GIMM Institute

Can we say that Quirky Luísa made the thymus look better than ever? This was her interpretation of Ana Espada de Sousa’s lab work on immunodeficiency and how T cells develop in the thymus. 💜

Did this make it easier to understand the important work we do? 😊

This immersive week will cover the full workflow, from sample preparation and experimental design to data analysis and biological interpretation. Designed for both biologists and bioinformaticians.

🔗 Register by February 15th and learn more here: meetings.embo.org/event/26-scrna

Learn from leading experts how to generate and analyze single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data at the next @embo.org Practical Course, taking place in Oeiras from May 18th to 23rd. 🧫

Maria do Carmo-Fonseca from GIMM and FMUL and Ana Berta Sousa from ULSSM and FMUL are leading a project focused on improving the diagnosis of hereditary breast cancer by using long-read sequencing technologies and allele-specific assays to identify genetic variants missed by traditional approaches.

@elmiguelche.bsky.social from GIMM and Daniel Costa Gomes from ULSSM and FMUL are leading a project aimed at developing a multi-omics atlas for sepsis patients to identify cellular mechanisms that lead to organ failure.

Two projects from the clinical and research teams of ULS Santa Maria, GIMM, and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa were each awarded Flagship Research Project funding of up to €200,000.

A big step forward for sepsis and hereditary cancer! 💜

Ageing rewires the body’s tolerance to infection In life-threatening sepsis, the same signalling pathway that protects young mice from succumbing to organ dysfunction exacerbates damage and lethality in older animals.

How does ageing influence the way our bodies handle infection?

go.nature.com/4sMZuqW

📢 Join us in sunny Lisbon 🇵🇹 2-5 June for the @embo.org workshop ☀️

“The rules of the game: biophysical & molecular principles in cellular evolution”

Apply by March 1st!
Please repost to help spread the word!

meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...
#EMBORulesOfTheGame @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

Klebsiella strain to protect against IBD gut infections A team of researchers led by Karina Xavier has uncovered a promising new live biotherapeutic agent that may redefine how the medical field approaches microbiota-based therapies.

New research led by @karinaxavierlab.bsky.social at 🇵🇹 @gimmfoundation.bsky.social demonstrates that a harmless strain of 🦠 #Klebsiella – discovered by chance in 🧫 laboratory experiments – can eliminate #infections and reduce gut inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. #IBD

Premiados ULisboa - redeSAÚDE 2025 A redeSAÚDE, rede temática interdisciplinar de Saúde da Universidade de Lisboa, atribuiu os Prémios ULisboa - redeSAÚDE 2025 para distinguir os melhores trabalhos de doutoramento e de mestrado realiza...

Depois de anos de muito trabalho, tive a honra de ser premiada com Melhor Trabalho de PhD na ULisboa. 🏅

Agradeço aos meus orientadores João Lacerda, Rita Azevedo e Maria Soares, aos voluntários, ao JLacerda Lab, à FMUL, e à @gimmfoundation.bsky.social.

Em breve, a defesa para fechar este ciclo! 👩‍🔬

Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells Single-cell transcriptomics is transforming biology, uncovering hidden cell states, dynamic transitions, and intricate interactions across systems from immunity to cancer. Yet as these technologies s…

@EMBO Practical Course

Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells

18 – 23 May 2026 | Oeiras/Lisbon, Portugal @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

Registration open!

Concurso CaixaResearch de Investigação em Saúde Distingue Investigadores da Fundação Champalimaud e da Fundação GIMM | Champalimaud Foundation Quatro Investigadores Principais de duas instituições – a Fundação Champalimaud (FC) e a Fundação GIMM (GIMM) – receberam financiamento do Concurso CaixaResearch de Investigação em Saúde para o estudo...

🧑‍🔬🏆Joe Paton & @minuttilab.bsky.social from @champalimaudf.bsky.social and 7 other PIs from @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, @ucoimbra.bsky.social and @i3suporto.bsky.social have won #CaixaResearch funding 👏
👉 www.fchampalimaud.org/news/caixare...
@caixaresearch.bsky.social

The lack of specific targets in many tumours ⬇️ the effectiveness of immunotherapies.

With a #HealthResearch grant ➕ FCT João Lacerda (@gimmfoundation.bsky.social) is developing CAR-T cells that target a molecule found almost exclusively in tumours to improve therapies.

https://tinyurl.com/ykbcmcjv

Damage to telomeres, the ends of chromosomes, can initiate cancerous processes.

With a #HealthResearch grant, Claus Maria Azzalin (@gimmfoundation.bsky.social) is studying the role played by TERRA RNA in telomere repair, which could improve our understanding of cancer.

https://tinyurl.com/yjh7j59c

Front row view of our Maria smoothly presenting her MSc dissertation work on the isoform-specific impact of mutations in CDKN2A in cancer at the Oncobiology Club @gimmfoundation.bsky.social. 💻🧬👏

YouTube video by GIMM Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine Ep 4: Como é que um medicamento mata bactérias? (com Isabel Gordo)

Podcast com Isabel Gordo, Group Leader no Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (@gimmfoundation.bsky.social):

"Como é que um medicamento mata bactérias?"
YouTube: youtu.be/wRyYYa2D5i0
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1AqQ...

Group photo of the EU-LIFE Strategy Meeting 2025 at FMI, Basel.

EU-LIFE Strategy Meeting 2025 wrapped up in #Basel with strong support, constructive exchanges and a very positive atmosphere.

A big thanks to the @fmiscience.bsky.social team for fostering a welcoming environment for productive, forward-looking discussions!

Read more 🔗 eu-life.eu/newsroom/new...

Homeostatic control of energy metabolism by monocyte-derived macrophages | The EMBO Journal imageimageMacrophages play critical roles in the homeostatic control systems that maintain vital parameters within physiological ranges. This study characterizes how mouse monocyte-derived macrophages...

🧵 Thrilled to share our new work in @embojournal! Over a century after Metchnikoff recognized macrophages as central to organismal homeostasis, we reveal how they act as metabolic guardians through an unexpected mechanism.
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
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Nice to meet the representatives of the Kochard Foundation @gimmfoundation.bsky.social and spend the afternoon talking about T cells and mucosal immunology, shared interests and potential collaborative projects.

We also visited Isabel Gordo's lab at @gimmfoundation.bsky.social (Oeiras) and ran into a familiar face, @martalourenco21.bsky.social former PhD candidate at our lab

This picture was taken right before The Boss' presentation at @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

We initially thought people were just a bit shy but, as it turned out, we were participating in the mandatory drills due to high seismic activity in the area 🤔

Safety first!!

Now published on @plos.org Computational Biology!

Same findings as the preprint, with improved analyses suggested by reviewers!

Check it out and let us know how RepliFlow works for you!

journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...

Filipa with Leonor, Domingos, Pedro and Madalena standing in front of a colourful mural reading “Where will curiosity take you?” at the GIMM Foundation, Oeiras Campus.

What a pleasure visiting @gimmfoundation.bsky.social in Lisboa -huge thanks to Leonor Saúde for the warm hospitality! Loved exchanging ideas w students, postdocs & faculty about all things #devbio & #regeneration, and meeting old friends in a place that always inspired my curiosity -until next time!

🔬 Community Workshop #1: "Intro to Instrumentation QC in Light Microscopy"
🔹 Learn to monitor laser power
🔹 Record & inspect PSFs
🔹 Analyze data using FIJI + MetroloJ_QC

👩‍🔬Facilitators from @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, @crg.eu & Nova Medical School (NMS).

Let’s build better #microscopy!

#SPAOM2025

Leonor Saude, GIMM

Next, Leonor Saude, from @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, talked about her work using zebrafish and the evolutionary comparisons with mice to pursue spinal cord regeneration in mammals.

Nuno Barbosa-Morais, GIMM

Then, it was the turn of Nuno Morais ( @nmoraislab.bsky.social ), from GIMM ( @gimmfoundation.bsky.social ) and coordinator of @biomics-twinning.bsky.social , telling us about a cool project on CDKN2A.

Cracking organisms’ energy code Researchers define rules governing how growing microorganisms use energy efficiently

Jonathan Rodenfels @mpi-cbg.de, Pablo Sartori @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, and Tommaso Cossetto identified two thermodynamic rules governing the growth and energy utilization of single-celled organisms. Publication in @nature.com Communications. www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...

The paper was out a few months ago, but it is definitely worth a recap. From Rui Oliveira Lab, check it out: gimm.pt/news/seeing-...

It was such a pleasure to visit @gimmfoundation.bsky.social in beautiful Lisbon and to discuss science with students and faculty. So much great science going on here. Thank you, @marcveld.bsky.social for the hospitality.