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Universidade Nova de Lisboa – NOVA FCT – Chemistry Department

Laboratório de RMN – Departamento de Química
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Campus da Caparica
2829-516 Caparica
Portugal
 Tel. + 351 212 948 300 (ext. 11615)

Fax. + 351 212 957 810
NMR Equipment
  • Bruker Avance II 400
  • Bruker Avance II 600
  • Bruker Avance III 400
  • Bruker Neo 500

Main Research Topics

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility at the Chemistry Department of NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT) is a cornerstone of advanced molecular analysis in Portugal. As an integral node of the Portuguese Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Network (PTNMR), the facility has helped to pioneer NMR applications nationally—particularly in protein structure determination—while supporting a broad community of academic and industrial users.

Our research centres on structural biology and protein science across multiple contexts: high-resolution protein structure determination, conformational dynamics, protein–ligand recognition, and the characterization of metalloproteins and heme systems. We also investigate glycan structure in health and disease, and interrogate molecular systems from pathogenic bacteria to identify and validate enzyme targets for new therapeutics.

Beyond biomolecules, we apply NMR to cultural heritage, responsive and smart materials, alternative/green solvents, environmental chemistry, and biochemical engineering. We support studies of molecular structure and dynamics using a comprehensive toolbox of techniques—including solution-state NMR, diffusion NMR, and high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR—that deliver complementary insights across relevant length and time scales.

Our work bridges fundamental understanding with real-world impact, informing drug discovery and mechanism-of-action studies, guiding materials design, enabling sustainable chemistry, and supporting conservation science. Through PTNMR, we provide expert training, collaborative project design, and access to advanced methods, strengthening Portugal’s capacity in cutting-edge molecular research.

Selected Publications

  1. Daminato, A; Loland, CJ; Cabrita, EJ. Monitoring conformational changes in the human neurotransmitter transporter homologue LeuT with 19F-NMR spectroscopy. J. NEUROCHEM, 2025, 169(1), e16278, DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16278
  2. Soares, CO; Laugieri, ME; Grosso, AS; Mariangela, N; Coelho, H; … Ereño-Orbea, J; Marcelo, F. Decoding the Molecular Basis of the Specificity of an Anti-sTn Antibody, JACS Au, 2025, 5(1). 225–236. DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00921
  3. Almeida, A; Turner, DL; Silva, MA; Salgueiro, CA, New insights in uranium bioremediation by cytochromes of the bacterium Geotalea uraniireducens, Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2025, 301(2), 108090. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.108090
  4. 4. Antón, R; Treviño, MÁ; Pantoja-Uceda, D; Felix, S.; Babu, M; Cabrita, EJ; Zweckstetter, M; Tinnefeld, P; Vera, A.M., Oroz, J. Alternative low-populated conformations prompt phase transitions in polyalanine repeat expansions, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 2024, 15(1), 1925. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46236-5
  5. Portela, PC; Shipps, CC; Shen, C;  … Salgueiro, CA; Malvankar, NS, Widespread extracellular electron transfer pathways for charging microbial cytochrome OmcS nanowires via periplasmic cytochromes PpcABCDE, , NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 2024, 15(1), 2434. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46192-0
  6.  Ferreira, MR; Morgado, L; Salgueiro, CA, Periplasmic electron transfer network in Geobacter sulfurreducens revealed by biomolecular interaction studies, PROTEIN SCIENCE, 2024, 33(7), e5082. DOI: 10.1002/pro.5082
  7. Lenza, MP; Egia-Mendikute, L; Antoñana-Vildosola, A; Soares, CO; Coelho, H, … Palazon, A; Ereño-Orbea, J, Structural insights into Siglec-15 reveal glycosylation dependency for its interaction with T cells through integrin CD11b, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 2023, 14(1), 3496, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39119-8
  8. Felix, SS; Laurents, DV; Oroz, J; Cabrita, EJ. 2023. Fused in sarcoma undergoes cold denaturation: Implications for phase separation. PROTEIN SCIENCE, 32, DOI: 10.1002/pro.4521
  9. Coelho, H; Rivas, MDL; Grosso, AS; … Hurtado-Guerrero, R; Marcelo, F. Atomic and Specificity Details of Mucin 1 O-Glycosylation Process by Multiple Polypeptide GalNAc-Transferase Isoforms Unveiled by NMR and Molecular Modeling, JACS Au, 2022, 2(3), 631–645. DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00529
  10. Ferreira, ASD; Craveiro, R; Duarte, AR, BARREIROS, S; Cabrita, EJ, Paiva, A. Effect of water on the structure and dynamics of choline chloride/glycerol eutectic systems Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2021, 342, 117463. DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.117463