E-Learning

Blue Biotechnology Advanced Tools

This course will include 4 key areas of the biotechnology pipeline, allowing a comprehensive overview of the process of discovery of new molecules and bioactivities. It has a module on genomics applications to biotechnology, allowing to understand the processes of gene mining and biosynthetic pathway analysis. Screening for the discovery of compounds with a diverse array of bioactivies is the focus of another module that will allow to highlight valuable extracts for compound isolation.

MODULE 1

 

GENOMIC APPLICATIONS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY (NATURAL PRODUCTS)

Organisms produce a diverse array of nature products many of which have important pharmaceutical applications. This module provides training in genome assembly, annotation and the identification of natural product biosynthetic pathways, with special emphasis on microbial genomics.

Keywords: Genomics, Marine Natural Products

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

  • Agostinho Antunes (FCUP/CIIMAR – Portugal) – Genomic applications in Biotechnology
  • João Paulo Machado and Anoop Alex (CIIMAR – Portugal) – Assembly Algorithms
  • Tânia Shishido (University of Helsinki – Finland) – Gene Cluster Annotation
  • Vitor Vasconcelos (FCUP/CIIMAR – Portugal) – Molecular tools for the study of cyanobacteria biodiversity and toxicity potential
MODULE 2

 

BIOACTIVITIES: CELLULAR EFFECTS OF MARINE NATURAL COMPOUNDS

Bioactivity screening of marine organism is an important process in the drug discovery process with the aim to elucidate and characterize novel natural products. This course will provide state-of-the-art lectures on bioactivity screening with a wide range of applications as anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-obesity or anti-fouling compounds, and on high-throughput techniques.

Keywords: Bioactivity, Marine Natural Compounds

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

  • André Maia (i3S/IBMC – Portugal) – High Content Imaging and Phenotypic Screening
  • Brith Bergum (University of Bergen – Flow Cytometry Core facility – Norway) – Introduction to Flow Cytometry
  • Frode Selheim (University of Bergen – Proteomic Unit – Norway) – Proteomics Methods and Applications
  • Lars Herfindal & Reidun Aesoy (University of Bergen – Norway) – Anti-cancer Drug development
  • Francisca Vicente (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – New Paradigms And Challenges for Natural Products Discovery
  • José Pérez del Palácio (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – ADME: Drug-Drug Interactions
MODULE 3

 

MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS: DISCOVERY AND STRUCTURE ELUCIDATION

Discovery, Isolation and Structure Elucidation of Marine Natural Products. This module will focus on important aspects of MS-based structure elucidation, NMR-based structure elucidation, Computational predictions, X-ray crystallography, Dereplication, Molecular Networks, Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry, Metabolomics and Chemical imaging.

Keywords: Structure Elucidation, Marine Natural Products

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

  • Carla Fernandes (FFUP/CIIMAR- Portugal) – Chiral Chromatography
  • Caroline Rouger (GEOMAR – France/University of Bordeaux – France) – General Topics of HPLC and Mass Spectrometry
  • Fernando Reys (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – Dereplication for Natural Product Discovery
  • Mariana Reis (CIIMAR – Portugal) – Isolation of Natural Products
MODULE 4

 

HIGHTHROUGHPUT SCREENING  AND SAFETY

Bioactivity screening is an important process in the discovery of novel compounds from marine resources. Technical advances led to a miniaturization of assays and the capacity to process thousands of samples per day – commonly known as high-throughput screening (HTS). This module provides fundamental lectures on important developments in the field of HTS: sample management, data analysis, phenotypic screening, target-based assays, whole small animal models, and secondary screenings (ADME, toxicity, pharmacokinetics). Invited companies will give an overview of their products and applications for HTS.

Keywords: Bioactivity Screening, HTS, Marine Novel Compounds

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

  • Bastien Cautain (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – Phenotypic and Target Based Assays
  • Caridad Diaz Navarro (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – Pharmacokinetic and Bioanalytical Assays
  • Carmen Ramos (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – In vitro and In vivo Safety
  • German Martinez Sánchez (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – Data Analysis LIMS
  • Jose Ruben Tormo (Fundación MEDINA – Spain) – Collection Generation and Sample Management