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Joana Figueiredo is Chemistry PhD student at CICS-UBI -Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. Currently she works in G-quadruplex (G4) field, namely on drug discovery and development applied to cancer. She has particular interest in chemical synthesis of new G4s structures ligands and in studying the interactions between ligands and G-quadruplex-forming sequences in pre-miRNAs using an array of biophysical and biochemical techniques.
Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Joana Patrícia Rodrigues Figueiredo

Citation names

  • Figueiredo, Joana

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
5C1D-F8C1-505C
ORCID iD
0000-0002-4711-107X

Email addresses

  • figueiredo_joana@hotmail.com (Professional)

Addresses

  • Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Covilhã, Portugal (Professional)

Websites

Knowledge fields

  • Medical and Health Sciences - Basic Medicine - Medicinal Chemistry

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2)
Education
Degree Classification
2020/01/01 - 2024
Ongoing
 Chemistry (Doutoramento)
Major in Medicinal Chemistry
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
"miR-150 G-quadruplex targeting by ligands as a therapeutic strategy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2014/09 - 2017/03
Concluded
 Medicinal Chemistry (Mestrado)
Universidade da Beira Interior Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
"Development of pyrimidine heterocycles derived from barbituric acids, as potential xanthine oxidase inhibitors" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2011/09 - 2014/10
Concluded
 Medicinal Chemistry (Licenciatura)
Universidade da Beira Interior Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
"Hantzsch reaction applied to ferrocenes" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
Affiliation

Others

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2020/01/01 - Current PhD Research Fellow (FCT) Universidade da Beira Interior Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
2018/11/07 - 2019/12/31 Research Fellow (PTNMR) Universidade da Beira Interior Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Portugal
2017/12/04 - 2018/10/04 Research Fellow (Santander-ICI-UBI) Universidade da Beira Interior Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
Projects

Other

Designation Funders
2023 - 2024 DEFEND -Gel vaginal para lesões cancerígenas causadas pelo vírus do Papiloma humano
CENTRO-01-0246-FEDER-000044
Researcher
Universidade da Beira Interior Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Portugal

Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biologicas, Portugal
2022 - 2023 Vaginal gel for topical application in precancerous lesions caused by the HPV
CENTRO-45-2021-30
Researcher
Universidade da Beira Interior Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Portugal

Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biológicas, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro
Ongoing
2022 - 2023 PAPILOMA
CENTRO-010145-FEDER-181235
Researcher
Universidade da Beira Interior Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Portugal
2020 - 2021 SENSE - Deteção de eStruturas de G-quadruplEx no SARS-CoV-2 utilizando soNdas fluorescentes
ref. 6
Researcher
Centro de Competências em Cloud Computing (C4)
Ongoing
2020/05/25 - 2020/11 Track and trace COVID-19
149_596826219
Researcher
Universidade da Beira Interior Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Figueiredo, Joana; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "G-quadruplex forming sequence in human pre-MIR150: A Biophysical study". Paper presented in Biophysics Festival - 3rd Meeting of Young Biophysicists, 2023.
  2. Figueiredo, Joana; Israel Carreira-Barral; Roberto Quesada; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "Desenvolvimento de ligandos para as regiões teloméricas de G-quadruplex: uma estratégia terapêutica para o tratamento do cancro". Paper presented in 4º Encontro Nacional de Jovens Investigadores em Oncologia, 2022.
  3. Figueiredo, Joana; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "Characterization of G-quadruplex structure in pre-MIR150: potential target for anti-cancer approaches in non-small cell lung cancer". Paper presented in International Symposium on SupraBiomolecular Systems 2021, 2021.
  4. Figueiredo, Joana; Lopes-Nunes, Jéssica; Miranda, André; Carvalho, Josué; Alexandre, Daniela; Valente, Salete; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "Estudo da expressão da nucleolina no cancro do pulmão de não-pequenas células (Co-author; presented by: Joana Figueiredo)". Paper presented in I SEMANA DA INVESTIGAÇÃO DO CHUCB, 2020.
  5. Figueiredo, Joana; Pereira, Patrícia; Valente, Maria La Salete; Magalhães, Eunice; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "A reversible miRNA hairpin G- quadruplex Conformational Transition and its biological relevance". Paper presented in III International Congress in Health Sciences Research towards innovation and entrepreneueship: Trends in aging and cancer, 2019.
    10.1063/1.43578
  6. Serrano J.; Figueiredo J.; Boto R. E. F.; Silvestre S.; Almeida P.. "Monomethine cyanine dyes as antiproliferative agents in colorectal adenocarcinoma cells". Paper presented in VI Encontro Nacional de Estudantes de Química, 2018.
  7. Figueiredo J.; Serrano J.; Ferreira S.; Domingues F.; Almeida P.; Silvestre S.. "Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 5-aminomethylene-1,3-disubstituted (thio)barbiturates as potential agents against Acinetobacter baumannii". Paper presented in VI Encontro Nacional de Estudantes de Química, 2018.
  8. Serrano J.; Figueiredo J.; Boto R. E. F; Almeida P.; Silvestre S.. "Cyanine dyes as Caco-2 cells selective antiproliferative agents". Paper presented in XIII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium, 2018.
  9. Figueiredo, Joana; Serrano J.; Almeida P.; Silvestre S.. "Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 1,3,5-trisubstituted (thio)barbiturates as potential xanthine oxidase inhibitors, antioxidants and anti-proliferative agents". Paper presented in XII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium, 2017.
  10. Serrano J.; Figueiredo J.; Almeida P.; Silvestre S.. "2,1-Benzisoxazoles and spiroindolin-3-ones (thio)barbiturate derivatives as antiproliferative agents and xanthine oxidase inhibitors". Paper presented in XII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium, 2017.
  11. Figueiredo J.; Almeida P.; Silvestre S.. "Development of 5-functionalized (thio)barbiturate derivatives as potential xanthine oxidase inhibitors". Paper presented in XI Annual CICS-UBI Symposium, 2016.
Journal article
  1. Figueiredo, Joana; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. Corresponding author: Cruz, Carla. "G-quadruplex ligands in cancer therapy: Progress, challenges, and clinical perspectives". Life Sciences (2024): 122481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122481.
    10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122481
  2. Figueiredo, Joana; Djavaheri-Mergny, Mojgan; Ferret, Lucille; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. Corresponding author: Cruz, Carla. "Harnessing G-quadruplex ligands for lung cancer treatment: A comprehensive overview". Drug Discovery Today 28 12 (2023): 103808. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103808.
    10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103808
  3. Joana Figueiredo; Israel Carreira-Barral; Roberto Quesada; Jean-Louis Mergny; Carla Cruz. "Synthesis and evaluation of 2,9-disubstituted-1,10-phenanthroline derivatives as G-quadruplex binders". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 73 (2022): 116971-116971. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116971.
    10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116971
  4. David Moreira; D.Leitão; Jéssica Lopes-Nunes; Santos T.; Joana Figueiredo; André Filipe Rodrigues Miranda; Daniela Alexandre; et al. "G-Quadruplex Aptamer-Ligand Characterization". Molecules 27 20 (2022): 6781-6781. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules27206781.
    10.3390/molecules27206781
  5. Tiago Santos; Jéssica Lopes-Nunes; Daniela Alexandre; André Miranda; Joana Figueiredo; Micael S. Silva; Jean-Louis Mergny; Carla Cruz. "Stabilization of a DNA aptamer by ligand binding". Biochimie 200 (2022): 8-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2022.05.002.
    10.1016/j.biochi.2022.05.002
  6. Figueiredo, Joana; Peitinho, David; Campello, Maria Paula Cabral; Oliveira, Maria Cristina; Paulo, António; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "Screening of Scaffolds for the Design of G-Quadruplex Ligands". Applied Sciences 12 4 (2022): 2170. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app12042170.
    10.3390/app12042170
  7. Figueiredo, Joana. "Molecular Beacon Assay Development for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Detection". Sensors 21 21 (2021): 7015-7015. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21217015.
    10.3390/s21217015
  8. Figueiredo, Joana; Santos, Tiago; Miranda, André; Alexandre, Daniela; Teixeira, Bernardo; Simões, Pedro; Lopes-Nunes, Jéssica; Cruz, Carla. "Ligands as Stabilizers of G-Quadruplexes in Non-Coding RNAs". Molecules 26 20 (2021): 6164-6164. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206164.
    10.3390/molecules26206164
  9. Figueiredo, Joana; Miranda, André; Lopes-Nunes, Jéssica; Carvalho, Josué; Alexandre, Daniela; Valente, Salete; Mergny, Jean-Louis; Cruz, Carla. "Targeting nucleolin by RNA G-quadruplex-forming motif". Biochemical Pharmacology (2021): 114418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114418.
    10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114418
  10. Lopes-Nunes, Jéssica; Carvalho, Josué; Figueiredo, Joana; Ramos, Catarina I.V.; Lourenço, Leandro M.O.; Tomé, João P.C.; G.P.M.S. Neves, Maria; et al. "Phthalocyanines for G-quadruplex aptamers binding". Bioorganic Chemistry (2020): 103920. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103920.
    10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103920
  11. João L. Serrano; Joana Figueiredo; Paulo Almeida; Samuel Silvestre. "From Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition to In Vivo Hypouricemic Effect: An Integrated Overview of In Vitro and In Vivo Studies with Focus on Natural Molecules and Analogues". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2020 (2020): 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9531725.
    10.1155/2020/9531725
  12. Eddahmi, Mohammed; Moura, Nuno M. M.; Bouissane, Latifa; Faustino, Maria A. F.; Cavaleiro, José A. S.; Paz, Filipe A. A.; Mendes, Ricardo F.; et al. "Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New Functionalized Nitroindazolylacetonitrile Derivatives". ChemistrySelect 4 48 (2019): 14335-14342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/slct.201904344.
    10.1002/slct.201904344
  13. Figueiredo, Joana; Lopes-Nunes, Jéssica; Carvalho, Josué; Antunes, Francisca; Ribeiro, Márcia; Campello, Maria Paula Cabral; Paulo, António; et al. "AS1411 derivatives as carriers of G-quadruplex ligands for cervical cancer cells". International Journal of Pharmaceutics 568 (2019): 118511. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118511.
    10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118511
  14. Figueiredo, Joana; Serrano, João L.; Soares, Mafalda; Ferreira, Susana; Domingues, Fernanda C.; Almeida, Paulo; Silvestre, Samuel. "5-Hydrazinylethylidenepyrimidines effective against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: Synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of antibacterial, radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities". European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 137 (2019): 104964. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2019.104964.
    10.1016/j.ejps.2019.104964
  15. Figueiredo, Joana; Serrano, João L.; Cavalheiro, Eunice; Keurulainenc, Leena; Yli-Kauhaluoma, Jari; Moreira, Vânia M.; Ferreira, Susana; et al. "Trisubstituted barbiturates and thiobarbiturates: Synthesis and biological evaluation as xanthine oxidase inhibitors, antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-proliferative agents". European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 143 (2018): 829-842. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S022352341730973X.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.11.070
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2023/11 A dual approach for anticancer strategy. Bio3Pharm French-Portuguese Symposium
(France)
2022/07 2,9-DISUBSTITUTED-1,10-PHENANTHROLINE DERIVATIVES AS TELOMERIC G-QUADRUPLEX BINDERS XVII CICS-UBI Symposium
2022/04 Phenanthroline-based derivatives as G-quadruplex pre-MIR150 binders: Synthesis and evaluation 14º ENQO & 7º ENQT
2022/03/16 Synthesis and evaluation of phenanthroline-based derivatives as human pre-MIR150 G-quadruplex binders for lung cancer therapy 1st CA17140 STSM Virtual conference
2021/05/10 Characterization of G-quadruplex structure in pre-MIR150: potential target for anti-cancer approaches in non-small cell lung cancer International Symposium on SupraBiomolecular Systems 2021
2019/06/05 AS1411 derivatives as carriers of G-quadruplex ligands for cervical cancer cells XIV Annual CICS-UBI SYMPOSIUM 2019
(Covilhã, Portugal)
2018/11 Síntese de 2,1-benzisoxazoles e espiroindolin-3-onas derivados de ácidos (tio)barbitúricos potencialmente bioativos XXIV Encontro Luso-Galego de Química
(Porto)
2018 Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 5-aminomethylene-1,3-disubstituted (thio)barbiturates as antibacterials against Acinetobacter baumannii, xanthine oxidase inhibitors and antioxidants XIII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium
2018 Alternative microwave improved preparation of new spiroindolin-3-one(thio)barbiturate derivatives XIII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium
2018 New spiroindolin-3-one(thio)barbiturate derivatives as antimalarial agentes XIII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium
2017 Antibacterial activity of barbiturates against acinetobacter baumanii XII Annual CICS-UBI Symposium

Supervision

Thesis Title
Role 		Degree Subject (Type)
Institution / Organization
2022/09 - 2024/03 Síntese e avaliação in vitro de derivados de fenantrolina
Co-supervisor of Carlos Manuel Almeida Gomes
 Ciências Básicas Farmacêuticas (Master)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2021/10 - 2023/10 G-quadruplex aptamer-functionalized liposomes for lung cancer therapy
Co-supervisor of Daniela Ramos Vaz Leitão
 Biotecnologia (Master)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2019 - 2019 Desenvolvimento de nanossistemas baseados em RNA G-quadruplex para terapia do cancro do pulmão
Co-supervisor
 Biotecnologia
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2018/03 - 2018/06 Desenvolvimento de nanossistemas baseados em RNA G-quadruplex para terapia do cancro do pulmão
Co-supervisor
 Biotechnology (Degree)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal

Jury of academic degree

Topic
Role 		Candidate name (Type of degree)
Institution / Organization
2022 Desenvolvimento de um aptâmero radiomarcado anti-PDL1 para teranostica do cancro do pulmão
(Thesis) Arguer
 Marta Marques Alves (Other)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2021/06 Jury of the final project entitled "Formação de estruturas G-quadruplex em pre-miRNAs e sua implicação no cancro". Work presented in the scope of "Projecto em Biotecnologia" course towards the obtaining of Biotecnologia Degree.
(Thesis) Arguer
 Matilde Bogalheiro Costa (Other)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2021/06 Jury of the final project entitled "Desenvolvimento de terapias direcionadas para a terapia do cancro do pulmão". Work presented in the scope of "Projecto em Biotecnologia" course towards the obtaining of Biochemistry Degree.
(Thesis) Arguer
 Melanie de Carvalho Lopes (Other)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2019/06 Jury of the final project entitled "Produção e purificação da proteína nucleolina e sua utilização no diagnóstico do cancro da próstata". Work presented in the scope of "Projecto em Biotecnologia" course towards the obtaining of Biotecnologia Degree. Bernardo Teixeira (Other)
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2023 - Current Laboratory course in Biochemistry I Ciências Biomédicas (Licenciatura) Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2022 - Current Laboratory course in Biochemistry I Ciências Biomédicas (Licenciatura) Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2019 - Current Laboratory course in Polymer Chemistry Química Industrial (Licenciatura) Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
2018 - Current Laboratory course in Polymer Chemistry Industrial Chemistry (Licenciatura) Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal
Distinctions

Award

2022 SYNERGIC - Winner project of "Promove: o Futuro do Interior"
Fundação 'la Caixa', Portugal

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
2021 Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) grant COST Action CA17140 Nanomedicine - from the bench to the bedside (NANO2CLINIC) with Faculty of Sciences, Chemistry Department, University of Burgos
European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Belgium
2018 Best Poster presentation in VI Encontro Nacional de Estudantes de Química