SynBiomics Group was proudly represented at Microbiotec'25, held at the University of the Azores from 4–6 December 2025 🧪 🧫

Our team Débora Ferreira, Joana Sousa, Joana Gomes, and João Rainha showed their latest work through two oral presentations and five poster presentations.

Beatriz Pereira is an MSc student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho, specializing in Clinical Engineering. Her research focuses on microfluidic-based studies of in vitro 3D breast cancer cell models 🧪

Gabriela Gomes is an MSc student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho, specializing in Clinical Engineering🎓. Her research focuses on next-generation treatments for chemotherapy-resistant triple negative breast cancer🧬🧫

Ian Alves Machado is a Master’s student in Bioinformatics at the University of Minho. His research focuses on the application of metagenomic approaches to the exploration of biomolecules from extreme environments, with particular emphasis on biosurfactants. 🖥️

Vera Reis is a Master’s student in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her research focuses on the production, optimization, and characterization of biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers by halophilic microorganisms, with emphasis on their potential applications in the cosmetic industry 🔬 🧼

Margarida Maciel is a Master's student in Biomedical Engineering, with a specialization in Clinical Engineering 🎓. She is currently working on her thesis on the bioprospection of antimicrobial compounds from samples collected in an abandoned mine ⛏️🧫

Mariana Sousa is an MSc student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho, specializing in Clinical Engineering. Her research is focused on developing novel therapeutic options for chemotherapy-resistant triple negative breast cancer. 🧬

Leonor Gandarela is a MSc student in Biotechnology at the University of Minho, with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. Her research focuses on engineered exosomes as drug delivery vehicles for CRISPR-Cas9 therapeutics, for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer 🧬💊.

Inês Santos is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. Her research focuses on the development of nanoencapsulated nucleic acid-mimic aptamers to control salmonellosis in the poultry industry 🐣

João Mariz is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering🎓. In his research, he explores metagenomic strategies to create an industrial bioprocess for retting natural fibres, with the goal of improving their quality and use in the textile industry 🧬 🧵

We’re proud to share that Daniela Gomes, Débora Ferreira, and João Rainha, members of the Synbiomics team, served as judges at iGEM 2025 – The World Expo of Synthetic Biology, held October 28–31 at the Paris Convention Centre.

#iGEM2025 #SyntheticBiology #Innovation

Ana Cordeiro is PhD Student in Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. Her work focuses on producing prebiotic compounds through a bioprocess that valorises agricultural by-products from the olive-oil industry, such as olive pomace and olive stones.

Tiago Albuquerque is a professor at the Department of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and a visitant researcher in SynBiomics Group. Currently, he is working on prebiotics and the use of electric fields to enhance bioproduction.

Joana Gomes is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. In the lab, she focuses on discovering novel biosurfactants from saline environments using metagenomics. 🧪 🫧

Joana Sousa is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. Her research focuses on metagenomic strategies to design biocatalysts for producing cello-oligosaccharides, promising prebiotic candidates 🌱

Daniela Gomes recently completed her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Minho. Her research focused on synthetic biology to enhance E. coli for the metabolic production of prenylflavonoids and other flavonoids.
She is currently a research fellow on the T@rgetBc project.

João Rainha is a postdoctoral researcher in Synthetic Biology 🔬. His work focuses on engineering microbes to produce valuable chemicals with applications in sustainability and industry.

Cláudia Amorim is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioengineering. Fascinated by from-waste-to-market solutions, she develop sustainable bioprocesses to turn agro-residues into health-promoting food ingredients 🔎 💡 📈

Débora Ferreira is a postdoctoral researcher in Bioengineering 🧪. She holds a PhD in Bioengineering Systems 🎓. Her research focuses on the use of engineered nanoplatforms as drug delivery vehicles for a wide range of different therapeutics for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer 🎯.

Joana Rodrigues is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minho. Her research interests include the use of synthetic biology tools to construct biosynthetic pathways for the production of therapeutic and industrially relevant compounds.

Sara Silvério is an Assistant Researcher at the Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho. She holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her research has focused on bioprospecting novel and more robust biocatalysts for the sustainable production of different types of prebiotics

Lígia Rodrigues is Associate Professor with Aggregation at University of Minho. She coordinates the Synbiomics group and her research focuses on using synthetic biology approaches to design and build new cell factories or improve existing ones for the sustainable production of value-added compounds.

🔬 Welcome to SynBiomics!

We are a multidisciplinary research group based on Centre of Biological Engineering. We combine synthetic biology, omics, and bioprocessing to create sustainable biotech solutions.

👉 Follow us for science, innovation, and sustainability in action!
📩 synbiomics@gmail.com