José Bragança (KB), Associate Professor with Habilitation in Biomedical Sciences and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Université Paris XI, France), will coordinate all aspects of the project. He is a founding member of the Research Institute and collaborator at Champalimaud Foundation since 2021. Since his postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, his research aims primarily to understand stem cells pluripotency and cardiac differentiation, and embryonic developmental mechanisms leading to congenital heart diseases. JB has contributed to the pioneering work demonstrating that CITED2 is critical for mouse and zebrafish heart development, and to its association with human congenital heart disease. JB has also extensive expertise in the cell-based approaches to model cardiogenesis in vitro. He has led multiple funded projects, supervised numerous students/postdoctoral researchers, published in high-impact journals (Nature Genetics, PNAS, Nucleic Acids Res., European Heart Journal, Stem Cell Reports, Stem Cells, Cancer Research, Cell Death and Disease, Trends in Pharmacological Science …), accumulating significant citations. He also holds patents and has contributed book chapters, reflecting his comprehensive contribution to the field.
José Bragança at ABC Research Institute (ABC-RI) focuses on stem cell biology, cardiac development, and congenital heart disease. The group investigates the molecular mechanisms controlling heart formation and leading to heart disease when impaired. Using pluripotent stem cells, animal models, and translational approaches, the team aims to identify therapeutic strategies to prevent or rescue developmental cardiac defects. His group his composed of a post-doctoral fellow, 2 PhD students and receives regularly 1 to3 MSc students for their practical training curricular year.
Mendes-Silva L, Brigida S, Trindade M, Santos JMA, Rougier L, Machado R, Escapa AL, Sachinidis A, MacDonald J and Bragança J* – “Acute Depletion of Cited2 in Embryonic Stem Cells Disrupts Gene Networks Controlling Self-Renewal, Homeostasis, and Early Cell Fate Commitment” – Cells (2026) 15, 450. DOI: 10.3390/cells15050450
Calado SM, Bento D, Marques N and Bragança J* - “Generation and cardiac differentiation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line UALGi002-A from a female patient with Left-Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy” - Stem Cell Res. (2021), 55, 102462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scr.2021.102462
Santos JMA, Mendes-Silva L#, Afonso V#, Martins G, Machado RSR, Lopes JA, Cancela L, Futschik ME, Sachinidis A, Gavaia P and Bragança J* - “Exogenous Wnt5a and Wnt11 proteins rescue Cited2 dysfunction in mouse embryonic stem cells and zebrafish morphants” – Cell Death & Disease (2019) 10, 582 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-019-1816-6
Charneca J#, Matias AC#, Fernandes C, Escapa AL, Fernandes C, Alves A, Santos JMA, Nascimento R and Bragança J* – “Ectopic expression of CITED2 prior to reprogramming, promotes and homogenises the conversion of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells” – Exp. Cell Res. (2017) 359, 290-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2017.07.002
Pacheco-Leyva I, Matias AC#, Oliveira DV#, Santos JMA#, Nascimento R, Guerreiro E, Michell AC, van De Vrugt AM, Machado-Oliveira, Ferreira G, Domian I and Bragança J* - “Cited2 cooperates with Isl1 and promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation of embryonic stem cell differentiation” – Stem Cell Reports (2016) 7, 1037–1049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.10.002