Overview
The Innovative Therapies research area at CNC-UC is dedicated to the development and validation of new therapeutic, preventive and diagnostic approaches for age-related diseases with a high clinical burden, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and ischemic, oncological, infectious and immune-mediated disorders. Research encompasses advanced therapies based on cells, genes and RNA, cell reprogramming and engineering, nanomedicine and targeted delivery systems for drugs and nucleic acids, vaccines and adjuvants, medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, as well as the study of antimicrobial resistance and host-microbiome interactions. The area also includes the identification and validation of biomarkers, the monitoring of therapeutic response, and computational modeling and artificial intelligence applied to molecular design and to the prediction of drug activity, permeability and safety.
Experimental work relies on cellular and animal models, human tissues and cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, patient samples, and high-throughput and high-content screening platforms. This research integrates knowledge and methodologies from several disciplines, including molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, immunology, microbiology, bioengineering, omics, advanced imaging and data science. The area benefits from its proximity to Biocant, the biotechnology park of central Portugal, and to the Coimbra Academic Clinical Centre, the Coimbra Local Health Unit and the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Coimbra, which favors clinical translation, technology transfer and the creation of science-based companies. The overarching goal is to advance our understanding of disease mechanisms that justify new interventions, identify biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets, and contribute to developing innovative strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Main Goals
- To understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging and disease that are amenable to therapeutic intervention, including cellular senescence, tissue regeneration and repair, immune response and infection, and the interactions between the nervous, cardiovascular and immune systems and the microbiome, with a view to identifying biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets;
- To develop and validate advanced therapies and delivery technologies, including cell, gene and RNA-based therapies, nanomedicine, vaccines and immunotherapies, and novel compounds and antimicrobial agents, supported by medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug discovery and artificial intelligence;
- To promote the translation of scientific knowledge into clinical practice and the market, through experimental models relevant to human health, engagement with clinicians, hospitals and industry, technology transfer, and the advanced training of researchers.
