Prof. Dr. Tiago Outeiro

Prof. Dr. Tiago Outeiro2020-04-06T13:37:05+00:00

Our Lab

Our research interests are focused on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms which lead to neurodegeneration in diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, or Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases are intimately associated with protein misfolding and aggregation in specific regions of the brain.
Because the molecular pathways involved in protein homeostasis are highly conserved, we employ a wide variety of model organisms, from the simple but powerful budding yeast to mammalian cell culture and mice, to study the origin of the problems.
Our ultimate goals are to develop novel therapeutic approaches for these and other related disorders. We are working closely together with clinicians in order to accelerate drug discovery efforts, translating basic research into clinical applications that will improve the lives of patients.

Education

  • 04.1999 – 11.2004 Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, Cambridge, USA. University of Chicago (UC), Chicago, USA

  • 07.1998 – 09.1998, Teaching Training (“Curso de Formação de Formadores”), Employment Institute (IEFP), Portugal

  • 09.1994 – 09.1998, B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences – University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

Research and Professional Experience

  • 11.2017 – Present, Full Professor of Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK (20% appointment)

  • 11.2010 – Present, Full Professor of Proteinopathies, Director of the Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg August University Goettingen, Germany

  • 01.2015 – 12.2018, Principal Investigator, CEDOC, Nova Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal

  • 12.2007 – 12.2012, Associate Professor, Instituto de Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

  • 05.2007 – 07.2008, Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

  • 05.2007 – 12.2014, Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal

  • 11.2005, Co-Founder, BioEPI Clinical and Translational Research Center, Taguspark, Portugal

  • 06.2004 – 05.2007, Postdoctoral Research Fellow; advisor Dr. Brad Hyman, MGH – Harvard University, USA

  • 06.2004 – 09.2004, Consultant and Research Scientist, FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Cambridge, USA. Ph.D. work was transferred to the start up company FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

  • 04.1999 – 08.2004, Graduate Research; advisor Dr. Susan Lindquist. The Whitehead Institute, MIT, Cambridge, USA. The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

  • 11.1998 – 04.1999, Graduate Research; advisor Prof. M. J. Saraiva University of Porto/IBMC, Porto, Portugal

  • 02.1998 – 09.1998, Undergraduate Research; advisor Prof. John Findlay, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

  • 09.1997 – 02.1998, Research Assistant; Centro de Estudos da Paramiloidose, Hospital Geral de Santo Antonio, Porto, Portugal

Honors and Awards

  • 04.2015, Gold Medal Merit Award, City of Matosinhos, Portugal

  • 04.2013, Silver Merit Award from the Ministry of Health, Portugal

  • 11.2010, Research Grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, USA.

  • 03.2009, Junior Faculty Award, AD/PD Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic

  • 12.2008, EMBO Installation Grant, EMBO

  • 07.2008, Aging Research Prize, Portuguese Society for Neuroscience and Pfizer

  • 03.2008, Best Scientific Article in 2007, Portuguese Society for Neuroscience

  • 08.2007, Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant, European Commission

  • 07.2007,  Research Talent Award from the Portuguese Government

  • 07.2007, Science Talent Award from the Portuguese Government

  • 06.2007, Research Grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, USA

  • 06.2007, Research Award from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG)

  • 07.2005, Massachusetts Biomedical Research Corporation, Tosteson Award, Postdoctoral Fellowship

  • 01.2003, Scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG)

  • 01.1999 – 03, PhD Scholarship from the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal)

  • 02.1998, Erasmus Scholarship from the European Union

  • 05.2003, Young Investigator Award, Gordon Research Conference on Triplet Repeat Disorders

  • 05.2001, Young Investigator Award, Gordon Research Conference on Triplet Repeat Disorders

  • 11.2000, Prize from ICBAS, 1st Place award, 94-98 class at the Biomedical Institute, Porto, Portugal

  • 09.2000, Prize from the Engineer Antonio de Almeida Foundation, 1st Place award 94-98 class in Biochemistry, Porto, Portugal

Professional Activities

  • 09.2019 – Present, Editorial Board Member of Acta Neuropathologica

  • 09.2019, Editor, Special Issue of Journal of Neurochemistry on Alpha-Synuclein

  • 09.2019, Chair, Synuclein Meeting 2019, Ofir, Portugal

  • 06.2019 – Present, Grant Review Board Member of Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK)

  • 07.2018 –  06.2020, Chair, Task Force on the Biological Definition of Parkinson’s disease, Movement Disorders Society

  • Present, Reviewer for International funding agencies: DFG (Germany), MRC and Parkinson’s UK (UK), ANR (France), FCT (Portugal), NOW (Netherlands), Italy, Poland, FNRS and FWO (Belgium), Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Alzheimer’s Association (USA), etc.

  • 2015 – 2017, Member of the Review Panel in Neuroscience for the Academy of Finland

  • 03.2014, Editorial Board member of Frontiers in Protein Folding, Misfolding and Degradation.

  • 08.2013, Editorial Board of Microbial Cell.

  • 01.2013, Editorial Board of Journal of Neurorestoratology

  • 12.2012, Co-organizer, Careers in Science, Pavilhão do Conhecimento, Lisbon, Portugal

  • 10.2012, Organizer and Speaker, From Genes to Intervention: The molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, Jerusalem, Israel

  • 06.2012, Organizer and Speaker, NeurSeS Symposium, Lisbon, Portugal

  • 03.2012, Editorial board, Epigenetics of Degenerative Disorders.

  • 01.2012, Editorial board, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

  • 05.2009 – 09.2014, Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the European Huntington’s Disease Network

  • 07.2008 – Present, Contributing Editor, European Journal of Neuroscience

  • 2007 – Present, International Forum of Portuguese Researchers (FIIP) – Vice-President

  • 2007, Expert evaluator – European Commission, Framework Program 7

  • 2007, Organizer of the PENS Summer School on: “Molecular Mechanisms in Neurodegeneration”, Ofir, Portugal.

  • 2006, Expert evaluator – European Commission, Framework Program 6

  • 2006, Organizer of FENS Symposium: “CAG Triplet Repeat Disorders”, Vienna, Austria.

  • 2004, Organizer of FEBS Course: “Neurodegeneration and Disease”, Ofir, Portugal.

  • 09.2002 – 09.2003, Organizer of the Boston Area Yeast Meeting, Boston, USA

  • 01.2002 – 2007, Portuguese American Post-Graduate Association (PAPS) – President/Chairman, Co-organizer of IV, V, VI and VII Forum of PAPS.

  • 09.2002, Organizer and Participant University of Aveiro Center for Cell Biology Symposium – Novel Therapeutic Opportunities in Neurodegenerative Disease

  • 10.2002 – 2004, Whitehead Institute Scientist – Partnership for Education with teachers from Massachusetts

Books

  • Sirtuins in biology and disease
    Szego, Outeiro and Kazantsev
    2017

  • Imaging protein aggregation using BiFC, Springer.
    Herrera, F, Gonçalves, S. and Outeiro, T.F.
    2014

  • Protein Misfolding and Neurodegeneration
    Gonçalves, S, Miranda, HV, Outeiro, T.F.
    2012

  • Synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: from protein misfolding to functional alterations
    Vaqueiro-Lopes, L. and Outeiro, T.F.
    2011

  • Epigenetics and Neurodegeneration: A Connection Overlooked, Novascience
    Marques, S.C. F., Pereira, C.M.F., Outeiro, T.F.
    2010

  • Unraveling the Molecular Basis of Parkinson’s Disease Using Yeast Models
    Gitler, A. and Outeiro, T.F.
    2009

  • Protein Misfolding in Biology and Disease, Research Signpost, Novascience
    Outeiro, T.F., editor
    2009

  • Therapeutic Intervention in the Neurotoxicty of Misfolded Proteins 
    Outeiro, T.F. and Kazantsev, A.
    2009

  • Protein Aggregation Disorders, in Neurobiology of Disease
    Outeiro, T.F. and Hyman, B.T.
    2006

  • Thermotolerance, Metabolism and Development: The Many Flavors of Trehalose, in Food Biotechnology
    Singer, M., Outeiro, T.F. and Lindquist, S
    2005

Selected publications

Environmental and genetic factors support the dissociation between α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity

December 6th, 2018|

Synucleinopathies are a group of progressive disorders characterized by the abnormal aggregation and accumulation of α-synuclein (aSyn), an abundant neuronal protein that can adopt different conformations and biological [...]

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