SC & Gamete Biology Lab

26 September 2025

European Researchers’ Night: Science, Health and Fertility

We are excited to announce that our group will be taking part in this year’s Noite Europeia dos Investigadores (European Researchers’ Night) at the University of Aveiro, organized by Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva, Aveiro. Our bench will feature the activity “(In)Fertilidade Masculina: Descobre o que faz a Diferença” (Male (In)Fertility: Discover What Makes the Difference).

🗓 Date: 26 September 2025
⏰ Event time: 20h00 – 24h00
📍 Location: iBiMED stand, Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

👉 Our activity will take place during the 22h00 – 23h00 timeslot, so be sure to stop by the iBiMED stand to meet us!

We look forward to welcoming everyone to an evening where science comes alive.

For more information about Noite Europeia dos Investigadores!

11-12 September 2025

Our PhD Students Present at the SIB Congress 2025 in Palermo

Our PhD students, Rúben J. Moreira and Giuseppe T. Patanè, presented their research posters at the 63rd Congress of the Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIB), held in Palermo, Sicily (Italy).

The congress brought together researchers from across Europe to discuss the latest advances in biochemistry and molecular biology. By sharing their work in this international setting, Rúben and Giuseppe had the opportunity to exchange ideas, receive valuable feedback, and strengthen collaborations.

We congratulate them both for representing our group at such a prestigious scientific event!

29 August 2025

New Publication in Biomolecules!

We are excited to share our latest publication in Biomolecules, titled “Glycerol Kinase 2 as a Metabolic Sentinel for Human Sperm Motility and Male Fertility”

This study highlights the role of Glycerol Kinase 2 (GK2) as a key metabolic regulator of sperm function. Our review suggests that GK2 may serve as a metabolic sentinel for human sperm motility, offering new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying male fertility.

Read the full study here!

30 July 2025

New publication in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology!

Our team is proud to announce the publication of our new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, a collaboration with the University of Murcia, Spain.

We investigated the impact of the pesticide aminocarb on testicular Leydig cells. We discovered that aminocarb has a complex, biphasic effect - enhancing cell viability at low doses while being toxic at high doses. Crucially, it stimulated the production of androstenedione, a male hormone precursor, highlighting its potential as an endocrine disruptor. This work provides new insights into how common environmental chemicals can affect male reproductive health.

Read the full study here!

25 July 2025

Celebrating the End of the 2024/2025 Academic Year Together!

To mark the end of another academic year, our group gathered for a relaxed picnic, a moment to pause, share good food, and enjoy great company. Because while good work and good science are essential, good food and good company are just as important!

Here’s to another year of teamwork, friendship, and scientific discoveries!!

If you’d like to see what we achieved this year, check out our highlights here!

July 2025

Best Paper Award from MDPI

We are proud to announce that our paper titled “Mitochondria Quality Control and Male Fertility” has received a Best Paper Award from MDPI. The article, published in Biology (2023, 12(6), 827), is authored by José Costa, Patrícia C. Braga, Irene Rebelo, Pedro F. Oliveira, and Marco G. Alves. This work highlights the essential role of mitochondrial quality control mechanisms in maintaining male reproductive health and offers new insights into how mitochondrial dysfunction can impact fertility. This recognition reflects the quality, scientific relevance, and impact of our team’s research in the field of male reproductive biology.

Congratulations to all the authors on this achievement!

You can read the full article here!

15-17 July 2025

Our Group @ UA Summer Academy

As part of the University of Aveiro’s Academia de Verão (Summer Academy) program, our group prepared two interactive activities designed for high school students.

The first activity, “Male (In)Fertility: Discover What Makes the Difference", introduced students to the biological and environmental factors that influence male fertility. Through hands-on experiments and discussions, participants explored how lifestyle and external exposures can impact reproductive health.

The second activity, "Biochemistry in Clinical Diagnosis", demonstrated how biochemical analyses are essential tools in medical diagnostics. Students learned how routine laboratory tests help detect diseases early and support clinical decision-making.

Both activities aimed to spark curiosity and inspire the next generation of scientists by showing the real-world applications of biomedical research.

Learn more about the Summer Academy: here!

14 July 2025

Silvia Moreira Successfully Defended Her PhD in Biomedicine

We are very pleased to announce that Silvia Moreira has successfully completed her PhD in Biomedicine. Her thesis, titled “Carbamates Exposure in Male Infertility: Underlying Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms,” represents an important contribution to understanding how environmental factors impact reproductive health.

We warmly congratulate Silvia on this significant achievement and wish her all the best in her future scientific endeavors!

You can check some of his work here!

5-9 July 2025

Our PhD Students at the 49th FEBS Congress in Istanbul

From July 5–9, our PhD students Rúben J. Moreira and Giuseppe T. Patanè participated in the 49th FEBS Congress, held this year in Istanbul, Turkey.

Both presented their work through poster presentations, sharing their findings with the international scientific community and engaging in discussions on recent advances in biochemistry and molecular biology. They attended the congress alongside Italian collaborators from the University of Messina, further strengthening the ties between our research teams.

We are also proud to share that Rúben and Giuseppe each received a FEBS bursary for early-career researchers, recognizing the scientific quality and impact of their projects.

Learn more about the FEBS Congress: here!

17-20 June 2025

Rúben J. Moreira Participated in the TRANSLACORE Training School on RNA Mass Spectrometry

Our PhD student Rúben J. Moreira participated in the TRANSLACORE Training School on Leveraging Mass Spectrometry for Detection of RNA Chemical Modifications, held from June 17–20, 2025, in Montpellier, France. Organized by the Clinical Proteomics Platform - Institute for Regenerative Medicine & Biotherapy (PPC-IRMB), this intensive four-day course combined theoretical sessions, practical training, analytical techniques, and data analysis. Participants explored the fundamentals of RNA modifications, learned about RNA mass spectrometry and its applications, especially in clinical research, and practiced hands-on sample preparation and data interpretation using dedicated software tools.

Participation in specialized training like this strengthens our group’s expertise in emerging technologies and supports the integration of advanced methodologies in our ongoing research.

Learn more about the TRANSLACORE Training School here!

7 June 2025

Check our new paper in the European Journal of Nutrition!

I am pleased to announce the publication of a new study led by the "Sertoli cell and gamete biology lab" in the journal European Journal of Nutrition. This work addresses a fundamental question: what is the transgenerational impact of paternal obesity on the risk of developing prostate cancer? Our research used an animal model to demonstrate that a high-fat diet in male progenitors leads to increased susceptibility to prostate cancer biomarkers in their offspring. This increased risk was observed even when the high-fat diet was only temporary and followed by a normal diet. These results suggest that paternal lifestyle choices can influence the health of future generations through (epi)genetic mechanisms, highlighting the complex interplay between diet, obesity, and cancer risk. This research opens new perspectives on the prevention and risk factors of prostate cancer. I would like to thank all the co-authors for their valuable contribution.

Read the full feature here!

For more news about our group check here!

Check these opportunities!

29 April 2025

Our Lab Joins Trialect as a Host Institution in Portugal

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Trialect, a global platform that connects researchers with clinical and research training opportunities. As a recognized host lab in Portugal, we are now part of Trialect’s international network, offering hands-on training and mentorship in biomedical sciences to early-career researchers and clinicians from around the world.

Our lab specializes in the study of metabolic diseases, reproductive biology, and cellular signaling pathways. Through this collaboration, we will offer short-term research fellowships focused on these areas, providing participants with the opportunity to work on ongoing projects involving molecular biology, metabolomics, and translational research. Fellows will gain practical experience with state-of-the-art methodologies while contributing to impactful research at the intersection of metabolism and human health.

Find more information and apply here!

Submission deadline: 05 November 2025

Prof. Marco G. Alves is a guest editor for a new collection at Scientific Reports

The new collection from Scientific Reports (Springer Nature) focuses on Epigenetic Regulation in Metabolic Diseases. This collection welcomes original research articles that explore how changes in epigenetic regulation contribute to metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and osteoporosis. This collection aims to advance our understanding of how epigenetic modifications interact with genetic and environmental factors, ultimately influencing disease progression and potential therapeutic strategies.

Researchers are invited to submit their original work to contribute to this important field.

For more details and submission guidelines, visit Scientific Reports.

Research Summary

The overall goal of our research work is to deepen the knowledge on the basic processes involved in the hormonal control of gamete production and functionality, and thereby provide a scientific basis for improving both human reproductive health and fertility.

In our studies we make use of normal and pathological human tissues in order to learn about human reproduction and human pathologies that affect human reproductive health and fertility. Also, we perform studies using rodent model systems and cell-based systems as translational models for the study of the reproductive mechanisms.

In last years, the amount of data suggesting that environmental toxins/endocrine disruptors significantly affect human reproductive health has been increasing. Thus, the Sertoli Cell Biology up will also investigate how these agents affect fertility by means of studies in cell-based systems, animal models and/or human tissues.

Major Research Areas

• Effect of hormones on Sertoli cells ionic and water membrane transport mechanisms;

• Metabolic modulation of spermatogenesis in metabolism-related disorders/pathologies and mechanisms subjacent to the resultant subfertility and infertility;

• Role of sex steroid hormones in fertility and in the functioning of testicular and epididymal reproductive tissues;

• Mechanisms underlying the effect of endocrine disruptors and environmental toxins on human fertility.

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