ATG Newsletter Issue 13
December 2021
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Welcome to another edition of the ATG Newsletter Contents 3 • Message from the President of the Executive Board Eurico Morais de Sá 4 • de Sousa et al. 5 • Mental Health Mafalda Azevedo & Telmo Catarino 12 • City of Knowledge 14• Part I. Citizens Telmo Catarino 16 • Part II. Knowledge Telmo Catarino 27 • What can I be with a PhD in Biology? Pedro Resende
T
he current pandemic we are all living in has brought more people together to discuss issues of mental health than ever before. In academia and other scientific-related fields, there have been many warning signs that encourage us to take action and provide support to those who need it. In this edition, we prepared a survey to get a glimpse of the general mental health state in the ATG community and understand what are the main contributing concerns and factors. See page 5 for a summary of the results. Pedro Resende and Chaperone have once again collaborated with us and in this edition they bring us their advice and insights into applying to group leader positions (page 27). Read through the article to find some useful tips. Several people contributed with us to pay tribute to the late Professor Benedita Rocha. You can read their testimonials on page 30. On a personal note, I would like to let you know that this will be my last edition as editor-in-chief. It has been an honor to prepare these newsletters for you over the last few years, none of which would’ve been possible without the help of so many. Last but not least, on behalf of the editorial team, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this newsletter and wish you all Happy Holidays! Stay safe! Mafalda Azevedo Editor-in-Chief
30 • Tribute to Benedita Rocha 34 • ATG News
ATG Newsletter • Issue 13 • December 2021 Editors Mafalda Azevedo, Telmo Catarino Cover Mafalda Azevedo Contributors Afonso Almeida, Alexandre do Carmo, Ana Luísa Correia, Eurico Morais de Sá, Henrique Veiga-Fernandes, João Taborda Barata, Mafalda Azevedo, Nuno Alves, Pedro Resende, Telmo Catarino, and all the survey participants
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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 • www.atg.up.pt • i3S, R. Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Message from the President of the Executive Board
D
ear GABBA community and ATG newsletter readers,
what has been achieved. The ATG newsletter is a great example. There have already been 13 ATG newsletters, where students and alumni worked together to connect the GABBA network, and to disseminate a number of relevant topics linking our science with society. I must warmly thank Mafalda Azevedo, the Editor-in-chief of the last 5 editions, and also a number of GABBA students, such as Telmo Catarino, who played an important role in this edition. Furthermore, there have been 6 editions of the Ciência Viva by ATG award aimed at raising the curiosity for science in high-school students (prizes of the current edition will be announced during the GABBA meeting), and 3 editions of the Maria de Sousa Research program, which was interrupted in 2020, and will be resumed in 2022 to enable university students to have their very first research experience.
The last couple of years brought us the most unexpected challenges. The scientific community joined efforts to overcome a global health problem and came into the limelight of public recognition. However, we also had to radically reduce social life, projects were interrupted...the occasional smiles were hidden. Many have felt in their own skin the impact of the pandemic period on their mental health, which is therefore the central theme of our newsletter. Adding up to the COVID-19 pandemic, we live in a fast-paced world where it is critical to raise the awareness of mental health problems so that adequate support is timely given. The survey presented in the ATG newsletter leaves no doubts regarding the negative effects of the pandemic period and presents “(...) we live in a fast-paced worrying figures regarding lack of world where it is critical to raise motivation and anxiety. This calls the awareness of mental health for urgent action from the academic problems so that adequate community. support is timely given.” In this issue, we also make tribute to Prof. Benedita Rocha, an inspiration for many researchers and students of the GABBA program, and who we sadly lost on the 2nd of October. Prof. Benedita Rocha was an outstanding immunologist and one of the first students of Prof. Maria de Sousa. We further present the program of the tribute to Prof. Maria de Sousa “A school without walls by Maria the Sousa”. It will be happening on the auditorium of Biblioteca Almeida Garrett in the 14th of April, 2022. All GABBA community is invited and will soon receive a registration link. We hope this will be the perfect opportunity to bring together all GABBA community while living the memory of our dear mentor. Her vision and tenacity had the most profound impact in the Portuguese science, and we are an important part of her legacy. The close connection of Prof. Maria the Sousa and her students was something that made her extremely proud. Let’s now get together to acknowledge her significance to our path! While thinking about this editorial, I could not stop myself from reflecting about the past and future of ATG. On the bright side, we must feel proud of
Nevertheless, ATG has not succeeded in raising the global interest in the GABBA community. Only around 15% of the GABBA alumni are ATG members, and year after year, the association has grown on the continued collaboration of a small group of people. Whereas this puts ATG at risk, ATG is now, more than ever, the necessary seed to propagate the story and values of GABBA. Renovation is urgently needed! At the beginning of the year, I accepted the challenge to be president of ATG during a transition period necessary to identify new members for the social organs. I am positive that we will soon find a board with renewed energy that will give us reasons to believe in a bright future ahead. This will be certainly possible if new members join the association and are willing to be actively involved. We need you, so that all of us can benefit from this unique network of #MadeinGABBA researchers. I hope you have a good read, enjoy a wonderful family time during Christmas and make the best out of 2022. And please...dear alumni and students, I am sure a quality time off is more than deserved and necessary. Do not feel guilty, use it to boost your motivation levels. Cheers, Eurico Morais de Sá ¤
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de Sousa et al. Tudo o que em mim é Teorema
Há em mim um vagabundo habitante de azuis que inventa poemas. Mas tudo em mim é teorema pertence a este país de prados e verdes permanentes, roxos ocasionais e arco-iris de cinzento, e, por muito que isso entristeça minha Mãe, muito mais em mim é teorema que poema.
Maria de Sousa and Agostinho da Silva in A hora e a circunstância
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Mental Health
We asked you to help us understand the general mental health state in the ATG community and what are your biggest concerns and factors that may contribute to it
Mental Health Survey
How do you feel on a regular day? 2%
A
few weeks ago, we asked you to help us understand the general mental health state of the ATG community and identify the biggest concerns and factors that may contribute to it. Forty-three of you participated anonymously and here we present the results of the survey.
14%
14% Very anxious Anxious
19%
Somewhat anxious Somewhat calm Calm
Age
51%
Very calm Job/Occupation
5%
21% Student (PhD 23% that they feel either anxious or calm on any regular Post-doc day, whereas 2% feels very anxious and none feel - Re 2% Overall, this shows that in a regularIndustry very calm. day, Industry 67% of the participants experience some level of - He Have 14% you ever consider seeking Consultancy anxiety. 28%
26–35 36–45
49%
46-55
46%
56-65 65+
professional help to deal with anxiety orOther When asked about the mood that best depression? 12%
Nearly half or the participants was 26 to 35 years of age or 36 to 45 years of age. Of all, 28% were post-docs, 26% worked in industry, and 21% PhD students. Otheryou jobs/occupations How would describe your included relationship group leader/PI positions (7%), academic jobs with your boss/supervisor? (5%), and technical/support jobs (5%), among others. 2% Job/Occupation 2% 7% Conflicted
Job/Occupation
30%21%
23%
21%
23%
2%
Student (PhD)
24% Post-doc
describes them when going to work, nearly half (49%) of the participants said they feel motivated and approximately aNothird (30%) said they feel anxious. Other moods Occasionally identified by the 21% participants included not motivated (26%), excited 37% Frequently 2% (16%), and 2% said they do not feel motivated
Have you ever Ifelt harassed in your have/had help dealing with it workplace? 40%of the following best describes your Which mood when going to work? Which of the following best describes your 16% mood when going30% to work? Anxious
Bad OK
Good Student (PhD) Industry - Researcher
Yes
Friendly Post-doc Industry - Healthcare
14% 2%
28% 35%
14%12% 12%
28%
Motivated Not motivated
Industry - No Researcher Consultancy relationship Consultancy
Other Excited
Other
Have you ever felt harassed in your workplace?
84% 16%
Excited Motivated
Industry - Healthcare Other
On you any ever regular participants said they Have feltday, harassed in your feel somewhat anxious (51%) or somewhat calm workplace? (19%). An equal number (14%) of participants said
26% 30%
Not motivated Anxious
2%
26%
No
49%
16%
Other 2% in their work environment, but still feel excited about science. Considering all the groups, most (65%) participants experience positive feelings Doestoyour towards going work.workplace provide
49%
opportunities to focus on your mental Does your provide health (eg, takeworkplace personal days)? opportunities to focus on your mental5 health (eg, take personal days)?
ATG How Newsletter 13 • December 2021 important is it for you
off?
to take time
2% 7% from home? Do you work
Not important Neutral
How important is it for you33% to take time Important off? 58% Very important 2%
44%
Yes No
7% 56%
Not important Neutral
33%
58%
Who would you go to to vent about issues at work? 0% 2% 5% more difficult to be motivated on those If“It’s yes, has working from home affected the days when you are tired or having a challenging Friends youprovides work? meFamily task at hand.21% Workway now less 42% relationships. Co-worker opportunities to build meaningful Who you go togo to for vent about issues Manager On thewould other hand I can walks at lunch time Therapist at work? and have more flexibility on when I leave and the Other hours I work.” 0% 2% 5% 30% 37% Yes “I am not as productive as in the office.” No Friends 63% Family Co-worker Manager Therapist “I became a lot more focused and Otherefficient,
“I work more.” 21% 42% “No commute!”
Important Very important
If yes, has working from home affected the way you work?
which is something I was not expecting. I also 30% How do you feel the pandemic has realized that I need face-to-face contact (even affected your health? if virtual) in order to fulfill mymental professional social needs.” 0% 0%
37%
Yes
If yes, has working from home affected the No way you work? 63%
“Work became more 7% important in my life.”
“I feel more productive when working from home. However, I do fewer breaks throughout the day and find it more difficult to switch off at the end of the day.” “I miss the social interaction and my capacity to focus and be productive.” 6
Negatively
How do you feel the pandemic hasNo effect Positively affected your mental health? 63%
0% 7%
The pandemic has brought many changes into Yes changes was all of 37% our lives. One of the biggest the normalization of remote work. Of all, 44% of No the participants said that they work remotely and 63% 56% said they do not. Of those who answered yes to the previous question (n=19), when asked if working from home has affected the way they work, 63% said that it has. The reasons are varied and include positive aspects (increased efficiency/ productivity, no commute, more freedom) and negative aspects (low productivity, hard to disconnect) of remote working. See some of the answers given by the participants below.
Very negatively
“More30% effective”
0%
Very positively
Very negatively
30%
Negatively No effect Positively
63%
Very positively
Most participants said that the pandemic has affected their mental health; 63% and 7% said that in a negative or very negative way, respectively. Some (30%) said that the pandemic had no effect in their mental health. It is important to note that no participant said that the pandemic had a positive impact in their mental health (although one participant mentioned a positive work-related aspect in the open question that followed). Some of the reasons for the negative impacts the pandemic has had in participants’ mental health include uncertainty about the future, anxiety, worsening of adviser-student relationship, remote
26%
Not motivated Industry - Researcher
% 14%
28% 12%
49%
Motivated
Industry - Healthcare
Mental Health
Consultancy
16%
Excited
Other
2% “The lack of social interaction has had a negative toll on me.” Other
working, reduced social interactions, and trouble separating personal from work life. See some of the answers below. “Constant uncertainty of what will happen Have harassed in your brings a you newever layerfelt of stress to life. This together with the inability to socialise freely.” workplace? “During the lockdown, I felt anxious for not being able to do the things I like the most - travelling, going 16% to concerts, seeing family/ friends.“ Yes
Does your workplace provide opportunities to focus on your mental health (eg, take personal days)?
Yes
40%
No “I feel more anxious when in contact with other people.”
“My84% adviser-student worse.”
relationship
60%
got
“I have trouble separating personal life from work life.” “The pandemic reduced my social contact. As an expat, my friends are the strongest support group I have.”
Does your workplace encourage taking time off?
“I’m currently not working from home but have been working partially since the pandemic started. It did not impact me in the beginning but actually when I got back I noticed that my mood improved a lot.”
“I hate to work from home.”
“I like to see people...”
No
“Since I live abroad, the pandemic makes Does your workplace takingI’ll be able it very hard for me toencourage anticipate when to reunite withtime family and friends the next time. I off? have had a few major personal events that I was unable to share with those I care about the most and that affected and still affects me on occasion. Work wise and on a positive note, the pandemic allowed me to start working remotely Yes on a job I was very interested in and that I wouldn’t have 47% No been able to start due to distance from the office.” 53% “It’s more difficult to socialize and do things other than work.” “The times at home with the pressure to work and parenting were difficult. Apart from that it did not affect my mental health.”
Yes
47%
No
53%
How important is it for you to take time off? 2%
Do you work from home? 7% Not important Neutral
58% 56%
33%
Important
44%
Yes Very important No
7
12%
Have you ever felt harassed in your workplace? How important is it for you to take time 16% off? 2%
Yes
(35%), friendly (30%), or OK (24%). However, Does your workplace provide 11% said they consider this relationship to be opportunities toon focus on your mental conflicted (7%), badfeel (1%), ora regular even non existent How do you day? health (eg,issues take personal (2%). When facing at work, days)? almost all 2%
Who would you go to to vent about issues 14% at14% work? 2% 5% 40%
No
19%
7%
30% 23%
7%
2% 63%
14%
Bad
19%
14% 35%
OK Good
Friendly Very anxious No relationship Anxious Somewhat anxious Somewhat calm Calm
To the question “Have you ever felt harassed Very calm 51% in your workplace?”, most participants responded no (84%), but it is worth noting that 16% or 7 participants said yes. Participants described their relationship with their boss/supervisor as good 8
Industry - Researcher
Have you ever consider seeking Industry - Healthcare 14% professional help to deal with anxiety or Consultancy 28% depression? Other 12%
How do you feel the pandemic has No affected your mental health? 21%
0%
Occasionally
0%
37%
Frequently
7%
Very negatively I have/had help dealing
in your with it 30% Have you ever felt harassed Negatively 40% workplace? No effect
Positively Conflicted
24%
Student (PhD)
2%
No
How do you feel on a regular day? 30% 2%
21%
Post-doc
2%
2%
Somewhat Friends calm Calm Family 42% VeryCo-worker calm 51% Manager Job/Occupation Therapist Other
Important
How would you describe your relationship 37% Yes with your boss/supervisor?
Yes Very anxious No Anxious
Somewhat anxious
21%
Neutral
58% Our workplaces and employers Very important play an 5% important role in promoting and encouraging healthy mental habits. The workplaces of most 26–35 participants provide opportunity to focus on 36–45 one’s mental health (60%), 49%for example, by taking personal days, and encouraging46-55 vacation time (53%). However, that was not the case for 40% 46% 56-65 and 47% of the participants in regards to personal 65+ days and time off, respectively. Of all participants, 91% considers time off to be either very important If yes, hasorworking from home affected the time (58%) important (33%); only 9% consider waylab/office you work? away from the to be not important (2%) or feel neutral about it (7%).
0% 60%
Not important
Age 33%
2%
Other
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
84%
16%
Excited
Other
Very positively
63%
What are your main16% professional concerns?
Yes No
58%
Imposter syndrome Uncertainty about the future Work-life balance
67%
84%
56% 37%
Job security Manager expectations Lack of recognition Other
12% 9% 7%
Mental Health
participants rely on friends (42%), family (30%), or co-workers (21%) for venting and support. Only 2% reaches out to their manager for support and none relies on a therapist. When asked if they ever considered seeking professional help to deal with anxiety/depression, most participants said they occasionally considered it (40%) or never considered it (37%). About a fifth of the participants is either currently having or had at some point sought professional help. Only 2% said they frequently consider looking for help. In regards to professional concerns, most participants identified uncertainty about the future, imposter syndrome, and work-life balance as their major concerns. Other concerns included job security (37%), manager expectations (12 %), What are your(9%) main professional lack of recognition and other (7%; pressure
concerns? Are you satisfied with your experience in Imposter syndrome 58% research?
67%
Uncertainty about the future
56%
Work-life balance
37%
Job security
42% Manager expectations
12% 9%
Lack of recognition Other
7%
Yes
58%
When would you say was the most stressful time in your work life? 0% 2% BSc
12%
MSc
7%
PhD
23%
Post-doc
56%
PI Other
No
to deliver, not being able to find a job in Portugal, and not understanding how they can grown within their company). When asked if they feel satisfied with their experience in research, most participants said that they do (58%); however, a high percentage of participants (42%) said that they not feel satisfied with it. Notably, most participants identified their PhD and Post-doc as the most stressful times of the work lives (56% and 23%, respectively). Other times included being a PI (7%) and doing a MSc (2%) and other (12%, which included mostly working in industry). Overall we see that among the participants of this survey, 67% feel some level of anxiety on a Are you satisfied with experience in daily basis although 58% areyour generally satisfied with their research experiences. research? This may seem contradictory but it actually is in line with the results of a 2009 nature survey for PhD students in the UK1. Based on our survey, the fact that most of the participants feel anxious even though they feel motivated or even excited to go to work 42%are happy with their experience (65% in total) and Yes No in research, may be explained at some level by professional concerns, namely 58% uncertainty about the future, work-life balance and job security. Less prevalent but also important to note is the impact that harassment and an overall less than ideal relationship with the supervisor may contribute to the deterioration of the mental state of PhD students and Post-docs in particular (periods identified as the most stressful here). This is also consistent with the data from the same 2009 Nature survey1. Mental health has undoubtedly been a rising concern, particularly in the academic community, but it seems there is still a long way to go for it to be addressed properly and for adequate support to be provided at an institutional level. Importantly, 42% of the participants have considered getting professional help to deal with anxiety, and about one fifth of the participants had at some point had professional help. We did not address that topic further on this survey but it would also be interesting to know whether that help has been provided by the institutions. The 9
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
increased deterioration of the mental health of graduate students, for which the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed as well, has also been directly affecting supervisors, who may feel their responsibilities increased (particularly during pandemic times) and ask for more support to address the mental health and well-being of their PhD students, according to a 2021 Nature survey2. On a brighter note, we asked the participants of our survey what they do to care for their wellbeing and what types of activities bring them joy. Most of the answers were related to exercise, meditation and creative activities. We compiled all the answers in a word cloud that we hope may bring interesting suggestions for anyone who might need them and where you are welcome to incorporate the things that you do to promote your own well being. ¤
References 1. The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention. Nature 575, 257-258 (2019). Published November 13, 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03489-1. 2. Sleeplessness and anxiety: PhD supervisors on toll of COVID pandemic. Nature News. Published 11 November 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03374-w.
It would be great to count on you for the next ATG Newsletter We know your time is short, but we are sure you can spare some of it to help us. Email atg.enewsletter@gmail.com to send any comments you might have, to suggest a topic for the next newsletter, if you want to be interviewed or to actively participate in creating the newsletter. All help is welcome and appreciated!
Follow us on Twitter @alumnigabba to see all the news, announcements and newsletters
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Mental Health
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12
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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ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Part I. Citizens Telmo Catarino
Name: Ana Luísa Correia GABBA Edition: 11th Edition
Favorite Sunday activity: Going to the park with my husband and son, and picking a nice brunch Dream vacation: New Zealand Favorite non-Portuguese cuisine: Thai Food Hobbies: Hiking, drawing and baking TV show that you binge watched recently: The Blacklist How do you commute: walk/subway/train/walk again Pipet tip box usage method (in order, the ones in same area or random): Pretty much random Friday night drink: Mojito Karaoke song: Moves Like Jagger (by Maroon 5)
In what way did the GABBA program affect your career? GABBA gave me the chance to do my PhD in the topic I wanted, and anywhere in the world – what a golden opportunity! I chose to go to Berkeley, California, to the lab of Mina Bissell, a pioneer in the field of Cancer Microenvironment. Anything felt possible at Berkeley, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many curious, driven and enthusiastic individuals. Being immersed in that atmosphere really pushed me forward, and it certainly shaped the scientist I am today to a large degree.
What was the topic of your PhD thesis and how do you think it defined your next steps? My PhD thesis focused on how the microenvironment controls the invasion of new cells into the developing breast. Even though this is a natural developmental process, it is relevant for cancer research because it can be hijacked by tumor cells to invade locally or spread to distant organs and initiate life-threatening metastases. The notion that the microenvironment can be dominant over a malignant genotype has led me to approach the problem of metastasis from a different angle – one which could help stop cancer cells that have spread by forcing their microenvironment to constrain their growth. Life motto: Never stop exploring
In recent years you have moved to Berkeley and then to Switzerland. From all the places you lived in so far, which one is your favorite and why? Berkeley is definitely my favorite. It has a very unique character: artistic, liberal and very focused on sustainable and healthy lifestyles. There was always a new coffee place or restaurant to try out, a free concert or a manifestation in the park. And everything only a short distance away, which allowed me to enjoy riding my bike everywhere during the 365 days of sunshine and 20C per year. How can you beat that?! 14
Part I. Citizens
As a PhD student and a postdoc in two very different countries what were the main challenges you faced? The most immediate challenge one has upon landing on a different country is to adjust to its culture. I remember my initial shock with the very fast-paced life in the US; people were always on the go, and often had not enough time for a formal, sit-down meal. The Swiss experience was completely different, sometimes even too calm, but always obsessed for having everything neat, on time and by the book. I also struggled a lot with the language... I usually say that life is too short to learn Swiss German! What were your main self care activities during those times? I really enjoy going for a walk to free up my mind and explore new places. Now that your postdoc work is finished, what are your future plans? I just joined the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon to lead my own research group on Cancer Dormancy & Immunity. ¤
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ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Part II. Knowledge Telmo Catarino
W
e 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 senior author) that we will highlight here. Oncobiology
Ana Luísa Correia recently published the work of her post-doc at Mohamed Bentires-Alj’s lab. In this newsletter, the 11th edition alumna told us about this project from the beginning. “I wanted to understand how breast cancer spreads to other organs. What really puzzled me was that while some patients develop metastatic disease soon after the primary tumor is found, others can go years or even decades before being diagnosed with metastasis. Many years of research have shown that at the root of this phenomenon are cancer cells that break away from the primary tumor and disseminate to other organs, where they remain dormant until they find themselves in growthsupporting conditions. Why these cells become dormant and what causes them to wake up are one of the most fundamental unsolved problems in cancer research.” In this work, she and her colleagues developed a molecular tool to follow dormant cancer cells in mice, with which she found that the liver was the tissue where they accumulated at the highest number. “This location was not surprising since the liver is one of the main sites of breast cancer metastasis. And because the liver is an essential organ, which is very difficult to treat, liver metastasis is a leading cause of death among breast cancer patients.” She found these dormant cancer cells are kept at bay by natural killer cells, showing that mice with enough natural killer cells in the liver would control the disease by inducing cancer cell dormancy. “But we know that the number of these cells can change, and the environment in each organ plays a critical role in this control.” In fact, they showed natural killer cell proliferation can be restricted by hepatic stellate cells, effectively limiting their number in the tissue. 16
Part II. Knowledge
Furthermore, when they treated mice with IL-15, the pool of natural killer cells was expanded, metastatic burden was reduced, and liver metastasis were prevented, also extending mice survival, although not eliminating the dormant tumor cell reservoir. “This provides a proof of concept, showing that therapies aimed at normalizing the natural killer cell numbers might prevent metastatic disease.” Results from this study are already being integrated into a first clinical study at the University Hospital Basel. Correia AL, Guimaraes JC, Auf der Maur P, ... Bentires-Alj M (2021). Hepatic stellate cells suppress NK cell-sustained breast cancer dormancy. Nature, 594(7864), 566–571. Voabil P, de Bruijn M, Roelofsen LM, ... Thommen DS (2021). An ex vivo tumor fragment platform to dissect response to PD-1 blockade in cancer. Nature Medicine, 27(7), 1250–1261. Silva A, Almeida ARM, Cachucho A, ... Barata JT (2021). Overexpression of wild-type IL-7Rα promotes T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. Blood, 138(12), 1040–1052.
Cancer Research: CR, 40(1), 268. Lobo J, Constâncio V, Guimarães-Teixeira C, ... Jerónimo C (2021). Promoter methylation of DNA homologous recombination genes is predictive of the responsiveness to PARP inhibitor treatment in testicular germ cell tumors. Molecular Oncology, 15(4), 846–865. Macedo-Silva C, Miranda-Gonçalves V, Lameirinhas A, ... Jerónimo C (2020). JmjC-KDMs KDM3A and KDM6B modulate radioresistance under hypoxic conditions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cell Death & Disease, 11(12), 1068.
Perera Y, Melao A, Ramon AC, ... Perea SE, & Barata JT (2020). Clinical-Grade Peptide-Based Inhibition of CK2 Blocks Viability and Proliferation of T-ALL Cells and Counteracts IL-7 Stimulation and Stromal Support. Cancers, 12(6).
Pereira C, Park J-H, Campelos S, ... Oliveira, C. (2021). Comparison of East-Asia and West-Europe cohorts explains disparities in survival outcomes and highlights predictive biomarkers of early gastric cancer aggressiveness. International Journal of Cancer.
Salta S, Maia-Moço L, Estevão-Pereira H, ... Jerónimo C (2021). Performance of DNA methylation-based biomarkers in the cervical cancer screening program of northern Portugal: A feasibility study. International Journal of Cancer, 149(11), 1916–1925.
Almeida GM, Pereira C, Park J-H, ... Oliveira, C. (2021). CD44v6 High Membranous Expression Is a Predictive Marker of Therapy Response in Gastric Cancer Patients. Biomedicines, 9(9).
Miranda-Gonçalves V, Lobo J, GuimarãesTeixeira C, ... Jerónimo C (2021). The component of the m(6)A writer complex VIRMA is implicated in aggressive tumor phenotype, DNA damage response and cisplatin resistance in germ cell tumors. Journal of Experimental & Clinical
Barbosa-Matos R, Leal Silva R, Garrido L, ... Oliveira C (2021). The CDH1 c.1901C>T Variant: A Founder Variant in the Portuguese Population with Severe Impact in mRNA Splicing. Cancers, 13(17).
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ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Rocha S, Basto AP, Ijsselsteijn ME, ... Oliveira C (2021). Immunophenotype of Gastric Tumors Unveils a Pleiotropic Role of Regulatory T Cells in Tumor Development. Cancers, 13(3).
Paço A, Leitão-Castro J, & Freitas R (2021). Epigenetic Regulation of CDH1 Is Altered after HOXB7-Silencing in MDAMB-468 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Genes, 12(10).
De Marchi P, Berardinelli GN, Cavagna R de O, ... Reis, R. M. (2021). Microsatellite Instability Is Rare in the Admixed Brazilian Population of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Cohort of 526 Cases. Pathobiology: Journal of Immunopathology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, 1–6.
de Bessa Garcia SA, Araújo M, Pereira T, & Freitas R (2021). HOXB7 Overexpression Leads Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells to a Less Aggressive Phenotype. Biomedicines, 9(5).
Rosa MN, E Silva LRV, Longato GB, ... Reis RM (2021). Bioprospecting of Natural Compounds from Brazilian Cerrado Biome Plants in Human Cervical Cancer Cell Lines. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(7). Novaes LAC, Sussuchi da Silva L, De Marchi P, ... Reis RM (2021). Simultaneous analysis of ALK, RET, and ROS1 gene fusions by NanoString in Brazilian lung adenocarcinoma patients. Translational Lung Cancer Research, 10(1), 292–303. Gomes I, Moreno DA, Dos Reis MB, ... Reis RM (2021). Low MGMT digital expression is associated with a better outcome of IDH1 wildtype glioblastomas treated with temozolomide. Journal of NeuroOncology, 151(2), 135–144.
Paço A, Aparecida de Bessa Garcia S, Leitão Castro J, Costa-Pinto AR, & Freitas R (2020). Roles of the HOX Proteins in Cancer Invasion and Metastasis. Cancers, 13(1). Cruz A, Carvalho CM, Cunha A, ... Cubiella J (2021). Faecal Diagnostic Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer. Cancers, 13(21). Sousa F, Costa-Pereira AI, Cruz A, ... Mendes Pinto I (2021). Intratumoral VEGF nanotrapper reduces gliobastoma vascularization and tumor cell mass. Journal of Controlled Release: Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society, 339, 381–390. Maia J, Otake AH, Poças J, ... Costa-Silva B (2020). Transcriptome Reprogramming of CD11b(+) Bone Marrow Cells by Pancreatic Cancer Extracellular Vesicles. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, 592518.
Immunology Henrique Veiga-Fernandes is from the 1st GABBA edition and he is a group leader at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon. He and his team recently identified a neuro-mesenchymal unit that translates cues from long-range neuronal circuitry and controls group 2 innate lymphoid cells, adipose tissue physiology, metabolism and obesity.
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Part II. Knowledge
Cardoso F, Klein Wolterink RGJ, Godinho-Silva C, ... Veiga-Fernandes H (2021). Neuromesenchymal units control ILC2 and obesity via a brain-adipose circuit. Nature, 597(7876), 410–414.
Lagnado A, Leslie J, Ruchaud-Sparagano M-H, ... Passos JF (2021). Neutrophils induce paracrine telomere dysfunction and senescence in ROS-dependent manner. The EMBO Journal, 40(9), e106048.
Ferreira C, Barros L, Baptista M, ... Veldhoen M (2020). Type 1 Treg cells promote the generation of CD8(+) tissue-resident memory T cells. Nature Immunology, 21(7), 766c776.
Rosa FF, Pires CF, Zimmermannova O, & Pereira C-F (2020). Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts to Conventional Type 1 Dendritic Cells by Enforced Expression of Transcription Factors. Bio-Protocol, 10(10), e3619.
Vanderkerken M, Baptista AP, De Giovanni M, ... Lambrecht BN (2021). ILC3s control splenic cDC homeostasis via lymphotoxin signaling. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218(5).
Zeng J, Santos AF, Mukadam AS, Osswald M, ... Morais-de-Sa E, Clift D, & James LC (2021). Target-induced clustering activates Trim-Away of pathogens and proteins. Nat Struct Mol Biol 28, 278–289.
Soares-da-Silva F, Freyer L, Elsaid R, ... Cumano A (2021). Yolk sac, but not hematopoietic stem cell-derived progenitors, sustain erythropoiesis throughout murine embryonic life. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218(4). Cell Biology Pedro Carvalho is a 3rd edition alumni and a group leader at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University. In a recently published paper, through structural, biochemical and molecular dynamics simulation approaches, he and his team showed the mechanism of lipid droplet formation by the yeast Speipin Sei1 and its partner Ldb16, requiring sequential triacylglycerol-concentrating steps via distinct elements in the ER membrane and lumen.
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ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Klug YA, Deme JC, Corey RA, ... Lea SM, & Carvalho P (2021). Mechanism of lipid droplet formation by the yeast Sei1/Ldb16 Seipin complex. Nature Communications, 12(1), 5892. Chang YW, Overeem AW, Roelse CM, Fan X, Freund C, & Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM (2021). Tissue of Origin, but Not XCI State, Influences Germ Cell Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cells, 10(9). Overeem AW, Chang YW, SpruitJ, Roelse CM, & Chuva De Sousa Lopes SM (2021). Ligand-Receptor Interactions Elucidate Sex-Specific Pathways in the Trajectory From Primordial Germ Cells to Gonia During Human Development. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9, 661243. Mishra S, Taelman J, Chang YW, ... Heindryckx B, & Chuva De Sousa Lopes SM (2021). Sex-Specific Isolation and Propagation of Human Premeiotic Fetal Germ Cells and Germ Cell-Like Cells. Cells, 10(5). Bates LE, Alves MRP, & Silva JCR (2021). Auxindegron system identifies immediate mechanisms of OCT4. Stem Cell Reports, 16(7), 1818–1831.
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Tremble KC, Stirparo GG, Bates LE, ... Silva JCR (2021). Sox2 modulation increases naïve pluripotency plasticity. IScience, 24(3), 102153. Sobral AF, Chan F-Y, Norman MJ, ... Carvalho AX (2021). Plastin and spectrin cooperate to stabilize the actomyosin cortex during cytokinesis. Current Biology: CB. Ferreira JV, & Carvalho P (2021). Pex30-like proteins function as adaptors at distinct ER membrane contact sites. The Journal of Cell Biology, 220(10). Capitão AMF, Lopes-Marques M, Páscoa I, ... Castro LFC (2021). An ancestral nuclear receptor couple, PPAR-RXR, is exploited by organotins. The Science of the Total Environment, 797, 149044. Silva TP, Pereira CA, Oliveira AR, ... da Rocha ST (2021). Generation and characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells from a family carrying the BRCA1 mutation c.3612delA. Stem Cell Research, 52, 102242. Tavares L, Grácio P, Ramos R, Traquete R, Relvas JB, & Pereira PS (2021). The Pebble/Rho1/Anillin pathway controls polyploidization and axonal wrapping activity in the glial cells of the Drosophila eye. Developmental Biology, 473, 90–96.
Part II. Knowledge
Health and Environment Sciences
Luis Filipe Castro is from the GABBA 3rd edition and he is currently a group leader at CIIMAR. He and his teams showed that toothed whales displayed impaired sperm glycolysis due to gene and exon erosion, and that in dolphin spermatozoa fatty acid β-oxidation, but not carbohydrates, is required for motility. These observations of unique energetic rewiring supports the radical physiological reorganization caused by the transition to a marine environment poor in carbohydrates. Alves LQ, Ruivo R, Valente R, ... Castro LFC (2021). A drastic shift in the energetic landscape of toothed whale sperm cells. Current Biology: CB, 31(16), 3648-3655. e9. Almeida-Santos A, Martins-Mendes D, GayàVidal M, Pérez-Pardal L, & Beja-Pereira A (2021). Characterization of the Oral Microbiome of Medicated Type-2 Diabetes Patients. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, 610370. Borges DO, Patarrão RS, Ribeiro RT, ... Macedo MP (2021). Loss of postprandial insulin clearance control by Insulin-degrading enzyme drives dysmetabolism traits. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 118, 154735. Cunha C, Leite Pereira C, Ferreira JR, ... Santos SG, & Gonçalves RM (2021). Therapeutic Strategies for IVD Regeneration through Hyaluronan/SDF-1-Based Hydrogel and Intravenous Administration of MSCs. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(17).
de Bruijn R, Wright-Lichter JX, Khoshaba E, Holloway F, & Lopes PC (2020). Baseline corticosterone is associated with parental care in virgin Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Hormones and Behavior, 124, 104781. Bollen Pinto B, Ribas Ripoll V, Subías-Beltrán P, ... Consortium OBOTS (2021). Application of an Exploratory Knowledge-Discovery Pipeline Based on Machine Learning to Multi-Scale OMICS Data to Characterise Myocardial Injury in a Cohort of Patients with Septic Shock: An Observational Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(19). Bancessi A, Catarino L, José Silva M, Ferreira A, Duarte E, & Nazareth T (2020). Quality Assessment of Three Types of Drinking Water Sources in Guinea-Bissau. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19). Pereira A T, Schneider KH, Henriques PC, ... Gonçalves IC (2021). Graphene Oxide Coating Improves the Mechanical and Biological Properties of Decellularized 21
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Umbilical Cord Arteries. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13(28), 32662– 32672.
Differences and Transient Engraftment. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9, 624601.
Pereira AT, Henriques PC, Schneider KH, ... Gonçalves IC (2021). Graphene-based materials: the key for the successful application of pHEMA as a bloodcontacting device. Biomaterials Science, 9(9), 3362–3377.
Garcez M, Branco-Santos J, Gracio PC, & Homem CCF (2020). Mitochondrial Dynamics in the Drosophila Ovary Regulates Germ Stem Cell Number, Cell Fate, and Female Fertility. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, 596819. Alves LQ, Ruivo R, Valente R, ... Castro LFC l Garcez M, Branco-Santos J, Gracio PC, & Homem CCF (2020). Mitochondrial Dynamics in the Drosophila Ovary Regulates Germ Stem Cell Number, Cell Fate, and Female Fertility. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8, 596819.
Laundos TL, Vasques-Nóvoa F, Gomes RN, ... Nascimento DS (2021). Consistent Long-Term Therapeutic Efficacy of Human Umbilical Cord Matrix-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells After Myocardial Infarction Despite Individual
Genetics and Gene Expression
Pedro Beltrão from GABBA 6th and his team recently published a high-throughput functional characterization of protein phosphorylation sites, using 474 yeast strains with specific phosphosites mutated that were screened for fitness in 102 conditions. In the case of phosphosites conserved in humans, the severity of the phenotypes seen in yeast is indicative of their human functional relevance. This approach allows functional characterization of individual phosphosites at highthroughput scale. Pedro is currently a group leader at EMBL-EBI and is joining ETH Zurich in 2022.
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Part II. Knowledge
Viéitez C, Busby BP, Ochoa D, ... Beltrao P (2021). High-throughput functional characterization of protein phosphorylation sites in yeast. Nature Biotechnology. Memon D, Gill MB, Papachristou EK, ... Miller ML, & Beltrao P (2021). Copy number aberrations drive kinase rewiring, leading to genetic vulnerabilities in cancer. Cell Reports, 35(7), 109155. Bradley D, Viéitez C, Rajeeve V, Selkrig J, Cutillas PR, & Beltrao P (2021). Sequence and Structure-Based Analysis of Specificity Determinants in Eukaryotic Protein Kinases. Cell Reports, 34(2), 108602. Fan X, Moustakas I, Torrens-Juaneda V, ... Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM (2021). Transcriptional progression during meiotic prophase I reveals sex-specific features and X chromosome dynamics in human fetal female germline. PLoS Genetics, 17(9), e1009773. Castro J, Beviano V, Paço A, ... Francisco M, & Freitas R (2021). Hoxd13/Bmp2-mediated mechanism involved in zebrafish finfold design. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 7165. Effa K, Rosenbom S, Han J, Dessie T, & BejaPereira A (2021). Genetic Diversities and Historical Dynamics of Native Ethiopian Horse Populations (Equus caballus) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms. Genes, 12(2). Huylmans AK, Macon A, Hontoria F, & Vicoso B (2021). Transitions to asexuality and evolution of gene expression in Artemia brine shrimp. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, 288(1959), 20211720.
Molecular Biology and Evolution. Hernandez F, Conner BR, Richardson ME, ... Pesaran T, & Karam R (2021). Classification of the canonical splice alteration MUTYH c.934-2A>G is likely benign based on RNA and clinical data. Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies. Siva-Jothy JA, & Vale PF (2021). Dissecting genetic and sex-specific sources of host heterogeneity in pathogen shedding and spread. PLoS Pathogens, 17(1), e1009196. Costa
G, Bradbury JJ, Tarannum N, & Herbert SP (2020). RAB13 mRNA compartmentalisation spatially orients tissue morphogenesis. The EMBO Journal, 39(21), e106003.
Ferreira FJ, Carvalho L, Logarinho E, & Bessa J (2021). foxm1 Modulates Cell NonAutonomous Response in Zebrafish Skeletal Muscle Homeostasis. Cells, 10(5). Páleníková P, Harbour ME, Ding S, ... RebeloGuiomar P (2021). Quantitative density gradient analysis by mass spectrometry (qDGMS) and complexome profiling analysis (ComPrAn) R package for the study of macromolecular complexes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Bioenergetics, 1862(6), 148399. Wilton J, Tellier M, Nojima T, Costa AM, Oliveira MJ, & Moreira A (2021). Simultaneous studies of gene expression and alternative polyadenylation in primary human immune cells. Methods in Enzymology, 655, 349–399.
Elkrewi M, Moldovan MA, Picard MAL, & Vicoso B (2021). Schistosome W-linked genes inform temporal dynamics of sex chromosome evolution and suggest candidate for sex determination. 23
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
Neurosciences
André Sousa from the 11th GABBA edition is a research associate at Yale School of Medicine. He and his colleagues observed an anterior to posterior prefrontal cortex-enriched gradient of retinoic acid. Through genetic deletions of its receptors or catabolizing enzyme in mice, they report that retinoic acid signaling is important for proper molecular patterning of prefrontal and motor areas, development of posterior prefrontal cortex-mediodorsal thalamus connectivity and intra-posterior prefrontal cortex dendritic spinogenesis. Shibata M, Pattabiraman K, Lorente-Galdos B, ... Sousa AMM & Sestan N (2021). Regulation of prefrontal patterning and connectivity by retinoic acid. Nature, 598(7881), 483–488. Nelson A, Abdelmesih B, & Costa RM (2021). Corticospinal populations broadcast complex motor signals to coordinated spinal and striatal circuits. Nature Neuroscience, 24(12), 1721–1732. Botta P, Fushiki A, Vicente AM, ... Costa RM (2020). An Amygdala Circuit Mediates Experience-Dependent Momentary Arrests during Exploration. Cell, 183(3), 605-619.e22. Dias JM, Alekseenko Z, Jeggari A, ... Ericson J (2020). A Shh/Gli-driven three-node timer motif controls temporal identity and fate of neural stem cells. Science Advances, 6(38). 24
Ribeiro G, Camacho M, Fernandes AB, Cotovio G, Torres S, & Oliveira-Maia AJ (2021). Reward-related gustatory and psychometric predictors of weight loss following bariatric surgery: a multicenter cohort study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 113(3), 751–761. Cunha C, Smiley JF, Chuhma N, ... Teixeira CM (2021). Perinatal interference with the serotonergic system affects VTA function in the adult via glutamate co-transmission. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(9), 4795–4812. Manoel D, Makhlouf M, Arayata CJ, ... Saraiva LR (2021). Deconstructing the mouse olfactory percept through an ethological atlas. Current Biology: CB, 31(13), 28092818.e3. Todorov G, Mayilvahanan K, Cain C, & Cunha C (2020). Context- and Subgroup-Specific Language Changes in Individuals Who Develop PTSD After Trauma. Frontiers in
Part II. Knowledge
Psychology, 11, 989. Fontinha BM, Zekoll T, Al-Rawi M, ... TessmarRaible K (2021). TMT-Opsins differentially modulate medaka brain function in a context-dependent manner. PLoS Biology, 19(1), e3001012. Valente S, Marques T, & Lima SQ (2021). No evidence for prolactin’s involvement in the post-ejaculatory refractory period. Communications Biology, 4(1), 10.
Melo PN, Souza da Silveira M, Mendes Pinto I, & Relvas JB (2021). Morphofunctional programming of microglia requires distinct roles of type II myosins. Glia, 69(11), 2717–2738. Ferreira-Pinto MJ, Kanodia H, Falasconi A, Sigrist M, Esposito MS, & Arber S (2021). Functional diversity for body actions in the mesencephalic locomotor region. Cell, 184(17), 4564-4578.e18.
Would you like to showcase your scientific work or artistic skills in the next ATG newsletter? Email your submissions to atg.enewsletter@gmail.com along with a legend. You can submit as many images as you want. We accept all sorts of science-related images (not just microscopy). One of the submissions will be selected to be the cover of the next issue of this newsletter.
Be creative!
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ATG (All Time GABBAs) is a non-profit organization gathering previous and current students of GABBA, as well as professors involved with the program and all who had or have a relationship with GABBA. ATG was created to develop a community spirit expressed in the sentence “once a GABBA always a GABBA”, where responsibilities should be shared and an active team effort should be in action to foster the program growth and ultimately benefit all members.
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What can I be with a PhD in Biology? In collaboration with Chaperone
Pedro Resende, GABBA 11th, Co-Founder and Director at Chaperone
Applying for group leader positions: tips to consider
S
tatistics are clear, becoming a group leader is a hyper competitive career path to follow. Thus, to start applying for group leader positions without a plan is not a good judgment. In this article, I would like to share with you some key tips for those considering embarking on this challenge. I gathered dozens of tips in conversations I had with group leaders while preparing to write this article. I selected a few that, in my biased view, I perceived as very important, while not being the most obvious ones. Divided in three chronological stages, by any means this is supposed to be seen as a complete roadmap for success in this endeavour. For that purpose, more space would be needed, and most certainly a personalized plan rather than general (one size fits all) tips. However, I do hope it helps some of you who are considering applying for group leader positions to avoid certain mistakes, and that it quenches the curiosity of those who are not considering this journey but are interested in this topic. Before pressing send - first things first ¬ Get professional help from career consultants to design your application and prepare/coach you for interviews In academia, many of us have a very dangerous belief that to get help from other professionals to advance our career is like cheating. Don’t let this stigma harm your progress. Most of the most young researchers who succeeded in making this competitive transition, took advantage of career development services to help them in writing their applications, designing their scientific presentation, and coaching for interviews, etc.
¬ Ask for feedback from other group leaders In addition to career development professionals, other group leaders can give you valuable feedback in different aspects and steps of your applications, to be used in a complementary manner to the help from career development professionals. ¬ Plan in advance Be aware that the entire process (from starting to work on your applications) to get an offer most times takes more than one year. Consider this when planning your personal and professional life. ¬ Highlight your scientific network Your research plan is very important, but institutions are also very interested in how good your scientific network is. Many scientists underestimate the importance of this factor. In Europe, the majority of funding opportunities require international collaborations of some sort, by showing that you developed a healthy network, with undergoing, and potential future collaborations, you ́re providing strong evidence that you ́ll be competitive in these calls. ¬ Study the work culture of the hosting institutions You want to avoid Institutions with toxic environments, and try to find those where your values are aligned with the institutional leadership. Basically, you want to find a work culture that can nurture your personal and professional growth, and this requires some due diligence that should not be underestimated. Talk to researchers at different levels (group leaders, Postdocs, students) currently working in that institution, and also with some that worked there but left recently. If possible, talk also with people from scientific facilities, human resources, etc, and try to get a sense of how happy they feel about their work environment. 27
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
¬ Don’t put all your eggs in one basket As said in the beginning, the odds are complicated. Some openings for group leader positions receive hundreds of applications for 1-2 positions. You should definitely not apply to all opportunities, you should have a strategic approach, but in this approach consider that you will probably need to apply to much more than 2-3 positions. Furthermore, consider that while you might receive feedback from your application and interviews while you start the process, you enter a learning curve and it’s normal that your applications become better with time, and that you feel more confident in the process with time. Interviews - time to shine ¬ Research and study Know the work and scientific interests of the most relevant PIs in the recruiting department. Highlight potential new collaborations (even if you don’t share scientific interests, make sure to highlight that you are bringing in a new model, technology, expertise, and how that can be helpful for others in the department). After job talks, people tend to ask questions related to their own background. Knowing their work will also help you be prepared to answer them efficiently. Also, study the abundance and regularity (or lack of it) of possible finding sources (how many grants can you apply to? Are calls open every year?) - this can be a crucial factor to consider if offered more than one position. And, importantly, if you’re in a lucky position to have more than one offer, don’t contrast the respective starting packages without investigating for example how much it costs to hire staff in different countries. A postdoc salary for example can cost much more in certain countries vs others. ¬ Ask for an offer letter If you are offered a job, ask for an offer letter that clearly states all conditions agreed (including start up packages, paid stipends of lab personnel - including their career type, number and number of years to be paid - lab space, access to shared infrastructure, etc).
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Got the job - congratulations! Next important steps ¬ Invest in Leadership & Management training Becoming a Group Leader, in many ways, is like you’re in a totally new career. As the title puts it, you need to become a leader. You start putting down pipettes, and most of your time will be spent in writing grants, recruiting, supervising and mentoring scientists and managing projects. Group leaders should equip themselves with leadership and management skills as early as possible. For an holistic and effective development of these skills I recommend you do a combination of: 1) formal structured courses, 2) less structured actions group training actions (workshops, webinars), 3) personalized 1-to-1 career consultancy; 4) online and offline learning materials (books, podcasts, opinion articles, etc), and 5) informal peer learning with group leaders from your institution and/or other institutions. ¬ Make sure you hire the best people This is often critical as in the beginning many people are tempted to grow quickly, and hire any one who applies, since they are afraid they won’t have enough people interested. This can be a big mistake in the long term, and I have witnessed so many rushed and not well-taught recruitments by group leaders in their first years as independent researchers, that I am certain this is one of the most common mistakes. Recruiting talented people is arguably the most important aspect to consider in your first years. Hire for skills, not just for qualifications and motivation. ¬ Define your lab vision and values Take time to think about what kind of research team you want to build. What guiding principles, mission, and goals, you want your lab to have? If these are not identified, and communicated to each member of your team, people will feel lost, not purpose-aligned, and conflicts will happen. ¬ Define a clear strategy on what/when grants to apply Plan and manage effectively your grant writing time. Allocate a dedicated time in your agenda, account for eligibility criteria in advance, and balance the competitiveness/workload needed
What can I be with a PhD in Biology?
before starting writing. Inform your institutional grant office as early as possible, and liaise with them throughout the full application preparation period. ¬ Find a mentor Mentors are always useful, from early stages of your career to more senior ones. A mentor is a more senior or experienced professional, in which you engage in a relationship focused on your short, medium and long-term growth and development at the personal, professional and career levels. This is not someone you meet for a chat for punctual advice, and mentor-mentee relationships should be developed on the basis of trust, empathy, mutual interest, and best mentor-mentee are developed organically. As a mentee, you should be involved in setting the expectations and making them clear to your mentor, as well as the regularity and format of your meetings, etc. ¤ How can Chaperone help you? At Chaperone (www.chaperone.online), we are developing the first online marketplace of personalized career development for scientists, with the mission to democratize access to high quality career development. In our platform, you can book online 1-to-1 sessions with experienced international career consultants (advisors, specialists and coaches), covering more than 50 career topics and many country-specific job markets. Our average user rating is 4.9 (out of 5 stars), and in just 8 months we have already supported scientists from 7 different countries, coming from prestigious institutions such as Karolinska Institutet or CERN.
Different areas of career development. Through Chaperone you can have access to career information, career advice, career counseling and career coaching.
Scientists who experienced our services mentioned they felt more empowered regarding their career management and revealed very positive changes in their well-being, productivity and also helped make job transitions more effectively. ATG - All Time GABBAs and Chaperone have recently signed a partnership. ATG members can benefit from a discount on online career development sessions by sending and email to alumnigabba@gmail.com.
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1949 – 2021 30
Tribute to Benedita Rocha
I would not be able to specify since when, given the depth of time, but I have known Benedita since I knew myself as a scientist. Nineteen-eighties? Most probably. She immediately offered me with great familiarity, there was empathy, a long friendship developed. Although our meetings were sporadic at first, they became regular since she, António Freitas and Ana Cumano started coming to Porto carrying “weapons and luggage” one week every year to teach and discuss immunology with the GABBA students. She was there from before the beginning, in 1996, until the very end. And Immunology was established as one of the 3 or 4 pillars of the program. I suppose that the best personal tribute I can pay is to reveal, although neither she nor António may be aware, that it was to them that I turned every time I wanted to clarify any fundamental doubts about immunology. It would do good to a lot of people these days. To know, for example, that memory T cells are essential in protecting against re-infections or as a consequence of vaccines. Although your mission here on Earth ended prematurely, up where you are, Benedita, you will inspire many generations of scientists in years to come. Alexandre do Carmo
INSERM Archive 31
ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
I had the privilege to meet Professor Benedita Rocha in 2000 at the time I started as PhD student in the GABBA doctoral program. Beside her intelligence, disruptive curiosity and major contributions in the area of Immunology at the highest international level, I would like to emphasise the pivotal role she had in the formation of generations of Immunologist and the impact this had in the development of Science not only in Portugal but also worldwide. On a more personal note, I had the opportunity to interact scientifically with Benedita in Paris while I was conducting my Post-doctoral research at Pasteur. I will treasure her humble generosity in sharing her wide knowledge and unique reagents without asking anything in return. The best homage to Benedita is to remember these examples and attempt to apply them in the interactions with my students and collaborators. Nuno Alves I first met Benedita at the interview for the GABBA PhD program, and then at the course presented with António Freitas in the first year of the program. Benedita caused an immediate impression for her intelligence and sharpness, also reflected in elegant experiments around really interesting problems... so much interesting that I ended up joining António’s unit at the Pasteur for my PhD Thesis. In Paris, we collaborated in some of my initial articles, and her suggestions were always of extreme value, but it was mostly outside of the lab that I enjoyed her company, in several dinners, some social events and unforgettable lunches António and Benedita organized at their home in Paris with many of the students and friends. In those occasions I could appreciate her sometimes subtle and sometimes strong but always excellent sense of humor. An extraordinary and influential scientist it is her humanity that comes to my mind whenever I present her experiments and work in the context of courses or seminars on T cell homeostasis. We will all surely miss her. Afonso Almeida Pessoas como a Benedita Rocha fazem falta à Ciência, por não se acomodarem no estabelecido, por nos fazerem questionar, por não gostarem de ciência “bonitinha” em que tudo é perfeito e previsível. A Benedita tinha um riso bom, e um sentido de humor grande, tão grande quanto o seu sentido crítico apurado - algo que me marcou quando a conheci a ela e ao António Freitas e, graças a eles, me espantei, preocupei e deleitei com a complexidade da imunologia. Dava prazer ver o gozo quase infantil e, ao mesmo tempo, extremamente profundo, com eles se divertiam a ensinar-nos. Da Benedita Rocha, fica a saudade da sua irreverência e a enorme qualidade da sua Ciência. João Taborda Barata 32
Tribute to Benedita Rocha
Henrique Veiga-Fernandes in Nature Immunology 33
Recent Graduates Victòria Brugada Ramentol, 17th Edition
Thesis: Sense of ownership and sense of agency in social interaction
Mentor: Gonzalo García de Polavieja; University of Porto, Porto, Portugal | Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Lisbon, Portugal Defence date: 2021-03-05 Francisca Soares da Silva, 19thEdition
Thesis: Environmental Signals Driving the Onset of Hematopoiesis in the Fetal Liver
Mentor: Perpétua Pinto-do-Ó & Ana Cumano; INEB/i3S, Porto, Portugal & Institut Pasteur, Paris, France Defence date: 2021-03-22 Joana Maia, 18th Edition Thesis: Extracellular Vesicles: new population analysis methods and their role as messengers in tumor-stroma communication Mentor: Bruno Costa-Silva; University of Porto, Porto, Portugal | Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal Defence date: 2021-05-25 Manuel Pinto, 18th Edition
Defence date: 2021-07-08
Mariana Osswald, 18th Edition
Thesis: Epithelial Organization at Mitotic Exi
Mentor: Eurico Morais de Sá; ICBAS-UP, i3S, Porto, Portugal Defence date: 2021-07-16
Abel Sousa, 20th Edition Thesis: Study of control of protein abundance using multi-omics data from cancer samples Mentor: Pedro Ferreira, Pedro Beltrão and Carla Oliveira; ERiC Group, i3S, Porto, Portugal | Beltrao Group, Cambridge, UK Defence date: 2021-10-07 34
ATG News
The lateste news, the most recent GABBA graduates and dates to keep in mind
Joana Wilton, 19th Edition
Thesis: Mechanisms of gene regulation in the cancer-immune system crosstalk
Mentor: Alexandra Moreira and Maria Oliveira; Gene Regulation, IBMC/i3S, Porto, Portugal | Tumor Microenvironment Interactions, INEB/i3S, Porto Defence date: 2021-11-29 Rita Gomes, 19th Edition
Thesis: Dissecting the role of MS4A4A in the context of tumor-associated macrophages Mentor: Alberto Mantovani; Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Milan, Italy Defence date: 2021-12-17
Maria de Sousa Award The 1st edition of the Maria de Sousa Award was delivered on November 24th, 2021 to five Portuguese researchers, in a ceremony that took place at Teatro Thalia, in Lisbon, and was presided over by Prime Minister António Costa. Andreia Pereira (19th edition) and Mariana Osswald (18th edition) were selected by the jury and each won up to 25000€.
https://www.bial.com/com/bial-foundation/awards/premio-maria-de-sousa/ https://www.bial.com/com/bial-foundation/media/news/the-portuguese-medical-association-and-the-bial-foundationaward-maria-de-sousa-award/
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ATG Newsletter 13 • December 2021
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ATG News
A school without walls by Maria de Sousa 14th of April 2022, Biblioteca Almeida Garrett
11h: Opening Associação ATG - All Time GABBAs 11h15: The • • • •
IPATIMUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n Porto mentees 4200-465 www.atg.up.pt Alexandra Manaia – Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, geral@atg.up.pt Ana Coito – David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, USA NIF:Jovita PT 513339434 Tel.: +351225570700 Joana Maia – Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal
Maria Mota – Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Portugal
Portugal
Porto, 5th of April 2021
12h30: Lunch Dear
14h: Science and beyond
We, the ATG, alumni association of the Program on Basic and Applied Biology, are excited to • the Ana Campos – i3S, Universidade do Porto, Portugal announce “A without walls by Maria de Sousa”, our tribute to Maria de Sousa, Thursday, • school Anabela Mota Ribeiro – Journalist April 14th, 2021, at Biblioteca Municipal Almeida Garret, Porto, Portugal.
• David Lyden – Weill Cornell Medical College, USA Porto – to i3S, Universidade Portugal The tribute •will Graça be a moment celebrate MariadodePorto, Sousa’s life and how she touched all of our Rita Champalimaud lives. This •event willFior be –focused on her Foundation, far-reachingPortugal impact in Portuguese science through
education and training of an interdisciplinary group of researchers – a true “school without borders”, as put Break in her own words. The event will include science, as well as music and 15h30: Coffee poetry, along with Maria de Sousa’s interests and contributions.
15h45: & Poetry To makeMusic this event complete, we need your help! We would like to invite you to be one of the speakers at this event. We were hoping you could share your memories and stories of special moments you have spentSchool with Prof. Maria de Sousa. We plan that each presentation takes up to 16h30: The GABBA (roundtable) 15 minutes.• Alexandre do Carmo - i3s, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
• André Sousa for – Waisman Center, Madison, USA We are currently fundraising this tribute. As much as we would love to be able to support your António - i3s, we Universidade do might Porto,not Portugal participation• and pay for Amorim all expenses, fear that we be able to do so, given our very limited financial resources. • Carla Sofia Cardoso – Faculdade de Direito, Universidade do Porto, Portugal •
Rui Costa – Zuckerman Institute, Columbia, USA
We are hoping to conclude the program during May, and it would be great if you could confirm your presence by the end of April.
18h: Video Messages
Kind Regards,
18h15: Closing and book presentation
18h30: Porto de honra Eurico Sá (on behalf of ATG)
Event organized in partnership with
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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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