Cristina Silva Pereira, head of the Lab of Applied and Environmental Mycology at NOVA's Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, has just been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The funding of almost 2 M€ for a period of five years will allow Cristina Silva Pereira to develop her vision of mimicking the functionality of plant polyesters to develop wound dressing biomaterials that combine antimicrobial and skin regeneration properties.
The research project to be carried out focuses on fungal infections, a largely ignored public health problem that nonetheless causes as much deaths per year as malaria or tuberculosis. New therapies are required to fight these pathogenic agents and preventing the progression of fungal infection in wounds of susceptible populations is an important step in that direction. The vision for this project was inspired by the remarkable antimicrobial properties of the polyester barrier of plant cell walls. The lab of Cristina Silva Pereira has developed a biocompatible extraction method that preserves the plant polyester film forming abilities and their inherent biological properties. The aim of the project is now to better understand this material and work towards the development of clinical applications. Commenting on her grant, Cristina Silva Pereira said "this award is an incredible recognition and a fantastic opportunity to consolidate my research team and develop my vision".
This is the second ERC grant attributed to a researcher at ITQB. In 2012, Mariana Gomes de Pinho was awarded a similar grant to study the internal organization of the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (news: http://tinyurl.com/bo8o3or). According to ITQB Director Cláudio Soares, "it’s great to see once again the excellence of ITQB researchers recognized by the ERC". And he adds, "On behalf of ITQB, I want to congratulate Cristina Silva Pereira for her achievement and encourage others to follow her example".