MIA-Portugal Researchers Head Abroad with FCT Mobility Grants
Source: https://www.uc.pt/mia/mia-portugal-news/mia-portugal-researchers-head-abroad-with-fct-mobility-grants/ Parent: https://www.uc.pt/mia/
MIA-Portugal Researchers Head Abroad with FCT Mobility Grants
Giulia Tombesi and Neuza Domingues, two post-doctoral researchers will pursue collaborative projects at leading European institutions, investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying ageing at the synaptic and organelle level.
19 março, 2026
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MIA-Portugal Researchers Head Abroad with FCT Mobility Grants
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This news relates to the following Sustainable Development Goals 2030
The FCT Mobility Programme, an initiative designed to support the international mobility of researchers, will support Giulia Tombesi, from the Synapse Architecture Group, and Neuza Domingues, from the Organelle Crosstalk in Ageing and Disease Group, enabling them to undertake advanced research training at international host institutions. Both researchers explain their work and highlight the importance of this support:
Giulia Tombesi
Project Title: Cytoskeletal Mechanisms of Synaptic Structural Plasticity in Human Brain Aging
Institution: Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine – Semmelweis University (HCEMM-SU), Budapest, Hungary
Can you tell us about the project?
As we age, our brains undergo subtle but important structural changes that may contribute to cognitive decline. My project focuses on how ageing reshapes synaptic plasticity in human neurons, with particular emphasis on the actin cytoskeleton and the Arp2/3 complex.
Using fibroblast-derived induced neurons (iNs) from adult and elderly donors, I will examine age-related alterations in dendritic spine morphology and neurite complexity through confocal imaging and quantitative morphometric analysis. The goal is to determine whether cytoskeletal dysregulation is a key driver of synaptic dysfunction in ageing.
What is the importance of receiving the FCT Mobility Grant?
This mobility grant will allow me to gain hands-on expertise in direct neuronal reprogramming and human neuronal ageing models. Beyond my personal training, I plan to bring induced neuron technology back to MIA-Portugal, strengthening the institute’s research infrastructure in synaptic biology and fostering new international collaborations.
Neuza Domingues
Project Title: LYON – Lysosomes and Nucleus Communication During Cellular Aging
Institution: University of Oxford – Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, United Kingdom
Can you tell us about the project?
Cellular ageing disrupts the orderly communication between organelles, with well-documented consequences for mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes. However, one axis remains largely unexplored: how lysosomes and the nucleus communicate.
This project aims to map the molecular components of lysosome–nucleus contact sites using glia-derived iPSCs as a powerful cellular model. The work will clarify how these contacts function under stress — particularly in lysosomal storage diseases and laminopathies — and explore whether restoring this communication could offer new therapeutic avenues to counteract age-related cellular decline.
What is the importance of receiving the FCT Mobility Grant?
Working at the Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford will equip me with cutting-edge skills in advanced confocal microscopy and cryo-tomography. It will also open new collaborative networks in neurodegeneration and ageing biology — fields that are central to MIA-Portugal’s long-term scientific mission.
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