Agenda IB

Anete Pereira de Souza
My main research area is the study of genetic diversity in different biological systems, its use and applications in plant breeding, conservation of wild species and new biotechnological targets in fungi for biomass degradation. These studies have been carried out mainly through molecular biology approaches, genetic and genomic analyses, biotechnology, computational biology, bioinformatics and statistical genetic tools.

Valéria Helena Alves Cagnon Quitete
The Laboratory of Reproductive Biology has studied the prostatic microenvironmental changes such as proliferative lesions associated or not with the aging process. The prostatic stroma dynamics as well as the stroma-epithelium interaction have also been the focus of our research, due to the main roles of these glandular compartments in the development and progression of the prostatic lesions associated with inflammation; angiogenesis; and oxidative stress. These studies have used different therapies, including those with natural compounds such as Brazilian berries, and a transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (Tramp) model. In addition to this, biological techniques for instance, immunohistochemistry; western blotting; microdissection; morphology; stereology and PCR have been used. Others studies using human prostatic cells (in vitro) focusing on prostatic cancer; hormonal imbalance; and biological processes (angiogenesis; inflammation; and oxidative stress) have also been developed.

Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira
Currently, in terms of regenerative rehabilitation, the Laboratory of Nerve Regeneration (LRN), which I coordinate, works on different fronts that are complementary to each other. Among the components of the repair process, measures that fall into two large groups named regenerative medicine and rehabilitation are contemplated. In the first (regenerative medicine) one can list the use of therapeutic elements such as stem cells, matrices/ scaffolds, drugs, and optimization technologies; in the second (rehabilitation), the use of physical activities, in different environments and with different protocols, is contemplated, according to the clinical condition in question.
Regarding the application of treatments of cellular origin, the LRN has focused its efforts on using stem cells, which are a cell type characterized by two great properties: 1) self-renewal and 2) differentiation into different cell types. In this context, we have stem cells from different lineages, such as those of human embryonic and mesenchymal origin, the latter being obtained from different sites, such as adipose tissue and dental pulp. Cells of adipose origin are obtained, for example, from material dispensed in liposuction procedures, thanks to partnerships established with physicians and other healthcare professionals. Proof of the promising effect of cell therapies, in recent years, the LRN has published, in several journals, the beneficial effects of this type of treatment (Araújo et al., 2017, Spejo et al., 2018, Mozafari et al., 2018, Castro et al., 2020). Furthermore, in LRN, the use of cells related to the immune system (cell therapy by lymphocytes) in models of nerve damage is also being researched (Bombeiro et al., 2016, 2020).
Associated or not with cell therapy, the LRN investigates the applicability of different types of matrices/frameworks. Resulting from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field, tissue engineering has specialized in the production of technologies that help in the three-dimensional tissue repair process. In the laboratory context, after root avulsion or axotomy of a mixed nerve, a structure is needed that allows the end-to-end reimplantation or junction (coaptation) of stumps effectively, that is, creating an environment that not only reconnects nerve stumps at the injury site, but that allows physiological and biological processes of self-repair, always aiming at functional reestablishment.