On October 15, in a ceremony held in Barcelona, the “la Caixa” Foundation distinguished Miguel Gama, from the Center for Biological Engineering (CEB) of the School of Engineering of UMinho, awarding a sum of 150 thousand euros from the “CaixaImpulse for Innovation in Health”. Miguel Gama will lead a project of new generation implants for osteoarthritis and damaged joints, in a consortium with the universities of Aveiro, Porto and Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. The intention is to develop a personalized implant, made of biocompatible biomaterial molded by laser, which reproduces the structure of joint tissues and promotes the simultaneous regeneration of cartilage and bone, guiding the body’s own cells. Being adaptable to each patient and produced at scale at controlled costs, the technology can contribute to reducing complications and benefiting patients’ lives.
Ana João Rodrigues and Agostinho Carvalho, from ICVS – Institute for Research in Life and Health Sciences, and Nuno Neves, from Group 3B’s of the University of Minho, were also distinguished with a “CaixaResearch for Health Research 2026” grant, from the “la Caixa” Foundation, at this ceremony. Their projects address, respectively, the role of zinc in communication between neurons, a defense pathway against a rare fungal infection and a hydrogel to prevent brain tumor recurrence.
Ana João Rodrigues’ project, “ZINCoding”, received 500 thousand euros of funding for three years of research on zinc released by some neurons in brain communication and behavior regulation. Her team found that positive and negative experiences alter proteins that control zinc in a brain region linked to reward. It now intends to use new fluorescent sensors, developed with Huiwang Ai (University of Virginia, USA), to observe for the first time the release of this metal during behavior. It will also investigate possible alterations of these signals in an animal model of depression, in collaboration with Jacques Barik, from the Université Côte d’Azur (France). It is hoped that the work will help to explain the association between zinc alterations and depression.
Agostinho Carvalho is part of the “ARMOR” consortium, funded with 1 million euros, of which 210 thousand euros are intended for the ICVS of the School of Medicine of UMinho. The goal is to design personalized metabolic therapies against mucormycosis, a rare and often fatal fungal infection. Coordinated by Coral Barbas (Universidad San Pablo CEU, Spain), the project also brings together scientists from the universities of Crete (Greece), Murcia (Spain) and Católica de Leuven (Belgium). Recent studies have shown that albumin transports fatty acids that inhibit the growth of the fungus, but this action loses effectiveness when the levels of that protein are low, such as in patients with diabetes. The ICVS will create the first genetic atlas of albumin, the results of which will support a phase II clinical trial to evaluate, for the first time, supplementation with this protein in high-risk hematological patients, aiming to strengthen defenses against infection and improve survival.
Nuno Neves, director of the 3B’s Group at the I3Bs Institute – Biomaterials, Biodegradable and Biomimetics at UMinho, and assistant researcher Helena Ferreira are part of the “GlioblasThera” project, which has one million euros and the partnership of Elias El-Habr (Sorbonne Université, France). The goal is a new therapeutic approach against glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumor with a high risk of recurrence after surgery. The team intends to develop an injectable hydrogel, applied to the cavity left by the removal of the tumor, which attracts and eliminates residual tumor cells through the localized and controlled release of therapeutic agents, preserving healthy brain tissue. Different formulations, adapted to the characteristics of the tumors, will be tested through laboratory and preclinical models, aiming to reduce adverse effects of treatments and improve longevity and quality of life
The “CaixaResearch Health Research 2026” competition selected 32 projects from 800 applications, awarding a total of 25.7 million euros to initiatives of excellence that will take place in the coming years in scientific centers, hospitals and universities, especially in Spain and Portugal. Three of the seven Portuguese projects elected are co-financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology.
SOURCE: UMinho
