Professor at the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (ITQB NOVA) and coordinator of an associated laboratory, LS4Future, Inês Cardoso Pereira is also responsible for the Bacterial Energy Metabolism laboratory.
One of the Bacterial Energy Metabolism laboratory’s projects she highlights is the study of an important enzyme in anaerobic bacteria that has a high capacity to reduce CO2. With a PhD from Oxford University, Inês Cardoso Pereira believes that the ITQB NOVA’s atmosphere is “fantastic” and that the institute has “a very multidisciplinary character,” praising how Oeiras has “a very rich and expanding research ecosystem,” with “great support” from the City Council of Oeiras.
Learn more about the Bacterial Energy Metabolism laboratory through the words of Inês Cardoso Pereira, the Face of Science responsible for this department.
What are the main research directions of the Bacterial Energy Metabolism laboratory?
Our lab studies a group of anaerobic bacteria, that is, bacteria that use sulfur compounds to breathe instead of oxygen. These bacteria are found in many natural habitats, from marine sediments, to soils to our gut. By studying their energy metabolism, we try to understand how they obtain energy from this type of respiration, which results in the production of sulfide and can potentially generate adverse environmental and health consequences if produced in excess.
On the other hand, we use these bacteria, as well as proteins isolated from them, for biocatalytic processes, processes in which we use the biological system (cells or proteins) to perform relevant chemical transformations, from the removal of environmental pollutants to the production of hydrogen or the conversion of CO2 into value-adding compounds.
What specific lab projects would you like to highlight?
We have several projects going on in the lab, but I can highlight three that are illustrative. In the first, we are studying an intestinal bacterium – several studies have shown that it becomes more abundant in the intestine with the consumption of a diet rich in animal protein and fats and low in fiber. This bacterium leads to higher levels of sulfide in the gut, with adverse health consequences, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We are studying how this bacterium interacts with intestinal epithelial cells and what pathogenic mechanisms it uses.
In another project we study an important enzyme from a group of bacteria that have a high ability to reduce CO2 in a very efficient and specific way, which is difficult to achieve chemically.
We study the mechanism used by this protein to activate and reduce CO2, allowing us to develop sustainable catalytic systems that use green light or electricity to reduce this gas efficiently.
Finally, in a recent project we developed a hybrid biocatalyst based on semiconductor nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are produced on the surface of bacteria and allow the bacteria to produce hydrogen directly from sunlight, in a sustainable process, that is to say, one that produces green hydrogen.
How are these organisms and their study relevant in the sewage treatment?
Sewage treatment involves numerous biological processes, some of them under anaerobic conditions, which are essential to remove organic matter and other nutrients. We have developed a process in our laboratory, based on the bacteria we study, designed to remove micropollutants present in low concentrations in the sewage system during the treatment process, namely pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, steroids and contraceptives.
How can the population of Oeiras benefit from the projects developed in the Bacterial Energy Metabolism laboratory?
Our projects have global implications and can benefit the entire population. But during the pandemic we worked directly for the population of Oeiras because we produced several enzymes that were used by our colleagues at ITQB NOVA in the development of a rapid saliva test for the detection of COVID-19. This test was used in schools in the Municipality of Oeiras and in other screenings for the disease.
What is your assessment of your experience leading this laboratory so far, and how do you see the future of your work?
I feel very privileged to be able to have this profession as a researcher and a teacher, which is very rewarding, and also to be able to do it in such a special place as the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology at NOVA University of Lisbon. This institute has a fantastic atmosphere and a very multidisciplinary character. We are in contact with colleagues from very diverse areas, which is very enriching for our research.
We are also lucky to be based in Oeiras, where there is a very rich and expanding research ecosystem, and where we have great support from the City Council of Oeiras. This is extremely important because it allows us to have many activities to bring science closer to society and schools, which would otherwise not be possible. I am the coordinator of an Associate Laboratory called LS4Future, focused on life sciences. ITQB NOVA, iBET and IGC are its partners in Oeiras which will greatly strengthen the lab’s presence in this municipality, attracting more funding and national and international researchers. Thus, I see a bright and promising future for research in Oeiras, where I am lucky to live and work.
