João Filipe Seco Martins Marques Neves
I am a pharmacist (MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences) graduated in the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto. During my academic pathway, I had one Erasmus experience as a hospital pharmacy trainee in London. I have also worked in the Laboratory of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto as a volunteer researcher. My main areas of work were organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, spectroscopy and forensic toxicology/chemistry. I am truly interested in several areas of science related to drug discovery, such as biology, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology and biophysics.
Currently I am a PhD student at Lille University, in France. I am working in the NMR and molecular interactions team in UMR8576 department. I mainly use NMR spectroscopy to study 14-3-3 PPIs and investigate new compounds to modulate these PPIs.
Project topic: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance study of 14-3-3 PPIs and modulation thereof by small compounds
This project is focused on the study, by NMR spectroscopy, of the interaction of 14-3-3 with other proteins. It is already known that the regulatory protein 14-3-3 is indirectly involved in Alzheimer’s disease physiopathology, through its PPis.
We aim to use the high sensitivity and atomic resolution of NMR spectroscopy in order to explore these interactions. This will be the basis for the development of new drug candidates to modulate these PPIs.
All these accomplishments will, expectedly lead to shed some light on the role of 14-3-3 in Alzheimer’s disease physiopathology. This information will constitute an additional step for understanding more about one of the most challenging pathologies that the scientific community is now facing.