The Applied Biomolecular Chemistry (ABC) research group is involved in a variety of projects that are linked by the use of biomolecules as targets or as tools for novel applications. The members of this group have different scientific backgrounds but all have a common foundation in the domain of Chemistry that permits them to contribute to interdisciplinary projects. These projects are carried out in collaboration with partners from other research centres, in Portugal and abroad.
The research interests of ABC group are:
- Development of new methods and new intermediates for peptide synthesis and their application in the production of peptides, peptide analogues and peptidomimetics
- Preparation of metal complexes for medical imaging.
- Development of new supramolecular hydrogels based on low molecular weight peptides
- Preparation and purification of biomolecules for therapeutic applications.
Paula Margarida Ferreira
- ABC Group Leader: Paula Margarida Ferreira
Recent ABC Publications:
- Dextrin-Based Nanomagnetogel: In Vivo Biodistribution and Stability
Goncalves, C.; Silva, J. P.; Antunes, I. F.; Ferreira, M. F. M.; Martins, J&a
Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2015
- Interaction of fluorescent quinolin-2-one and coumarin derivatives including dipeptides with lipid bilayers
Abreu, A.S.; Hermenegildo, B.F.C.; Ferreira, P.M.T.; Queiroz, M.J.R&period
RSC Advances, 2016
- Light triggering of 5-aminolevulinic acid from fused coumarin ester cages
Soares, A.M.S.; Hungerford, G.; Gon?alves, M.S.T.; Costa, S.P.G.
New Journal of Chemistry, 2017
- Gold nanoparticles functionalised with fast water exchanging Gd3+ chelates: linker effects on the relaxivity
Ferreira, Miguel F.; Goncalves, Janaina; Mousavi, Bibimaryam; Prata, Maria I. M.; Rodrigues, Sergio P. J.&
Dalton Transactions, 2015
- Gold nanoparticles functionalised with fast water exchanging Gd<sup>3+</sup>chelates: Linker effects on the relaxivity
Ferreira, M.F.; Gon?alves, J.; Mousavi, B.; Prata, M.I.M.; Rodrigues, S&period
Dalton Transactions, 2015
- Self-assembled RGD dehydropeptide hydrogels for drug delivery applications
Vila?a, H.; Castro, T.; Costa, F.M.G.; Melle-Franco, M.; Hilliou, L.; Ham
Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2017
- Photoactivable heterocyclic cages in a comparative release study of butyric acid as a model drug
Piloto, A.M.; Hungerford, G.; Sutter, J.U.; Soares, A.M.S.; Costa, S.P
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 2015
- Synthesis of N-alkyl-C<sup>α,α</sup>-dimethylglycine derivatives
Monteiro, L.S.; Pereira-Lima, S.M.M.A.; Pereira, S.; Machado, J.N.
Arkivoc, 2014
- N-Pyrenylmethoxycarbonyl phototriggers for the release of serotonin, tryptamine and their biosynthetic precursors
Fernandes, M.J.G.; Gon?alves, M.S.T.; Costa, S.P.G.
Dyes and Pigments, 2018
- Dehydrodipeptide Hydrogelators Containing Naproxen N-Capped Tryptophan: Self-Assembly, Hydrogel Characterization, and Evaluation as Potential Drug Nanocarriers
Vilaca, Helena; Hortelao, Ana C. L.; Castanheira, Elisabete M. S.; Queiroz, Maria-Joao R. P.; Hilliou&com
Biomacromolecules, 2015
- Synthesis of dehydrodipeptide and N-ethyl-dehydrodipeptide derivatives with an α-aminoisobutyric acid residue
Monteiro, L.S.; Pereira-Lima, S.M.; Pereira, S.
Current Chemical Biology, 2014
- Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of new phenolic and catecholic dehydroamino acid derivatives
Monteiro, L.S.; Oliveira, S.; Paiva-Martins, F.; Ferreira, P.M.T.; Pereira, D.M&a
Tetrahedron, 2017
- Magnetogels: Prospects and main challenges in biomedical applications
Veloso, S.R.S.; Ferreira, P.M.T.; Martins, J.A.; Coutinho, P.J.G.&a
Pharmaceutics, 2018
- New fluoroionophores for metal cations based on benzo[d]oxazol-5-yl-alanine bearing pyrrole and imidazole
Esteves, C.I.C.; Ferreira, R.C.M.; Raposo, M.M.M.; Costa, S.P.G&
Dyes and Pigments, 2018
- PEGylated DOTA-AHA-Based Gd<sup>III</sup>Chelates: A Relaxometric Study
Fontes, A.; Karimi, S.; Helm, L.; Ferreira, P.M.; Andr\'e, J.P.
European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2015
- Synthesis of new benzo[a]phenoxazinium probes possessing carboxylic ester, hydroxyl and amino functional groups: Photophysical studies in dry ethanol and conjugation with CdTe quantum dots
Raju, B.R.; Garcia, A.M.F.; Costa, A.L.S.; Coutinho, P.J.G.&sem
Dyes and Pigments, 2014
- New cyclic RGD peptides: Synthesis, characterization, and theoretical activity towards α<inf>v</inf>β<inf>3</inf>integrin
Vilac?a, H.; Ferreira, P.M.T.; Micaelo, N.M.
Tetrahedron, 2014
- Photoactivation of Butyric Acid from 6-Aminobenzocoumarin Cages
Soares, A.M.S.; Hungerford, G.; Costa, S.P.G.; Gonçalves, M.S.T.
European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2015
- Photolytic release of bioactive carboxylic acids from fused pyran conjugates
Concei?\~ao, R.; Hungerford, G.; Costa, S.P.G.; Gon?alves, M.S.T.
Dyes and Pigments, 2018
- Interactions between an Aryl Thioacetate-Functionalized Zn(II) Porphyrin and Graphene Oxide
Mao, Boyang; Calatayud, David G.; Mirabello, Vincenzo; Hodges, Benjamin J.; Ribeiro Martins, Jose Alberto; Botchway, Stanle
Advanced Functional Materials, 2016
- Ln[DO3A-N-α-(pyrenebutanamido)propionate] complexes: Optimized relaxivity and NIR optical properties
Ferreira, M.F.; Pereira, G.; Martins, A.F.; Martins, C.I.O.; Prata, M.
Dalton Transactions, 2014
- Fluorescent phenanthroimidazoles functionalized with heterocyclic spacers: Synthesis, optical chemosensory ability and two-photon absorption (TPA) properties
Ferreira, R.C.M.; Costa, S.P.G.; Gon?alves, H.; Belsley, M.; Raposo, M&
New Journal of Chemistry, 2017
- Toxicity and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of α,β-dehydroamino acids against human cancer cell lines
Videira, R.A.; Andrade, P.B.; Monteiro, L.S.; Valent\~ao, P.; Ferreira, P&perio
Toxicology in Vitro, 2018
- New self-assembled supramolecular hydrogels based on dehydropeptides
Vila?a, H.; Pereira, G.; Castro, T.G.; Hermenegildo, B.F.; Shi, J.; Faria
Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2015
- Novel functionalised imidazo-benzocrown ethers bearing a thiophene spacer as fluorimetric chemosensors for metal ion detection
Esteves, C.I.C.; Batista, R.M.F.; Raposo, M.M.M.; Costa, S.P.G&
Dyes and Pigments, 2016
- Non-canonical amino acids bearing thiophene and bithiophene: synthesis by an Ugi multicomponent reaction and studies on ion recognition ability
Esteves, C.I.C.; Raposo, M.M.M.; Costa, S.P.G.
Amino Acids, 2017
- Dehydrodipeptide Hydrogelators Containing Naproxen N-Capped Tryptophan: Self-Assembly, Hydrogel Characterization, and Evaluation as Potential Drug Nanocarriers
Vila?a, H.; Hortel\~ao, A.C.L.; Castanheira, E.M.S.; Queiroz, M.-J.R&a
Biomacromolecules, 2015
- Phototriggered release of tetrapeptide AAPV from coumarinyl and pyrenyl cages
Santos, F.C.; Soares, A.M.S.; Gon?alves, M.S.T.; Costa, S.P.G&pe
Amino Acids, 2017
- Ga[NO2A-N-(α-amino)propionate] chelates: Synthesis and evaluation as potential tracers for<sup>68</sup>Ga PET
Ferreira, M.F.; Pereira, G.; Andr\'e, J.P.; Prata, M.I.M.; Ferreira,
Journal of the Chemical Society. Dalton Transactions, 2014
- Dinuclear DOTA-based Gd<sup>III</sup> chelates - Revisiting a straightforward strategy for relaxivity improvement
Fontes, A.; Karimi, S.; Helm, L.; Yulikov, M.; Ferreira, P.M.; Andr\'e,
European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2015
