PRR Project

Summary

Job descriptionWith the aim of expanding beyond basic research in drug discovery, we are seeking a candidate with expertise in computational techniques across the drug development pipeline. Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD), including cheminformatics, chemogenomics and Artificial Intelligence tools are cutting-edge scientific areas widely employed to facilitate the identification, prioritization, and progression of bioactive compounds.Technical tasksRoutine Plasmodium falciparum culture;Production of P. falciparum gametocytes in vitro ;To establish and optimize P. falciparum - Anopheles infection models;Perform drug screening using in vitro and in vivo malaria models;Perform drug screening ex vivo assays in field-collected isolates of different tropical pathogensCreate novel computational approaches for drug discovery, including the possibility of exploring novel Artificial Intelligence tools.Develop machine-learning models to help rationalize compound property predictions;Drive medicinal chemistry design efforts for discovery and understanding of target biology of active compounds;Rationalize compound optimization through structural-activity relationships (SAR) studies.Liaise with the PT-OPENSCREEN infrastructure towards high-throughput drug screening of large compound libraries. Scientific profileThe candidate to be retained is expected to be able to use CADD tools coupled to experimental drug screening, using malaria parasites as a working model, that may be subsequently applied to other Tropical and Vector-borne Parasitic Diseases.Requirements:PhD in biology, computational chemistry, or related field;Previous experience in malaria focused projects;Familiarity with drug research software and tools;Excellent oral communication skills;Experience in drafting technical reports and scientific articles;Experience in supervision and student training;Proactive in developing contacts and research collaborations. RationaleThe prospective researcher with this scientific profile will contribute to the discovery of new drugs not only against malaria but also across the broad portfolio of vector-borne and tropical infectious diseases investigated at IHMT, including tuberculosis, kinetoplastids, babesiosis and hepatitis, among others. It is important to note that IHMT currently lacks any permanent researchers with this expertise. Additionally, it´s worth highlighting that the “Fundação Para a Ciência e Tecnologia” is inaugurating the supercomputer Deucalion, and thus, having a scientist capable of working with these computational resources could significantly boost research at IHMT.Traditionally, IHMT and GHTM RD&I Unit have pioneered the identification of active compounds against various parasitic diseases, many of which are neglected and receive little attention from for-profit institutions. A successful example is translational research in malaria, which has already led to the discovery of candidates for the next generation of antimalarials against the asexual blood stages of the parasite, responsible for the symptoms of the disease. However, to achieve the goal of eradicating the disease, new treatments are needed not only to cure patients but also to interrupt the transmission of the parasite to mosquito vectors. The Arthropod Safety Level 3 facility (VIASEF) infrastructure, which is a mandatory requirement for conducting experiments with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and other vector-borne borne diseases, will be utilized to contribute to the discovery of transmission-blocking therapies.Also, GHTM is a member of the PT-OPENSCREEN infrastructure (https://pt-openscreen.pt/ ), that integrates the NOVA´s research infrastructure roadmap, a nationwide network of chemistry and biology research institutes bridging chemistry-based research areas (organic and medicinal chemistry) and molecular and structural biology, that offers open access to thousands of compounds, cellular and biochemical assays for screening, as well as hit to lead, lead optimization and follow-up studies.