Engineering Cellular Applications Laboratory
Animal Cell Technology Unit
Our research is centered on integrative development of bioprocesses for complex biopharmaceuticals namely vaccines, recombinant proteins and viral vectors for gene therapy .
Head of Laboratory
Manuel J.T. Carrondo | Research InterestsGroup MembersSelected Publications(PT) Laboratório de Engenharia Celular |
Phone (+351) 214469362 short CV |  |
Research Interests
Within the Animal Cell Technology unit, the Engineering Cellular Applications laboratory deals with integrating upstream and downstream processes and physico – mathematical tools geared towards applications, in particular for the production of complex and novel biopharmaceuticals. Simplicity, feasibility, transferability and economics are criteria used to design processes that may find industrialization opportunities. Having started with posttranslationally modified protein biopharmaceuticals in the early nineties, such criteria, design and process applications have been extended to vaccines, gene and cell therapy, drawing from the expertise and research achievements of the other labs in the ACTU. Over the last ten years, downstream technologies and modelling towards biological and chemical process control have constituted new thrusts for the lab.
Group Members
- Ana Teixeira PhD, Assistant Researcher, Head Systems Biotechnology Group
- Gonçalo Real, PhD, Assistant Researcher, Coordinator of Research Contracts
- Ana Barbas, PhD, Assistant Researcher, Head Bayer Satellite Lab
- Nuno Carinhas, PhD, Pos-Doc (co-supervision with Ana Teixeira)
- Ricardo Perdigão PhD student (co-supervision with Judy Lieberman, Harvard Medical School, USA)
- Piergiuseppe Nestola, PhD student (co-supervision with José Paulo Mota, FCT-UNL)
- João Vidigal, PhD Student (co-supervision with Ana Teixeira)
- Duarte Martins, Master Student (co-supervision with Cristina Peixoto)
- João Sá, Master Student (co-supervision with Ana Teixeira)
- Cristina Peixoto PhD, Head Dowstream
- Carina Brilha, Technician (Lab Manager)
Selected Publications
- CARINHAS N, OLIVEIRA R, ALVES PM, CARRONDO MJ, TEIXEIRA AP (2012) “Systems biotechnology of animal cells: the road to prediction”. Trends Biotechnol, 30(7):377-85
- TEIXEIRA AP, OLIVEIRA R, ALVES PM AND CARRONDO MJT (2009) “Advances in on line monitoring and control of mammalian cell culture: supporting the PAT initiative” Biotechnology Advances, 27:726-732
- VICENTE T, PEIXOTO C, CARRONDO MJT, ALVES PM (2009) “Purification of recombinant baculoviruses for gene therapy using membrane processes”, Gene Therapy (Nature) 16:766-775
- Roldão A, Carrondo MJT, Alves PM, Oliveira R (2008) “Stochastic simulation of protein expression in the Baculovirus/Insect cell system” Computers and Chemical Engineering 32: 68-77
ACT Unit Website
For further information please visit the ACT webpage
Laboratório de Engenharia Celular (PT)
Dentro da Unidade de Tecnologia de Células Animais, o Laboratório de Engenharia Celular dedica-se à integração de processos fermentativos e de extracção-purificação, utilizando ferramentas físico-matemáticas conducentes a aplicações industriais, nomeadamente na obtenção de novos biofármacos. No projecto de processos biocelulares, os critérios de simplicidade, exequibilidade, transferência e economicidade surgem como essenciais para a criação de oportunidades de industrialização. A actividade iniciada no dealbar da década de noventa em proteínas com modificações postranslacionais foi sendo alargada a vacinas e terapias génicas e celulares, baseada na competência e investigação desenvolvida pelos dois outros laboratórios da Unidade de TCA. Nos últimos cinco anos reforçou-se actividade em sistemas de purificação e modelação conduzindo a controle de processo, químico e biológico.
