The Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) has launched the CryoEM Hub. This new lab focuses on cryo-electron microscopy and is located at UCIBIO. It's part of the National CryoEM-PT Network and included in the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE). The new center puts Portugal in a leading position for structural biology studies.
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) lets researchers see the 3D shapes of proteins and large molecules in great detail. Knowing these structures is key to understanding how diseases work and speeding up the process of creating new medicines and treatments. This technology is important in science around the world, so it won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
With this center, NOVA FCT improves its research abilities and joins other top international research centers, raising Portugal’s profile in an important field for medical breakthroughs.
The CryoEM Hub will concentrate on:
- Finding high-resolution 3D protein structures
- Studying protein interactions and complex structures that are hard to crystallize
- Combining cryo-EM data with X-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
- Providing advanced training for researchers from Portugal and other countries
Maria João Romão, the project leader at UCIBIO – NOVA FCT, said that the lab works with existing methods used to study structure in Portugal. She expects it to make big steps forward, especially in medicine and creating new therapies.
The European Union is funding the project via the Horizon Europe program. It's starting with strong ties to other countries, including partnerships with organizations in Brazil and Germany. The team is seeking extra funding from Portugal and Europe to keep it going for a long time.
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