Filipe Leal

External PhD Student

I have been doing my PhD project in Mónica’s lab at the IGC since June 2008. This work is a collaboration with Eric Karsenti from the Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, where I spent almost one year of my PhD.

The goal of my project is to better characterize the SAK/PLK4-dependent control of centriole biogenesis. For that, I am using a combination of different model organisms and techniques, including Drosophila genetics and biochemical manipulation of Xenopus egg extracts.

I have a degree in Applied Chemistry from the Faculty of Science and Technology, New University of Lisbon. While at the same university, I did a year-long internship focused on two main objectives. Oligonucleotide functionalized gold nanoparticles in a non-cross-linking method were used to validate a detection system for single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the human beta globin locus. Additionally, I worked on assessing the presence of the most common European mutations associated with impaired hearing (mutations in the GJB2 and GJB6 genes) in both Portuguese patients diagnosed with this anomaly and their close relatives. I then entered the Coimbra PhD programme where I took several courses taught by a national and international faculty before selecting the lab where to do my thesis work.

It is cool working in our lab, we have a good team spirit, and people support one another, which I think is very important. Although we work very hard, we have a great team and environment, which generates the appropriate conditions to grow as researchers. It is also worth mentioning that there are a lot of young people at the IGC, which contributes to make it a very active institute in which it is fun to work.