Miguel Prudêncio
Miguel Prudêncio graduated in Biochemistry by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon in 1993 and completed his PhD on Biochemistry by the University of East Anglia in 2000, followed by a post-doctoral period at the University of Leiden. During this period, he worked on metalloprotein characterization and protein-protein interactions. In 2004, he shifted his research focus to the field of malaria and became a post-doc in Maria Mota’s research group, initially at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência and later at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM). In 2008 he was hired under FCT’s Ciência 2007 program and became a Staff Scientist of IMM’s Malaria Unit. In July 2013 he was hired under the Investigador FCT programme and became a fully independent Group Leader at IMM, heading the Prudêncio lab.
Miguel’s research interests are focused on the investigation of Plasmodium liver stages and on the exploitation of their potential for anti-malarial intervention. His research program includes the analysis of nutrient acquisition by hepatic Plasmodium parasites, the survey of novel parasite-host interactions, the study of Plasmodium-Trypanosoma co-infections, the identification of new anti-malarial compounds and the development of a new vaccination strategy against malaria.
Miguel is the author of over 50 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals, having earned several scientific and innovation prizes, and is an inventor of four independent patents. He regularly lectures at undergraduate and graduate courses in various Faculties. He is the Director of the Biosafety Level 3 Facility of the IMM and a member of the IMM Biosafety Commission. He has had numerous media appearances in relation to his research work in the malaria field or to the public understanding of science.