Professor Clévio Nóbrega is a leading researcher, educator, and scientific leader at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve (UAlg), where he has combined excellence in teaching, research, and innovation since 2016. He coordinates and teaches across undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and medical programs, and is the author of the reference book *A Handbook of Gene and Cell Therapy* (Springer, 2020). In recognition of his pedagogical contributions, he was awarded “Professor of the Year” in 2021/22.
His research focuses on neuroscience, gene and cell therapy, and translational biomedical sciences. Professor Nóbrega has authored more than 65 scientific articles, several book chapters and edited volumes, accumulating over 4,400 citations and an h-index above 25. He has secured significant national and international funding, leading multiple research projects and supervising numerous MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers.
Beyond academia, he holds several leadership positions, including President of the Pedagogical Council at UAlg and Coordinator of the ABC Research Institute. He is also active in scientific entrepreneurship, having co-founded biotechnology companies and contributed to patent development. Internationally, he serves on scientific societies and committees in neuroscience and neurochemistry, while actively promoting science communication and public engagement.
The lab is composed by 11 PhD students, 2 lab technicians, 5 PhD-holders, 3 master students and 1 PI.
We are a multidisciplinary neuroscience research group dedicated to understanding the molecular basis of neurodegeneration and translating this knowledge into advanced therapeutic strategies. Our research focuses primarily on rare neurodegenerative diseases, particularly spinocerebellar ataxias, where we investigate the role of RNA metabolism, stress granule dynamics, RNA-binding proteins, proteostasis, autophagy, neuroinflammation, and extracellular vesicle-mediated communication in disease pathogenesis. In parallel, we are expanding our research portfolio to rare genetic disorders through the development of gene therapy strategies for Cockayne syndrome type B, a DNA repair disorder characterized by premature aging and progressive neurodegeneration. By integrating advanced omics technologies, experimental models, especially in vivo, biomarker discovery, and gene and cell therapy approaches, we aim to identify disease-modifying mechanisms and therapeutic targets.
Gene Therapy, Image analysis, In vivo paradigms, Stereotaxic surgery, Western blot, OMICS analyses, Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, Mouse behaviour paradigms.
We have several collaborations with researchers in Sevilla University (Spain), Aachen University (Germany), Heidelberg University (Germany), Eramus MC (The Netherlands), among others.
Conceição, A., & Nóbrega, C.. Pan-biological characteristics of ataxin-2 protein. Neural regeneration research, 21(7), 2952–2953. (2026) https://doi.org/10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-25-00751
Costa, Rafael G; Conceição, André; Matos, Carlos A; Nóbrega, Clévio David Rodrigues . Autor correspondente: Nóbrega, Clévio David Rodrigues. "The polyglutamine protein ATXN2: from its molecular functions to its involvement in disease". Cell Death & Disease 15 6 (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41419-024-06812-5.
Nádia Silva; Ana Teresa Rajado; Filipa Esteves; David Brito; Joana Apolónio; Vânia Palma Roberto; Alexandra Binnie; et al. "Measuring healthy ageing: current and future tools". Biogerontology (2023): https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-023-10041-2
Tiago Moreira-Gomes; Clévio Nóbrega. "From the disruption of RNA metabolism to the targeting of RNA-binding proteins: The case of polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias". Journal of Neurochemistry (2023): https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.16010
Moreira-Gomes, Tiago; Nóbrega, Clévio. "From the disruption of RNA metabolism to the targeting of RNA-binding proteins: The case of polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias". Journal of Neurochemistry (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnc.16010