João Moura, a student on the doctoral programme in Medical Sciences at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), was the winner of the second edition of the Nuno Grande Doctoral Grant (BDNG) with a research project on encephalitis.

Identifying antibodies that allow early detection and subsequent treatment of autoimmune encephalitis is the main objective of the doctoral project that won the BDNG 2023, an initiative by Professor Nuno Grande’s family, ICBAS and the BIAL Foundation.

João Moura, author of the project, a neurology intern at Hospital Santo António and a student on the doctoral programme in Medical Sciences at ICBAS, explains the clinical applicability of the award-winning project: “This group of diseases is very heterogeneous, with very different clinical manifestations, which is why it is very difficult to diagnose. In addition, there are patients who are seronegative (without antibodies associated with the disease), which makes the diagnostic process more difficult. Therefore, our work aims to search for and identify new antibodies associated with this pathology”.

Autoimmune Encephalitis (AEI) is a group of inflammatory brain diseases caused by the production of autoantibodies against neuronal antigens, and characterized by altered states of consciousness, cognitive deficits, psychiatric symptoms, epileptic seizures, and movement disorders, which can lead to irreversible damage or death if not treated properly.

Despite being a rare disease, which affects around 14 people per 100,000 inhabitants, João Moura believes that “due to the difficulty in detecting it, there may be underdiagnosis. So much so that this project has a second very important aspect, because it will allow us to map and record autoimmune encephalitis in Portugal”.

The BDNG, worth 25,000 euros, “is a unique opportunity to develop this work, namely to deal with the entire implementation process, data collection and associated logistics, since around 30 hospitals are involved”, concludes the young researcher.

Awarded for the first time in 2023, as part of the celebrations of the Eminent Figure 2022 of the University of Porto, the Nuno Grande Doctoral Scholarship aims to support research work in the areas of Fundamental Sciences, namely those that aim to promote the acquisition of differentiating academic skills for teaching Medicine.

The award ceremony is scheduled for May 13, as part of the celebrations of the 49th anniversary of ICBAS.

Information source: https://bialfoundation.com/pt/agregador-noticias/posts/bolsa-de-doutoramento-nuno-grande-2023-ja-tem-vencedor/