Group Members
Nutraceuticals and Delivery Group
Nutraceutical and Controlled Delivery team includes Post-Doc's, PhD´s, PhD´s students, Enginneers, Masters, Technicians and students, in different areas. The complementary knowledge provides us with great tools for the developing of our work.
Catarina M. M. Duarte
Head of the Nutraceuticals and Delivery Group (since2003)
Coordinator of R&D activities (project planning and management).
Member of MIT-Portugal Bioengineering Systems team.
Responsible for industry linkages and technology transfer.
Scientific areas:
- Green Processes for developing health promoting products
- Supercritical Fluid Technology – application to extraction and precipitation processes
- Materials Processing – particle formation, hybrid structures and microbubbles, nano/micro encapsulation and impregnation
Research interests:
- Development of Drug Delivery Systems;
- Functional Products and Nutraceuticals Formulation with application in pharma,food or cosmetic industries;
- Health claims assessment and scientific substantiation (in-vitro bioactivity evaluation and design of clinical trials)
Awards:
-
First prize of the 2nd edition of the "Nutrition Awards”, 2011, in "Innovation and Development of Products and Services”, promoted by the Portuguese Association of Nutritionists.
- Supervisor of the Best Thesis in 2006 in the area of SCFtech, promoted by Int. Soc. for Advancement of Supercritical Fluids (ISASF).
cduarte@itqb.unl.pt
Researchers
Ana Matias
- Development and validation [product concept] of nutraceuticals, natural ingredients or functional foods with specific bioactivity/functionality. Health claims validation for functional foods/natural ingredients.
- Formulation of nanoparticulate delivery systems for natural compounds/API's using clean precipitation techniques (namely supercritical fluid technology) for targeted delivery – Inflammatory Bowel Diseases therapies [oral administration] and CNS disorders [nose-to-brain administration].
- Study of the role of natural ingredients/APIs in inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Degree in Chemical Engineering, FCT/UNL (2002).
- PhD in Chemical Engineering (Food Technology), (Doctoral Grants in Company with Sovena Consumer Goods SA) ITQB-UNL/iBET (2008)
- Thesis: Functional Vegetable oils: from science to application
Career:
- Project Manager and Researcher at iBET (2010-present).
- Post-doc in iMed.FF-UL and ITQB/UNL (2009-2010).
- Scientific and Technical Consultant at iBET for Sovena Consumer Goods, SA (Nutrinveste Group) (2008-2009).
Prizes and Awards:
2011 - 1st prize of the second edition of the "Nutrition Awards”, in the category of "Innovation and Development of Products and Services” – “Cherry extract obtained from supercritical technology – a chemotherapeutical agent against colon cancer”
amatias@itqb.unl.pt
Teresa Serra
- Development of extraction process to isolate bioactive compounds from natural matrices. Study of phytochemical content and functional properties of natural extracts/natural ingredients/functional products using cell-free and cell based assays.
- Evaluation of chemopreventive and chemosensitive properties of natural extracts.
- Scientific substantiation of health claims related with functional foods/ingredients.
Education:
- Degree in Biological Engineering, IST/UTL (2003).
- PhD in Engineering and Technology Sciences- Biotechnology, ITQB/UNL (2010)
- Thesis: Valorization of Traditional Portuguese Apples and Cherries- Biochemical characterization and development of functional ingredients.
- Project Manager and Researcher at iBET (2010-present).
2011 - 1st prize of the second edition of the "Nutrition Awards”, in the category of "Innovation and Development of Products and Services” – “Cherry extract obtained from supercritical technology – a chemotherapeutical agent against colon cancer”
tserra@itqb.unl.pt
Arturo Alvarez-Bautista
Post-doc
Research interest:
- Synthesis of nanoparticles.
- Control delivery of drugs trough nanoparticles.
- Downstream of natural compounds using clean and green separation technologies –high pressure and supercritical fluid extraction.
- Formulation of nanoparticulate delivery systems using clean precipitation techniques for bioactivity enhancement and targeted delivery of natural compounds in anti-cancer therapies.
Education:
- Degree in Physical-Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) 2009
- MsC in New nano and micromaterials. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) 2010
- PhD-International in Physical Chemistry . University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) (2014)
Thesis: Synthesis of polymeric and lipidic particles for drug delivery in anti-cancer therapy
Career:
- Marie Curie Experienced Researcher (Ph.D.) at IBET (Present)
- Membership of BioCruces Health Research Institute. “Biomedical High Technologies: Nanoparticles and Cancer” group (2011-present)
arturo.alvarez@itqb.unl.pt
Research Members
Joana Poejo
joana.poejo@itqb.unl.pt
Ana Nunes
Research interests:
Isolation of bioactive compounds from natural sources using clean technologies.
Evaluation of phytochemical content and functional properties of natural extracts.
Formulation of bioactive natural ingredients.
Education:
Degree in Biochemistry, Universidade de Évora - Escola de Ciência e Tecnologia (2011)
Thesis:"Desenvolvimento de Novos Sistemas de Libertação de Fármacos a partir de Biomateriais de Gelatina".
MSc in Food Technology and Safety, FCT/UNL (2014).
Thesis: "Isolation and encapsulation of a natural colourant using Green Technologies".
Career:
Researcher at iBET (2011-present).
annunes@itqb.unl.pt
Daniel Deodato Lopes
MSc
Education: Degree in Chemical Engineer graduated at the Universidade de Évora. Master in Biotecnhology graduated at the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia - Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Current Project and interests: Preparation of gas-filled porous microparticles and Microbubbles, using sc-Fluid strategies.
ddeodato@itqb.unl.pt
Liliana Rodrigues
MSc
Current Project: NutraBrass - Nutraceuticals from Brassicaceae: High Pressure Processing of Cruciferous food plants to recover biologically active ingredients with health promoting effects" (2013-2015). PTDC/AGR-TEC/3790/2012
Education: Degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering by Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Master in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering by Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
liliana.rodrigues@itqb.unl.pt
Maria João Pereira
MSc
Research interests:
Identification of bioactive compounds from natural sources.
Evaluation of phytochemical content and functional properties of natural extracts.
Education:
Degree in Biotechnology, Escola Superior Agrária de Ponte de Lima - IPVC (2009).
MSc in Biotechnology of medicinal and aromatic plants, Universidade do Minho (2012).
Thesis: "Potential chemical and biological legume sprouts. Changes of the metabolome and bioactivity of Glycine max (L.) Merr. by inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum."
Career:
Researcher at iBET (2011-present).
mjpereira@itqb.unl.pt
Luís Martins
MSc
Current Research Interests:
Development and optimization of fermented food products; analysis and characterization of food’s microorganism; scale-up of fermentation process
Education:
Degree in Biotechnology by Universidade da Beira Interior (2008-2011)
Master in Biotechnology by Universidade da Beira Interior (2011-2013)
Thesis:
“Development of a factorial design for a therapeutic plasmid DNA biosynthesis”
luis.martins@itqb.unl.pt
Catarina Maia
MSc
Current Project: Sumol+Compal trainee. Quality improvement and development in strict collaboration with Cátia Carmo.
catarina.maia@itqb.unl.pt
PhD Students
Cátia Carmo
Current project: Nanotechnology put in use for the development of added-value beverages
Current Research Interests:
• Nanotechnology applied to the food industry
• Nanoencapsulation and micronization of active compounds using non conventional techniques
• Green Processes for developing health promoting products
Education:
• Master in Food Technology - European Masters Degree in Food Studies by Wageningen University, The Netherlands (2010)
• Degree in Food Engineering by Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém, Portugal (2007)
Thesis:
• MSc thesis: Extrusion Cooking as an alternative technology to hot air roasting for flavour and colour generation in coffee at Kraft Foods R&D Ltd - Global Coffee Technology Centre, UK
• BSc: Development and validation of a pesticide detection method for fruits and vegetables by GC-MS (Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry) at Sumol+Compal, PT
ccarmo@itqb.unl.pt
Vanessa Gonçalves
MSc
PhD Co-tutela thesis at ITQB-UNL and UVA: “Overcoming CNS-barriers by the development of hybrid nanostructured systems for nose-to-brain drug delivery using precipitation clean technologies.”
Current Research Interests:
- Supercritical Fluids/High Pressure Processes
- Development of multilayered and hybrid particles, with strong mucoadhesive properties as drug delivery systems for nose-to-brain administration
- Aerogels as drug delivery systems
Education: Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences by Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade de Lisboa. Master in Pharmaceutical Sciencies by Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade de Lisboa.
Thesis: " A Tuberculose e a problemática da resistência"
Agostinho Alexandre
agostinho@itqb.unl.pt
Rut Romero
MSc
Marie Curie PhD investigation line: Development of a novel process for the selective recovery of polyphenolic compounds from winemaking residues for the treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome and their use as natural pigments. (WineSense Project)
Current Research Interest:
Separation process (adsorption, supercritical extraction)
Polyphenolic compounds and their chemical characterization
In vitro bioactivity assessment – Metabolid Syndrome (Caco-2-cells)
Education:
Chemical Engineer by the University of Valladolid (Spain), accredited as Master in Engineering by the Institution of Chemical Engineer (ICheme). (2007-2013). Dissertation: “Solubility of Paracetamol and polyvinylpyrrolidone in mixtures of CO2 and solvents. Study of the influence of the solvent” at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU, Germany)
Master in research of Thermodynamic Engineering of Fluids by the University of Valladolid (Spain) and the University of Rovira i Virgili (Spain) (2013-2014). Master Thesis Publications: “Titanium dioxide nanoparticle coating in fluidized bed via supercritical anti-solvent process (SAS)”. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2015.05.014
rut.romero@itqb.unl.pt
MSc Students
Valeria Girlus
BSc
Education: Degree in Biochemistry at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Current project: Role of betalains on neuroprotective effect of Opuntia spp. natural extracts.
Ana Roda
BSc
Education:
Degree in Biochemistry – FCUL (2011-2014)
Master Degree in Biochemistry for Health – FCT/ITQB UNL (2014 – present)
Thesis: Multicore polimeric-lipidic nanoparticles for drug release to colon cancer treatment
Current Research interests:
Synthesis of multicore polimeric-lipidic nanoparticles by convencional chemistry and supercritical fluid technology; functionalization of nanoparticles surface with specific target; solid-state and chemical characterization of the particulate systems prepared.
ana.roda@itqb.unl.pt
Anyse Pereira
BSc
Education:
Degree in Pharmacy – UNICA (2009-2013)
Master Degree in Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine – FCT (2014 – present)
Thesis: EVALUATION OF THE CELLULAR UPTAKE IMPROVEMENT OF ENCAPSULATED NATURAL EXTRACTS NANOPARTICLES WITH ANTICANCER CAPACITY
Current research interests: nanoparticles for drug/natural extract delivery, biopolymers, targeted therapy, nanocarriers improvement and functionalization, biomarkers
anyse.pereira@itqb.unl.pt
Carolina Pereira
BSc
Education:
Degree in Biomedical Sciences in Histocellular Pathology by ESTeSL/IPL (2010-2014)
Master Degree in Biotechnology by FCT/UNL (2014-present)
Thesis - "Effect of citrus bioactive compound on targeting human colorectal cancer stem cells."
Current research interests: Phytochemical characterization of citrus juices and extracts and, cytotoxicity evaluation; Development of HT29 cell aggregates enrich in CSCs; Effect of citrus bioactive compounds on targeting CSC population.
carolina.pereira@itqb.unl.pt
Joana Guerreiro
BSc
Education:
Degree in Biochemistry – FCUL (2010-2014)
Master Degree in Biochemistry for Health – FCT/ITQB UNL (2014 – present)
Thesis: Exploring the anti-diabetic potential of white wines
Current Research interests:
Phytochemical characterization of white wines; Effect of polyphenols on diabetes specific bio-markers; Evaluation of glucose transport inhibition, on intestinal Caco-2 cell model.
