ITQB: APB-Master Theses
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- Antiviral proteins targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein: design, production and characterizationPublication . Bagão, André Filipe Miranda; NOVA de Lisboa, Universidade; Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Instituto"The main challenge addressed in this work was the development of antiviral biologics targeting the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), focusing on the fusion (F) protein. RSV is the dominant cause of severe respiratory infections in children under five years of age. Since RSV entry in the host cell relies on fusion between the viral envelope and the host cell membrane, targeting the F protein, which mediates this process, can be an effective strategy to inhibit RSV infections. To develop F protein-targeting antiviral biologics, this work used a computational design approach based on two state-of-the-art methods: RFdiffusion and ProteinMPNN to de novo design miniproteins (MPs) that can bind to this protein. A range of computational tools, including different AlphaFold and Rosetta functions, were applied to validate the designs and select the most promising candidates.(...)"
- Functional and structural characterization of human thiosulfate sulfurtransferasePublication . Ferreira Costa, João Miguel; Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Instituto; NOVA de Lisboa, Universidade"Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous signaling molecule capable of evoking a broad variety of physiological effects when maintained within a certain range of concentrations. This gasotransmitter has been shown to regulate several processes associated with organism homeostasis such as energy metabolism, inflammation, immune system defense, stress response, blood flow regulation and nervous system development among others. Humans synthetize H2S endogenously from methionine and organosulfur compounds linking its production to dietary intake. Some vegetables which are often associated with health benefits like onion and garlic belong to the allium family that is rich in organosulfur compounds. The mechanism postulated to serve as an explanation for these effects is protein persulfidation (SSH), a posttranslational modification of cysteine thiols.(...)"
- Structure and function of designed and engineered proteins targeting SARS-CoV-2Publication . Fernandes, Bárbara Silvestre dos Santos Cardoso; Vicente, João B.; Lousa, Diana"Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the ongoing COVID-2019 pandemic that, as of October 2022, has infected more than 600 million people all over the world, and caused more than 6 million deaths (1). Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that form the Coronaviridae family. They are divided into four genera: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The beta genus is further divided into four lineages A, B, C, and D. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the B lineage of Betacoronaviruses, along with SARS-CoV, which was responsible for an outbreak in 2002, human coronavirus (HCoV)-OC43, HCoV-HKU1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which caused a serious outbreak in 2012 (2-5).(...)"
- Protein-based nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery in type 2 diabetesPublication . Rossana Lopes da Fonseca Santos, Érica"Type 2 diabetes is a global public health concern, characterized by chronic metabolic dysregulation combining insulin resistance and impaired secretion, leading to disabling and costly complications with a significant impact on life expectancy. In this work, we propose to harness the potential of nanoparticles for biomedical applications, specifically in the development of a targeted drug delivery system.(...)"