell. In the end, a “Ideally, the UK should keep close ties and contribute to the EU science budget, so that scientists in the UK wouldn't be excluded from European grants, networks and collaborations. It will also be important that there are no immigration barriers to scientists moving into the UK for work.�
lot will depend on the political choices made by the next UK government.
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ATG: A City of Knowledge. Let’s take another look at a few of our citizens and some of their knowledge published since our last issue!
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Part I. Knowledge Telmo Catarino & Ana Rita Araújo
In this edition of the ATG Newsletter, we are proud to share the great scientific contributions of the GABBA students and alumni, since the last newsletter. Among the list of publications, there are several articles that were published in prestigious high impact journals (original publications as first or last author) that we will highlight here.
Cell Biology
Pedro Carvalho, GABBA 3rd, is a Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Oxford, UK and his main interest lies in how organelle identity, function and “ [Pedro Carvalho] proposed that spatial segregation of protein assembly (…) and quality control (…), improves assembly efficacy of protein complexes and reduces the levels of folded unassembled subunits of proteins..”
architecture is generated and maintained in the dynamic environment of the cells. He recently published in Molecular Cell and proposed that spatial segregation of protein assembly (in bulk in the endoplasmic reticulum) and quality control (at the inner nuclear membrane), improves assembly efficiency of protein complexes and reduces the levels of folded unassembled subunits of proteins.
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Natarajan, N., Foresti, O., Wendrich, K., Stein, A., & Carvalho, P. (2019). Quality Control of Protein Complex Assembly by a Transmembrane Recognition Factor. Molecular Cell. Osorio, D. S., Chan, F.-Y., Saramago, J., Leite, J., Silva, A. M., Sobral, A. F., … Carvalho, A. X. (2019). Crosslinking activity of non-muscle myosin II is not sufficient for embryonic cytokinesis in C. elegans. Development. Chan, F.-Y., Silva, A. M., Saramago, J., Pereira-Sousa, J., Brighton, H. E., Pereira, M., … Carvalho, A. X. (2019). The ARP2/3 complex prevents excessive formin activity during cytokinesis. Molecular Biology of the Cell.
“...[Liliana Mancio-Silva] demonstrated that [microlivers] could be a valuable tool to fine-tune cell metabolism and test drug efficacy and safety of RNAi-based therapeutics.”
Victorelli, S., Lagnado, A., Halim, J., Moore, W., Talbot, D., Barrett, K., … Passos, J. F. (2019). Senescent human melanocytes drive skin ageing via paracrine telomere dysfunction. The EMBO Journal.
Health Sciences
Liliana Mancio-Silva is an alumnus from GABBA 7th and is currently a Research Associate at INSERM, France, studying the biology of host-parasite interactions. During her stay at MIT she demonstrated that gene modulation in an in vitro engineered human liver model (microlivers) could be a valuable tool to fine-tune cell metabolism and test drug efficacy and safety of RNAi-based therapeutics.
Mancio-Silva, L., Fleming, H. E., Miller, A. B., Milstein, S., Liebow, A., Haslett, P., … Bhatia, S. N. (2019). Improving Drug Discovery by Nucleic Acid Delivery in Engineered Human Microlivers. Cell Metabolism.
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Silva, A. L., Pessoa, A. S., Nogueira, R., Araujo, J. M., Alves, J. N., Pinho, J., & Ferreira, C. (2019). Prognostic information of gaze deviation in acute ischemic stroke patients. Neurological Sciences : Official Journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. Pereira, Andreia T., Henriques, Patrícia C., Costa, Paulo C., Martins, Maria Cristina L., Magalhães, Fernão D., Gonçalves, I. C. (2019). Graphene oxide-reinforced poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels with extreme stiffness and highstrenght. Composites Science and Technology.
“ [Rodrigues] and his team recently found that [CEMIP] prompts blood vessel and resident immune cells in the brain to (…) support survival and progression of cancer cells to form brain tumors.”
Oncobiology
Gonçalo Rodrigues, GABBA 15th, is a graduate student at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA. He and his team recently found that a hyaluronan-binding protein - CEMIP - prompts blood vessel and resident immune cells in the brain to produce inflammatory molecules, which in turn support the survival and progression of cancer cells to form brain tumors. In lab-dish and animal-model experiments, removing CEMIP greatly impeded this brain metastasis process. In tests on human patients' breast and lung tumors, the researchers linked high CEMIP levels to a high risk of metastasis to the brain.
Rodrigues, G., Hoshino, A., Kenific, C. M., Matei, I. R., Steiner, L., Freitas, D., … Lyden, D. (2019). Tumour exosomal CEMIP protein promotes cancer cell colonization in brain metastasis. Nature Cell Biology. Karam, R., Conner, B., LaDuca, H., McGoldrick, K., Krempely, K., Richardson, M. E., … Chao, E. (2019). Assessment of Diagnostic Outcomes of RNA Genetic Testing for Hereditary Cancer. JAMA Network Open.
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Amorim, M., Lobo, J., Fontes-Sousa, M., Estevao-Pereira, H., Salta, S., Lopes, P., … Jeronimo, C. (2019). Predictive and Prognostic Value of Selected MicroRNAs in Luminal Breast Cancer. Frontiers in Genetics. Bidarra, D., Constancio, V., Barros-Silva, D., Ramalho-Carvalho, J., Moreira-Barbosa, C., Antunes, L., … Jeronimo, C. (2019). Circulating MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Detection and Metastasis Development Prediction. Frontiers in Oncology. Constancio, V., Nunes, S. P., Moreira-Barbosa, C., Freitas, R., Oliveira, J., Pousa, I., … Jeronimo, C. (2019). Early detection of the major male cancer types in bloodbased liquid biopsies using a DNA methylation panel. Clinical Epigenetics. Nunes, S. P., Diniz, F., Moreira-Barbosa, C., Constancio, V., Silva, A. V., Oliveira, J., … Jeronimo, C. (2019). Subtyping Lung Cancer Using DNA Methylation in Liquid Biopsies. Journal of Clinical Medicine. Lameirinhas, A., Miranda-Goncalves, V., Henrique, R., & Jeronimo, C. (2019). The Complex Interplay between Metabolic Reprogramming and Epigenetic Alterations in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Genes. Lobo, J., Costa, A. L., Cantante, M., Guimaraes, R., Lopes, P., Antunes, L., … Jeronimo, C. (2019). m(6)A RNA modification and its writer/reader VIRMA/YTHDF3 in testicular germ cell tumors: a role in seminoma phenotype maintenance. Journal of Translational Medicine. Viana-Pereira, M., Moreno, D. A., Linhares, P., Amorim, J., Nabico, R., Costa, S., … Reis, R. M. (2019). Replication of GWAS identifies RTEL1, CDKN2A/B, and PHLDB1 SNPs as risk factors in Portuguese gliomas patients. Molecular Biology Reports. de Carvalho, A. C., de Mattos Pereira, L., Datorre, J. G., Dos Santos, W., Berardinelli, G. N., Matsushita, M. de M., … Reis, R. M. (2019). Microbiota Profile and Impact of Fusobacterium nucleatum in Colorectal Cancer Patients of Barretos Cancer Hospital. Frontiers in Oncology. Leal, L. F., Cavagna, R. de O., Campanella, N. C., Mancano, B., Almeida, G. C., Matsushita, M., … Reis, R. M. (2019). Lack of KBTBD4 Mutations in Molecularly Classified Brazilian Medulloblastomas. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. Silva, V. A. O., Rosa, M. N., Tansini, A., Martinho, O., Tanuri, A., Evangelista, A. F., … Reis, R. M. (2019). Semi-Synthetic Ingenol Derivative from Euphorbia tirucalli Inhibits Protein Kinase C Isotypes and Promotes Autophagy and S-phase Arrest on Glioma Cell Lines. Molecules.
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Immunology
Henrique Veiga-Fernandes, from the 1st GABBA edition, is a group leader at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal. In his recent study “Disruption of ILC3-intrinsic circadian regulation had an impact in intestinal homeostasis, resulting in higher susceptibility to infection, (…) impaired reactivity of the intestinal epithelium and disruption of lipid metabolism.”
published in Nature, he and his team found an autonomous circadian regulation of type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s), entrained by light cues. Disruption of ILC3intrinsic circadian regulation had an impact in intestinal homeostasis, resulting in higher susceptibility to infection, alterations in the microbiome, impaired reactivity of the intestinal epithelium and disruption of lipid metabolism.
Godinho-Silva, C., Domingues, R. G., Rendas, M., Raposo, B., Ribeiro, H., da Silva, J. A., … Veiga-Fernandes, H. (2019). Light-entrained and brain-tuned circadian circuits regulate ILC3s and gut homeostasis. Nature. Teixeira, J. H., Silva, A. M., Almeida, M. I., Bessa-Goncalves, M., Cunha, C., Barbosa, M. A., & Santos, S. G. (2019). The Systemic Immune Response to CollagenInduced Arthritis and the Impact of Bone Injury in Inflammatory Conditions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Cruz, A., Queiros, R., Abreu, C. M., Barata, C., Fernandes, R., Silva, R., … Mendes Pinto, I. (2019). Electrochemical Immunosensor for TNFalpha-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Screening. ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
Silverio-Alves, R., Gomes, A. M., Kurochkin, I., Moore, K. A., & Pereira, C.-F. (2019). Hemogenic Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts by Enforced Expression of Transcription Factors. Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE. Hudson, A. L., Moatt, J. P., & Vale, P. F. (2019). Terminal investment strategies following infection are dependent on diet. Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
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Fonseca, A. M., Gonzalez, R., Bardaji, A., Jairoce, C., Ruperez, M., Jimenez, A., … Mayor, A. (2019). VAR2CSA Serology to Detect Plasmodium falciparum Transmission Patterns in Pregnancy. Emerging Infectious Diseases. Passos, V., Zillinger, T., Casartelli, N., Wachs, A. S., Xu, S., Malassa, A., … Goffinet, C. (2019). Characterization of Endogenous SERINC5 Protein as Anti-HIV-1 Factor. Journal of Virology.
Genetics and Gene Expression
Margarida Cardoso-Moreira is an alumnus from the 7th GABBA edition and currently a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), University of Heidelberg. In her recent work published in Nature, she profiled the developmental transcriptome of several organs from early organogenesis to “[CardosoMoreira] reported that early in development, active genes are more refractive to change (…) whereas genes expressed in later stages of organ development and maturation have more restricted spatiotemporal profiles.”
adulthood, across multiple mammals. She reported that early in development, active genes are more refractory to change as they are expressed in many organs and stages, whereas genes expressed in later stages of organ development and maturation have more restricted spatiotemporal profiles.
Cardoso-Moreira, M., Halbert, J., Valloton, D., Velten, B., Chen, C., Shao, Y., … Kaessmann, H. (2019). Gene expression across mammalian organ development. Nature.
Bousard, A., Raposo, A. C., Zylicz, J. J., Picard, C., Pires, V. B., Qi, Y., … da Rocha, S. T. (2019). The role of Xist-mediated Polycomb recruitment in the initiation of X-chromosome inactivation. EMBO Reports.
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Machado, A. M., Ferraz, R., Ribeiro, R. do A., Ozorio, R., & Castro, L. F. C. (2019). From the Amazon: A comprehensive liver transcriptome dataset of the teleost fish tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum. Data in Brief. Lopes-Marques, M., Ruivo, R., Alves, L. Q., Sousa, N., Machado, A. M., & Castro, L. F. C. (2019). The Singularity of Cetacea Behavior Parallels the Complete Inactivation of Melatonin Gene Modules. Genes. Fonseca, E. S. S., Ruivo, R., Machado, A. M., Conrado, F., Tay, B.-H., Venkatesh, B., ‌ Castro, L. F. C. (2019). Evolutionary Plasticity in Detoxification Gene Modules: The Preservation and Loss of the Pregnane X Receptor in Chondrichthyes Lineages. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Lopes-Marques, M., Machado, A. M., Alves, L. Q., Fonseca, M. M., Barbosa, S., Sinding, M.-H. S., ‌ Castro, L. F. C. (2019). Complete Inactivation of SebumProducing Genes Parallels the Loss of Sebaceous Glands in Cetacea. Molecular Biology and Evolution. Lopes-Marques, M., Alves, L. Q., Fonseca, M. M., Secci-Petretto, G., Machado, A. M., Ruivo, R., & Castro, L. F. C. (2019). Convergent inactivation of the skinspecific C-C motif chemokine ligand 27 in mammalian evolution. Immunogenetics. Huylmans, A. K., Toups, M. A., Macon, A., Gammerdinger, W. J., & Vicoso, B. (2019). Sex-Biased Gene Expression and Dosage Compensation on the Artemia franciscana Z-Chromosome. Genome Biology and Evolution. Bastos, C. A. C., Afreixo, V., Rodrigues, J. M. O. S., Pinho, A. J., & Silva, R. M. (2019). Distribution of Distances Between Symmetric Words in the Human Genome: Analysis of Regular Peaks. Interdisciplinary Sciences, Computational Life Sciences. Cunha, M., Macedo, N., Wilson, J., Rosenqvist, G., Berglund, A., & Monteiro, N. (2019). Reduced sexual size dimorphism in a pipefish population where males do not prefer larger females. Ecology and Evolution.
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Part II. Citizens Marta Madureira
Looking into the future can be just as important as looking at the past. In this edition of the Citizens section, we challenged two GABBAs to a very popular 2019 trend across social media: the 10 Year Challenge. Read what precious introspective wisdom Afonso Bravo – a current GABBA student – and Mariana Campos – a GABBA student who started her PhD 10 years ago – had to share with us.
Name: Afonso Bravo GABBA Edition: 20th Edition PhD Thesis: High-throughput analysis of interspecies genetic interactions Current location: Lausanne and Heidelberg
2009
2019
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Welcome to our 10 Year Challenge! If you could talk to yourself 10 years ago, what would you say?
Spend less time worrying and being afraid of the future, and more doing or starting something, anything. If you don’t know what to do, search, and go with the option that will become the best story when told 10 years later (my life changed dramatically once I started applying this one more often, about 3.5 years ago). Considering the last 10 years, what were the highs and lows of your career path?
“I would say that my most dramatic career high came a few months after my lowest low, in what can be described as a GABBA mediated process. Joining GABBA helped me transition from what was the roughest period of both my career and personal life, into the one with the most opportunities and chances of individual development and success, where I am now.”
I will give you both a cliché and a personal answer. Research feels to me like a bipolar career. One moment you can feel like the king of the world for having mastered some technique or proved something exciting, and in the next things are failing left and right for days on end. You eventually see yourself asking others for their motivational secret hacks, while mindfully sipping coffee amidst a mild existential crisis. Repeat from the top. Anyway, I find this to be a common occurrence with several people and I try to joke about it as much as I can. This to say that my career path is similar to most, comprised of both ups and downs. Although one (at least me) tends to be more focused on the downs, when looking at the big picture, my career has been, as they say in finance, one of increasingly higher downs and higher ups. The highs are there to make you enjoy your achievements for a few days and give you the much-needed sense of accomplishment. The lows, to make you reassess your current situation and goals, to figure out what line of research is worth pursuing or not, and what needs to be changed to get there (or not). Essentially, to make you selfreassure that you are willing to endure enough and pursue those new higher highs. Ups and Down are equally important. Now, answering your question. I would say that my most dramatic career high came a few months after my lowest low, in what can be described as a GABBA mediated process. Joining GABBA helped me transition from what was the roughest period of both my career and personal life, into the one with the most opportunities and chances of individual development 44
and success, where I am now. I obviously fought for this, but mostly because of the lows. If you could go back to 2009, would you have changed career paths outside science?
Not entirely to outside Science. If I had to reset, I could picture myself going more on the engineering side, but on something with a heavy science component. Of course, I only say this because now I have experienced the ins and outs of the beginning of an academic career, so I am biased towards trying something new. Do you believe more could have been done to develop and advance science in Portugal in the last few years? If so, where do you think action should take place?
More can always be done, right? One of the major obvious differences I see between science in Portugal and on the “outside”, namely in Germany “Considering that private investment might be harder to accomplish in Portugal due to wellknown reasons, I think that the current main focus should be exactly on securing an internationally competitive, and feasible medium-long term plan/core funding for both the labs and the researchers.”
and Switzerland (the only places I can comment on, and within them, on my field), is the amount of financing opportunities. In these latter countries it is normal for labs to have at least always one side project running that is financed by a private company, or run multi-lab collaboration-heavy dependent projects, which come as a requirement for several product oriented fellowships. The advantages of this are two-fold: Firstly, this allows extra funding to maintain the research going in the lab, by paying for equipment and extra personnel (that can be shared between labs) outside the core funding, and makes it easier to directly communicate your findings into a business environment, if so wished. Secondly, is the range and amount of different public financing opportunities. Nowadays, more often than not, interesting good science costs great sums of money to publish, and more importantly, maintain in the long run (this is especially true in my field). Although goaloriented financing opportunities are great in the short-medium term, only with long term investment can scientific outcomes be consistent, and skills developed. If there is only one public financing agency with ever changing short-sighed goals, contracts, and project financing, the tendency is for all 45
this Portuguese science endeavour to slowly decline into a crawling frustration. Considering that private investment might be harder to accomplish in Portugal due to well-known reasons, I think that the current main focus should be exactly on securing an internationally competitive, and feasible medium-long term plan/core funding for both the labs and the researchers. The exact details and agencies from where this would originate from is, obviously, up for debate. And finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself being 37 years old… Now honestly, I am still undecided. If I continue in the academic path, I want (need) to be a PI by that point. Probably not in Portugal. If I jump ship, I would not mind joining a company more focused on big data analysis and visualization. This is an essential skill in my current Ph.D. project that can be easily applied in other circumstances. Favourite Sunday activity: Slowly waking up and drinking coffee in the balcony (weather dependent). Lately, a little hiking across town and on the lake side. Dream vacation: Cycle from Sagres (Portugal) to Cape Nord (Norway). Favourite non-Portuguese cuisine: Non non-Portuguese cuisine… and Ramen, and Pho. TV show that you binge-watched recently: “Dark”, an excellent German Sci-Fi series. What is the place one must visit in the city where you’re currently residing? When in Lausane: Port d’Ouchy for the lake side Alps view, and the hilly city centre for the typical swiss town feel. Then, take the bus up to the Sauvabelin Park and climb the tower. Gaze at the lake Léman in almost its entirety, the French and Swiss Alps, and the Mont Blanc. When in Heidelberg, walk in the Philosophenweg and admire the view of the city nested against the hill side, go down, over the old bridge and the Neckar, walk the cobblestone alleys of Altstadt, and take the funicular up to Königstuhl, where you can enjoy the view over the Rhine valley. (more of a tour than a place, I guess). Favourite Holiday: The ones not on the weekend, and the 25th of April. Would you rather go back to 2009 or re-live your 2019? Neither, I would go back to 2013 (last year of my bachelor’s degree) …
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Pipet tip box usage method (in order, the ones in same area or random): ALWAYS aligned, in order, from a randomly chosen corner at the beginning of the box usage. Friday night drink: Gin (Broker's) and Tonic (I am still open to suggestions on the brand) on a proper Gin glass. As chilled as possible with 3 crystal clear ice cubes and a 4cm long lemon peel (or sometimes 2 apple slices). At the table, I appreciate having something to idly stir the mix‌ But I am not picky, more often than not I just go for a nice HefeWeizen Beer.
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Name: Mariana Campos GABBA Edition: 13th Edition PhD Thesis: “A transgenic RNAi screen for regulators of tissue growth in the Drosophila wing” Current Occupation: Research Engagement and Communication Manager at the Francis Crick Institute, London
2009
2019
“You are about to experience the most transformative years of your life. You will learn to live independently and you will succeed. You will meet the most amazing people from all around the world. You will learn so much about yourself, how determined and strong you are.” Welcome to our 10 Year Challenge! If you could talk to yourself 10 years ago, what would you say?
What to say…! "You are about to experience the most transformative years of your life. You will learn to live independently - and you will succeed. You will meet the most amazing people from all around the world. You will learn so much about yourself, how determined and strong you are." I could go on - it has been a fantastic (not always easy!) ride. Considering the last 10 years, what were the highs and lows of your career path?
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“Highs - getting a paper in Nature, looking down a microscope and seeing something that no one has ever seen (that then led to my PhD paper). Most important of it all the amazing people I met along the way!”
Highs - getting a paper in Nature, looking down a microscope and seeing something that no one has ever seen (that then led to my PhD paper). Most important of it all - the amazing people I met along the way! Lows (that I truly have taken as learning opportunities) - the long path to leave academia, with lots of failed interviews; almost being scooped just as I was finishing my PhD; settling into a brand new, extremely demanding job. These lows were what made me realise how passionate and determined I am, and I wouldn't change a thing! If you could go back to 2009, would you have changed career paths outside science?
No! Even if I did not stay in academia, my path brought me where I want to be. Do you believe more could have been done to develop and advance science in Portugal in the last few years? If so, where do you think action should take place?
Probably - but that is not exclusive to Portugal. I have a sense that science is advancing in Portugal, but to be 100% honest I have detached myself a little, having been in the UK for the best part of 10 years. And finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I am trying to find those answers now - I honestly do not know. I would hope to be back in Portugal, but the when and how is a book yet to be written. My heart still lives in Portugal. Favourite Sunday activity: brunch, coffees and books.
“I have a sense that science is advancing in Portugal (…)”
Dream vacation: Japan? Patagonia? Can't choose one! Favourite non-Portuguese cuisine: something Asian TV show that you binge-watched recently: Fleabag What is the place one must visit in the city where you’re currently residing? Oklava in Old Street Favourite Holiday: Christmas, but because of the family aspect. I am a summer girl. Pipet tip box usage method (in order, the ones in same area or random): same area - but it has been a while Friday night drink: G&T
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It would be great to count with your help for the next ATG Newsletter If you are willing to help, just write us an email. We will take all the help & ideas you may have.
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ATG News Maria InĂŞs Marreiros RECENT GRADUATES
Gonçalo Oliveira, GABBA 18th Thesis: The identification of novel factors required for primordial germ cell
development. Mentor:
Gerry Crossan, PhD (Medical Research Council,
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK, Cambridge). Defense Date: 21-10-2019
Pedro Guiomar, GABBA 18th Thesis: The role of RNA modifications in mitochondrial translation. Mentor: Michal
Minczuk, PhD (Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, UK, Cambridge). Defense date: 17-01-2020
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Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program
The “Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program” is an ATG initiative that consists of a 2-week summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students, enrolled in a higher education institution in Portugal. The main aim of this program is to provide students with the opportunity to have a first-hand experience in the scientific research world and to learn more about the experimental techniques routinely used in a laboratory. These projects are developed in a national research institute, under the supervision of an ATG member. During the internship the selected students are awarded a monetary prize to cover living expenses, such as transportation and accommodation costs.
In this section, we would like to share with you the testimonials of the “Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program” 3rd edition students:
Project: Explorar o autismo no laboratório usando “mini-cérebros” 3D Institution: CNC - Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Coimbra Mentor: Catarina Seabra Student: Iria Freitas “O “Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program” é uma experiência única e ter tido a oportunidade de participar em 2019 foi uma surpresa muito agradável e enriquecedora. Candidatei-me ao projeto “Explorar o autismo no laboratório usando “mini-cérebros” 3D” da Dra. Catarina Seabra, no CNC, em Coimbra. Ao seu lado tive oportunidade de contactar diariamente com diferentes técnicas laboratoriais e aplicar muitos conhecimentos previamente adquiridos na licenciatura. Passar por esta experiência, especialmente junto de uma 52
investigadora por quem tenho uma enorme admiração e que me recebeu com imenso carinho e à vontade, foi extremamente gratificante. Não só tive oportunidade de acompanhar o seu trabalho, mas também uma parte do dos restantes investigadores que pertencem ao grupo do Dr. João Peça. Agradeço a disponibilidade de todos eles, que num ambiente descontraído, mas extremamente profissional, me permitiram adquirir imensos conhecimentos na área das Neurociências. Espero que em edições futuras deste programa de estágios os participantes se sintam tão realizados quanto eu.”
Project: The role of autophagy and mitophagy in protein aggregation during ageing Institution: iBiMED - Institute of Biomedicine, Aveiro Mentor: Diogo Trigo Student: Diana Peixoto
“Participar na 3 ª edição do programa Maria de Sousa Summer Research, no Instituto de biomedicina da Universidade de Aveiro (iBimed), permitiu-me estudar ao longo de quinze dias o papel da autofagia e da mitofagia na agregação das proteínas no envelhecimento das células. Estes processos podem apresentar um papel preponderante na identificação de biomarcadores que são essenciais para um diagnóstico precoce de
doenças
neurodegenerativas,
que
têm
uma
maior
prevalência em populações envelhecidas. Neste projeto, tive a oportunidade de contactar com diversas técnicas de biologia celular e molecular, com culturas de células humanas e microscopia avançada o que me permitiu adquirir competências essenciais para o meu futuro. Esta experiência marcou-me não só pelo conhecimento científico que adquiri, mas também pela oportunidade de integrar um grupo de investigação inclusivo onde todos partilham responsabilidades, conhecimentos e esforços.”
Project: Dopamine-dependent activity in the development of obesity Institution: Fundação Champalimaud, Lisboa Mentor: Albino Oliveira Maia Student: Diogo Melo
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"No passado Verão tive a oportunidade de acompanhar o trabalho da unidade de Neuropsiquiatria da Fundação Champalimaud, no âmbito do programa Maria de Sousa Summer Research Program. Esta experiência permitiu o contacto com pessoas das mais variadas áreas de formação, o que transpareceu a grande necessidade de esforço de equipa e organização associados ao trabalho de investigação. A nível técnico pude, enquanto estudante de Engenharia Biomédica, aprofundar os meus conhecimentos na área das Neurociências e conhecer técnicas de imagem cerebral in vivo em contexto de experimentação animal, com o objetivo de estudar a influência da dopamina no comportamento alimentar. Assim, através da participação no programa conheci de perto o trabalho de profissionais extremamente dedicados à área que mais me motiva, a Saúde. Resta-me deixar um grande agradecimento aos meus mentores, os Doutores Ana Fernandes e Albino Maia, e a todas as pessoas com quem tive o prazer de aprender, por todo o esforço e atenção com vista a proporcionarem um estágio tão interessante e diversificado."
Project: Understanding apical-basal polarity in Drosophila epithelial tissue Institution: i3S- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Porto Mentor: Eurico Morais de Sá Student: Beatriz Dias
“Eu concorri ao programa “Maria de Sousa” na altura em que estava a terminar a minha licenciatura em Bioquímica. Eu tinha estado a estagiar na área da saúde e o projeto “Understanding apical-basal polarity in Drosophila epithelial tissue”, no i3S, despertou a minha curiosidade por várias razões. Em primeiro lugar, eu nunca tinha trabalhado com modelos animais, nomeadamente com a mosca da fruta, e além disso, pareceu-me uma excelente oportunidade de aprender mais acerca de técnicas de Biologia Molecular.
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Depois de ter sido selecionada, fui muito bem recebida no laboratório pelos dois orientadores e a experiência de duas semanas foi fantástica. Consegui aprender imenso acerca do modelo Drosophila e acerca da importância de genes supressores tumorais, além de muitas técnicas que me eram desconhecidas. Foi uma experiência muito enriquecedora, tanto a nível académico, como a nível pessoal. Ter a oportunidade de trabalhar num ambiente profissional, com pessoas com imenso conhecimento e talento, permitiu-me experienciar o mundo da investigação durante duas curtas semanas. O trabalho que desenvolvi realçou, para mim, a importância de um investigador nesta área da saúde e só tenho a agradecer aos orientadores Eurico Morais de Sá e Sofia Moreira por todo o conhecimento transmitido e, claro, a disponibilidade e a boa disposição, que tornaram essas duas semanas memoráveis.”
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The GABBA Community keeps growing Are you an #iamgabba? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook group to keep up with all the GABBA students and ATGs
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You reached the end of the tenth issue of the ATG member newsletter. Will you help us prepare the next issue? You can contribute with material for the existing sections or create new ones. Together, we will make this newsletter grow!
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ATG - All Time GABBA The Alumni Association of the Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology University of Porto - Portugal
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