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CURRICULUM VITAE

Phone: 351 21 994 6196
E-mail: fmendes (add @itn.pt)

Education

• 2000-2004 – PhD in Cellular Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa. Final classification: summa cum laude Thesis: "Expression, Localization and Traffic of Wild-Type and Mutant CFTR Protein".
• 1994-1999 – BSc in Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa.
  Final classification: 18 (over 20). Thesis: "Cystic fibrosis: Expression and Intracellular localization of CFTR protein"

Scientific Activities and Recent Position

• Sept 2008 – Research Scientist in the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Group, Chemical and Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Unit, ITN.
• 2005/Jul 2008 – Post-doctoral Fellow at Center of Human Genetics, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (Lisboa) and Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa under the supervision of Prof. Margarida D Amaral.
• May01/Aug 2003 – Visiting Graduate Research Fellow at the Department of Biology, University of Virginia, USA under the supervision of Prof. Margarida Barroso.
• 2000-2004 – Graduate Research Fellow (PhD candidate) at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Center of Human Genetics, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (Lisboa) under the supervision of Dr Deborah Penque.
• Set98/Jul 1999 – Undergraduate trainee (Senior Thesis), at the Center of Human Genetics, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (Lisboa) under the supervision of Dr Deborah Penque and Prof Rui Malhó.

Fellowships and Training

• 30Apr/5 May 2007 – "High Throughput Microscopy for Systems Biology", EMB0 Practical Course, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
• Jun/Jul 2005 – "Role of novel proteins in CFTR trafficking" - 4 weeks of training at the Department of Cell Biology, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany, supervised by Dr Rainer Pepperkok.
• 13/19-06-2005 – "Microinjection and Detection of Probes in Cells", EMBL Practical Course, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany.
• 2005/2007 – Post-Doctoral fellowship PRAXIS XXI/BPD/04 from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology), Portugal.
• Aug 2003 – "Detection of CFTR by in vitro phosphorylation and cell surface biotinylation" – 2 weeks of training at the Department of Cell Biology and Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, supervised by Prof. Zsuzsa Bebok.
• Set/Oct 2000 – "Measurement of Chloride Fluxes by MQAE" – 4 weeks of training at the Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, supervised by Prof. Godfried Roomans.
• Mar/Apr 2000 – "Intracelular localization of normal and mutant CFTR protein: techniques of thawed frozen section colloidal gold immunocytochemistry" - 4 weeks of training at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford, UK, supervised by Prof. David J Vaux.
• 2000/-003 – PhD fellowship PRAXIS XXI/BD/21440/99, from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology), Portugal.
• 1999 – PRODEP/99 (EU) fellowship for undergraduate training.

Main Scientific Areas of Research

• Molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical sciences.

Scientific Specialization

• Cell Biology, Molecular Biology.

Present Research Interests

• Biological mechanisms and cellular/molecular interactions of radioactive compounds potentially useful as probes for in vivo molecular imaging and/or targeted radiotherapy.

Teaching Activities

• Abril/Sept 2008 – Auxiliar Professor (invited), Pharmacogenomics Course, Pharmacy Degree, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologia, Lisboa.
• July 2007 – Lecture and Practicals in the Workshop on Epithelial Biology: "Epithelial cells & tissues: production, cultivation and characterization", organized by the EurocareCF Coordination Action (European Union) at the Faculty of Sciences, Lisboa.
• 2006/2007 – Luz S "Tráfego intracelular da proteína CFTR em células polarizadas". Undergraduate Thesis for the Biochemistry Major. Cosupervisor: Prof. Margarida D Amaral, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa (supervision).
   

Membership of Professional Societies

• Member of the Cystic Fibrosis European Network.
• Member of the American Society of Cell Biology.
• Member of Sociedade Portuguesa de Microscopia Electrónica e Biologia Celular.
• Member of Ordem dos Biólogos.

Awards

• 2006 – "Medalha de Honra L’Oréal Portugal para as Mulheres na Ciência" (L’Oreal Award for Women in Science), L’Oréal Portugal, Unesco and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal.
• 2005 – "Prémio Gulbenkian de Estímulo à Investigação" (Gulbenkian Award for Research Incentive)
  Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal.

Scientific Works

• PhD Thesis: "Expression, Localization and Traffic of Wild-Type and Mutant CFTR Protein".
  BSc Thesis: "Cystic fibrosis: Expression and Intracellular localization of CFTR protein".
• 11 original publications in international refereed journals.
• 8 published abstracts.
• 6 oral communications in national and international meetings (3 invited).
• 16 poster communications in national and international meetings.

Participation in Projects

• Nov 2007/July 2008 – PTDC/BIA-BCM/67058/2006- FCT - A novel insight into CFTR Phosphorylation: implications for its processing, trafficking and function - team member.
• 2007/July 2008 – EU FP6-LSH-2005-037365 - TargetScreen2- Novel post-genomic cell-based screens for drug targeting in membrane protein disorders team member.
• 2002/2004 – POCTI/MGI/40878/2001- FCT -In search of new molecular targets for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for Cystic Fibrosis -team member.
• 2000/2003 – EU FP5-QLK3-1999-00241 -Thematic Network around Cystic Fibrosis and Related Diseases. Workpackage - Towards Validation of CFTR Gene Expression and Function Assays - team member.
• 2000/2002 – POCTI/MGI/35737/99 -FCT - Biogenesis and function of CFTR protein with different mutations: molecular basis for clinical and therapeutic heterogeneity of Cystic Fibrosis - team member.
• 1998/1999 – PRAXIS/PSAU/C/SAU/55/96 -FCT - Cystic Fibrosis - traffic and cellular function of CFTR - team member 2007/2008 "A novel insight into CFTR Phosphorylation: implications for its processing, trafficking and function" .

Selected Publications

• Schmidt A, Hughes LK, Cai Z, Mendes F, Li H, Amaral MD, David N. Sheppard (2008) "Prolonged treatment of cells with genistein modulates the expression and function of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl- channel" Brit J Pharmacol 153: 1311-23.
• Mendes F, Wakefield J, Bachhuber T, Barroso M, Bebok Z, Penque D, Kunzelmann K, Amaral MD (2005) "Establishment and Characterization of a Novel Polarized MDCK Epithelial Cellular Model for CFTR Studies" Cell Physiol Biochemistry 16: 282-290.
• Mendes F, Roxo Rosa M, Dragomir A, Farinha CM, Roomans G, Amaral MD, Penque D. (2003) "Unusually common cystic fibrosis mutation in Portugal encodes a misprocessed protein" Biochem Biophys Res Commun 311: 665-671.
• Doucet L, Mendes F, Férec C, Penque D, Amaral MD (2003) "Applicability of Different Antibodies for the Immunohistochemical Localization of CFTR in Respiratory and Intestinal Tissues of Human and Murine Origins" J Hist Cytochemistry 51: 1191-1199.
• Farinha CM, Nogueira P, Mendes F, Penque D, Amaral MD (2002) "The human DnaJ homologue (Hdj)-1/heat-shock protein (Hsp) 40 co-chaperone is required for the in vivo stabilization of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator by Hsp70" Biochem J 366: 797-806.
• Penque D, Mendes F, Beck S, Farinha CM, Pacheco P, Nogueira P, Lavinha, Malhó R, Amaral MD (2000) "Cystic Fibrosis F508del-patients have apically localized CFTR in a reduced number of airway cells " Lab Invest 80: 857-868.