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Sandra Pinto and Vasco Bonifácio (iBB-i4HB/IST) were invited to carry out hands-on science activities for 1st cycle students at EB/JI Quinta da Cevadeira School on May 31, 2023. At the “Clube Ciência Viva – Cientistas de Palmo e Meio” they performed several experiences based on fluorescence and phosphorescence. The “little scientists” were surprised by the luminescent properties of different materials used in everyday life (emergency signs, honey, olive oil, gummy bears, vitamins, among others), learned how to make fluorescent slime and also discovered the fireflies chemistry.

Vasco Bonifácio (iBB-i4HB/DBE) was one of the guest speakers at the Workshop “Design and trends in presentations” that took place at Academia das Ciências on May 26, 2023, as part of the 5th Edition of CQE Days, Researchers Meeting from Centro Estrutural de Química (CQE) at IST. His talk “Design or redesign?” focused on strategies to improve the graphic quality of science communication. Based on his experience as an Editor of scientific journals, Researcher and Professor, he used several case studies, where he approached the construction of figures and graphical abstracts for articles, and the elaboration of posters and slides for oral presentations.

A pandemic can turn the world upside down. We recently had this hard experience, which made us reflect (a lot) on the importance of science and how it is the stronghold of our survival as a species (we have persisted for at least 200 thousand years!). Resistance to antibiotics and antifungals is nothing new and seems to have become commonplace (or despised). It is too serious a problem to be reassured, for several reasons. The evolution of multidrug resistance in bacteria and fungi (proven by genetic sequencing), associated with the disinvestment in new drugs by large pharmaceutical multinationals, converges in a (next) pandemic scenario of hypervirulent bacteria and fungi. Antimicrobial resistance is fundamentally based on the ability that bacteria and fungi have acquired to escape the action of available drugs, using mainly three strategies: enzymatic degradation of drugs, alteration of drug target proteins, and alteration of membrane permeability (expression of efflux pumps). Bearing in mind these strategies, a team of researchers from iBB-IST (led by Prof. Vasco Bonifácio) in collaboration with researchers from CQE-IST and ITQB-NOVA, designed, and produced antimicrobial polyurea pharmadendrimers, a new class of antibiotics and antifungals. These pharmadendrimers have excellent activity (in vitro and in vivo) against multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi from clinical isolates collected in Portuguese hospitals and clinics. Their administration is safe as they have a very wide therapeutic window, in which they are not cytotoxic and do not cause hemolysis (the main problems of other analogues under investigation, such as antimicrobial peptides). On the other hand, its mechanism of action prevents the development of resistance, an almost impossible mission for bacteria and fungi because it requires a restructuring of their membrane. Antimicrobial pharmadendrimers have been patented, and an international patent application is pending. In an interview to the RTP TV channel, on the program “O Desafio do Superior em Portugal”, Dr. Rita Pires, a researcher on the team, talks about this invention (video). The research work was recently published in a high impact international journal.

Our researchers were involved in many different ways at this year's edition of FIC.A – Festival internacional de Ciência 2022. Vasco Bonifácio was involved in the activities "The Perfume Laboratory", "The Air We Live In", "Black Ink Secrets", and also assisted the "Virtual Tour To The International Space Station (ISS)" using VR glasses. Tiago Fernandes talked to young audiences about "Challenges and opportunities in Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells". Our student Diana Marques talked to kids about "The Future of food and 3D printing", an activity developed under the umbrella of the initiative "Soapbox Science Lisbon" that promotes the visibility of women in Science. Finally, we were also represented in the Técnico stand with the hands-on activity "Bioreactors for Cell Expansion".

Polyurea oxide (PURO) biodendrimers are a class of dendrimers that can trigger osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The effect of PURO biodendrimers in the differentiation of hMSCs was found by the single addition to a standard growth medium for MSCs differentiation (without differentiation inducers, e.g. dexamethasone, ascorbic acid, and β-glycerophosphate). These results, published in ACS Applied Bio Materials by Rita Pires and Vasco Bonifácio from BSIRG-iBB and with colleague João Conde from NOVA Medical School, constitute the first report of in vitro osteodifferentiation fully regulated by synthetic soft polymers. The outstanding role of dendrimers in nanomedicine, under clinic translation, combined with this feature is envisaged to foster PURO dendrimers as an important strategy in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

The ability of block co-polymers to self-assemble and form micelles in solution can potentially be explored to deliver poorly soluble chemotherapeutic agents. Researchers from BSIRG-iBB led by Vasco Bonifácio, working in collaboration with colleagues from Universidade Nova, have synthesized new block copolymers of oligo-2-oxazoline and linear oligo(ethylenimine) that are water-soluble and show an intrinsic blue fluorescence. The synthesis uses a green protocol and allows a precise control of the oligo(ethylenimine) backbone. The work was published in Advanced Materials Letters.

Vasco Bonifácio (iBB-i4HB/DBE) is the new President of the Lisbon Regional Delegation of the Portuguese Chemical Society (SPQ). Elections took place on June 1, 2023, with a three-year term. The new team includes Doctor Sandra Pinto (iBB-i4HB) and Doctor Rita Pires (CEFEMA), both IST researchers. It is incumbent upon the Delegations to develop, on a regional scale, the scientific and administrative activities arising from the achievement of the Society's purposes.

Prof. Vasco Bonifácio, from the Bioengineering Department at IST, gave an invited keynote lecture in the American Advanced Materials Congress that took place in Miami (USA) from 29 October to 5 November 2022. The lecture “Sustainable Biomaterials” was focused on research developed by his research team in the last years at iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (IST), including recent achievements and ongoing research using nanobiomaterials. The lecture highlighted the importance of the development of new sustainable protocols for the synthesis and formulation of nanotherapeutics as well as its impact on the design and production of novel biomaterials for regenerative medicine. This research is full aligned with the green transition, a social change strategy that will allow us to turn the current environmentally unsustainable global situation into a new sustainable paradigm. Also, it takes in account the European Green Deal that aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 and boost the economy through green technology. In this congress, Prof. Vasco Bonifácio also chaired two scientific sessions.

Vasco Bonifácio participated in the International Science Festival FIC.A 2022 from 10 to 16 of October 2022 (Hub-ACT, Oeiras). This was an invitation/collaboration with the Portuguese Association for Women in Science (Lucélia Pombeiro). Their proposed activities included: The Perfume Laboratory (demonstration of lavender essential oil hydrodistillation and explanation how perfumes are formulated), The Air We Live In (composition and importance of surrounding gases with emphasis on carbon dioxide – dry ice show), Black Ink Secrets (discovery of black inks formulations using chromatography – hands-on experiment). Vasco Bonifácio also assisted the Virtual Tour To The International Space Station (ISS), using the Oculus Quest VR glasses. This tour included the presentation of ISS, giving an overview of the importance of space research, and revealing some interesting facts about life in space.

Vasco Bonifácio was invited to participate in the program “Explain me as if were 5 years old”, an IST initiative that consists of informal conversations about science for curious children and adults. In this program, which was broadcast live on Facebook on the afternoon of November 28, 2020, Vasco presented the session “Why do fireflies shine?”. In this session, chaired by Joana Lobo Antunes (Communication and Public Relations Office of IST), Vasco Bonifácio explained the phenomena of bioluminescence, chemiluminescence and phosphorescence and how these physical-chemical processes are related to research in the area of cancer treatment that he has been developing in recent years. There was also time to carry out live experiments, which delighted the young audience and to answer many questions! The program was recorded and is available on the program's website (Episode 12).

Photodiodes are on the rise. In the past decade many efforts have been made to deliver cheaper, more flexible, and increasingly better performing photodiode devices. The demand for enhanced optoelectronics led to the development of new inorganic, organic, and hybrid materials. A tutorial review published in Journal of Materials NanoScience by Rita Pires and Vasco Bonifácio from BSIRG-iBB describes in detail the working principles, the characterization, fabrication (types and architectures) and major applications of photodiodes. Recent applications, mainly in imaging, sensing and healthcare are also presented.