Research

While the most basic function of Biomembranes is compartmentalization, they play significantly more complex roles in cellular signalling. The organization of their lipid and protein components is of critical importance for regulation of these signalling events. Despite this recognized importance, the current understanding of biomembrane organization at the molecular level is rudimentary, given the difficulties in studying these extraordinarily complex and highly dynamic structures.

Our research is focused on the characterization of the structure and organization of Biomembranes. We are particularly interested on the organization of multi-functional lipids such as PI(4,5)P2, whose disfunctions are associated with a plethora of pathologies, including cancer, neuronal and cardiovascular diseases.

Another area of research in our lab is the manipulation of extracellular vesicles for therapeutic purposes, namely in neurodegenerative conditions.

Our research employs a combination of Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy and Spectroscopy tools and our team has extensive expertise on the development and application of these tools in Membrane Biophysics and Cellular Biology. These complementary tools allow us to characterize biomembrane structure at both nano- and micro-scale at high temporal resolution. 

Structure and Lateral Organization of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5- bisphosphate

Engineering of Smart Functionalized Exosomes

Development of Fluorescence Microscopy Tools in Membrane Biophysics

Recent Publications

Acyl-chain saturation regulates the order of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate nanodomains
L. Borges-Araújo, M.M. Domingues, A. Fedorov, N.C. Santos, M.N. Melo, F. Fernandes, Communications Chemistry 4, 164,  2021