Science at the post office
The stamp designed by Nuno Micaelo (former ITQB PhD student), featuring the molecular structure of a bacterial enzyme, won the stamp competition organized by CTT. Five stamps were selected by rounds of public votes and further submitted to a jury’s evaluation that selected “Ciência em Portugal” as the winning stamp.
The image used for the stamp is a representation of the molecular structure of the CotA-laccase from Bacillus subtilis. The structure of this enzyme, important for many biotechnological applications (for example: in the pulp and paper industry), was determined at ITQB in 2003. The CotA-laccase is the object of study of many research projects at ITQB.