Health & Food

The Brain Imaging Network focuses on basic, translational and clinical neuroscience by designing new molecular probes to human imaging of structure, chemistry and function with a focus on the human brain.

Coordinating Institution | Universidade de Coimbra

Partner Institution | Instituto de Ciências Nucleares Aplicadas à Saúde - Universidade de Coimbra (ICNAS,CIBIT/UC).

Services

• Imaging, including human brain imaging, high density EEG/ERP, simultaneous
  EEG/fMRI.
• Human PET.
• Brain imaging in particular using 11C and 18F compounds.
• Multiorgan imaging in chronic diseases affecting the brain and other organs.

GenomePT is a distributed genome sequencing and analysis infrastructure. Its main objectives are: i) promote the participation of Portuguese scientists in national and international genome projects and ii) develop clinical, environmental and agrifood genomics, biotechnology and green chemistry projects. GenomePT congregates researchers and technical personnel, and important bioinformatics expertise that are dispersed across a wide geographical area of the national territory.

Coordinating Institution | Universidade de Aveiro

Partner Institutions | UCgenomics - Universidade de Coimbra (UC); Biocant; Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular, Universidade do Porto (IPATIMUP/UP); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto (IBMC/UP); InBIO, Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva; Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Universidade do Minho (CBMA/UM); Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC/FCG); Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa (IMM/UL); Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSARJ); Centre for Biomedical Research, Universidade do Algarve (CBMR/UAlg).

Services

• Genome sequencing and analysis, including whole genome sequencing (DNA-seq), exome sequencing, targeted DNA sequencing, genome bisulphite sequencing (methyl-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing
  (ChIP-seq).

• Whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), metagenome sequencing, DNA microarrays, microRNA microarrays and cytogenetics arrays (array-CGH).

MIA-Portugal is a multi-disciplinary research institute within the University of Coimbra with national and international partners, focusing on the study of the biological and molecular bases of ageing to mitigate all chronic diseases associated with ageing and to promote active and healthy ageing.

Coordinating Institution | Universidade de Coimbra

Partner Institution | Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN)

Activities

• Generation of new knowledge from basic research on the biology of ageing, pre-clinical studies by using experimental models to study drugs' effects on ageing and age-related disorders;
• Clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of anti-ageing strategies in elderly patients, quantification of novel biomarkers of ageing and susceptibility/evolution of age-related disorders;
• Advanced training of the next generation of research scientists and entrepreneurs, lifelong training to up-date health professionals on the managing of elderly individuals.

PPBI will boost collaboration between researchers, institutions and industry to strengthen both basic and applied research, matching high-impact R&D projects with state-of-art bioimaging resources
and expertise. Through shared coordination, strategic investments, and efficient allocation of resources, PPBI wants to give access to cutting-edge technological resources to national researchers, create conditions to attract international researchers and integrate Portugal in the international BioImaging roadmap.

Coordinating Institution | Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (IBMC/i3S).

Partner Institution | CNC - Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular (CNC), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (IGC), Universidade do Minho (ICVS/3B’s/UM), INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Instituto Nacional de Engenharia Biomédica (INEB/i3S), Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular (IPATIMUP/i3S), Universidade de Aveiro (iBiMed/UA), Universidade de Coimbra (UC), Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS/UBI), Instituto de Medicina Molecular Dr. João Lobo Antunes (IMM), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA & CEDOC NMS/UNL), Fundação D. Anna de Sommer Champalimaud e Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud (CF), Instituto Superior Técnico (CQFM & C2TN/IST), Universidade do Algarve (UC).

Services

• Bioimaging, including access to imaging equipment, access to wet lab and sample preparation equipment.
• Cluster access for computation and data storage, image analysis and training (courses and workshops, online tools).
• This infrastructure also offers support of animal facilities (model and non-model organisms) and on equipment operation, consulting and project planning, technology development and outreach activities.

The Portuguese Mass Spectrometry Network is the reference infrastructure representing Portugal in the fields of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics and a major service provider for academia and industry and played a pivotal role in training activities. This network is key for the development of Proteomics strategies within the H2020.

Coordinating Institution | Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa

Partner Institutions | Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa (FF/UL); Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB/UNL); Instituto Superior Técnico (IST/UL); Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSARJ); Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular (CNBC/UC); Universidade de Coimbra (UC); Universidade de Aveiro (UA); Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular (IPATIMUP/UP); Universidade da Madeira (UMa).

Services

• Services in mass spectrometry and proteomics, including protein identification and quantification, analysis of protein post-translational modifications, top-down proteomics, structural mass spectrometry, metabolomics, analysis and characterization of natural products and organic molecules, gas-phase ion chemistry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and sample preparation. This infrastructure also provides consultancy in mass spectrometry-based technology.

PtCRIN aims to improve clinical research by promoting a more efficient implementation of multinational investigator initiated clinical trials. These trials provide the highest level of evidence to support the use of health technologies (drugs, cell therapies, devices, etc) but require specific infrastructures - clinical trial units (CTUs) that manage the whole study from the design, regulatory approvals, monitoring, publication, etc. PtCRIN created a network of academic CTUs that provide services at a not-for-profit rates to public sponsors and SMEs. The integration in ECRIN-ERIC ensures multinational collaboration and high standards for CTUs.

Coordinating Institution | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NMS/FCM-UNL)

Partners Institutions | Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (CINTESIS - FM/ UP); Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica do Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (UMIB - ICBAS/UP); Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (CHUP); Centro Clínico Académico de Braga (2CABraga); Instituto de Biomedicina da Universidade de Aveiro (iBiMED); Centro de Imagem Biomédica e Investigação Translacional da Universidade de Coimbra (CIBIT-UC); Associação Para a Investigação Biomédica e Inovação Em Luz e Imagem (AIBILI); Centro Cardiovascular da Universidade de Lisboa (CCUL); Comprehensive Health Research Centre da Nova Medical School da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (CHRC-NMS/UNL); Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (IMM), includes CIC-CAML; iNOVA4Health - Programa de Medicina Translacional (iBET, CEDOC-NMS/UNL, IPOLFG e ITQB-UNL). Affiliated Members: Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental (CHLO); Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central (CHULC); Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca (HFF); Hospital da Luz Learning Health; Centro Hospitalar Universitário Cova Beira (CHUCB); Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC); Centro Hospitalar de Leiria (CHL); Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (CHSJ); Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto (IPO-P); Hospital da Senhora da Oliveira Guimarães (HSOG); Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC); Hospital do Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira (HSEIT).

Activities

• Consulting (open access) in preparation and implementation of national and multinational clinical research projects;

• Operational support in implementation and conduction of national and multinational clinical trials;

• Internationalization of Portuguese clinical investigators through participation in multinational projects and integration in working groups Assistance for access to national and European funding (work packages related to the management of the clinical trial);

• Development of harmonized international tools and national metrics;

• Data Centre Certification of CTUs by ECRIN;

• Training in operations and Certification in ICH-GCPs;

• Dissemination and cooperation with other networks (EATRIS) and organizations (SPMS, APAH, EUPATI).

The ViraVector infrastructure provides the national (and international) research community with a facility for “on demand” production of viral vectors to perform gene transfer in cell and animal models, assisting investigators in engineering custom viral vectors and offering training to safely manipulate them, thus contributing to reinforce the cutting-edge scientific production of Portuguese groups within the life sciences and biotechnology domains.

Coordinating Institution: Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular da Universidade de Coimbra (CNC UC)

Services

• Provides viral vectors and gene transfer services for several labs across the country and abroad, in this way levering scientific developments in life and biomedical sciences in the country.