Docente
Vera Mónica Sousa Isca

Resume

Vera Isca graduated in Biochemistry from the University of Beira Interior (2010), has a master's degree in Organic Chemistry and Natural Products from the University of Aveiro (2013) and has a PhD degree in Pharmacy, specializing in the field of Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Chemistry by Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa and Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa (CBIOS), financed by FCT (2023). Vera Isca recently completed her PhD with the title "A New Class of Protein Kinase Modulators: From Ethnopharmacology to Nanoparticles." This study contributed to the development of more potent and selective antitumoral agents sourced from natural products. Laboratory skills in Organic Chemistry, Phytochemistry, Spectroscopic and Separation Technics. Know-how in molecular docking studies. Co-author of several international journal articles, reviews and papers with referees, co-author of a book chapter in the book: Natural Products: Research Reviews (2012). Scientific work recognized with several awards.

Graus

• Licenciatura
  Biochemistry
• Mestrado
  Química, ramo de Química Orgânica e Produtos Naturais
• Doutoramento
  Farmácia

Publicações

Artigo em revista

• 2025-04, Exploring SAR insights into royleanones for P-gp modulation, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
• 2024-07-23, Extraction optimization and reactivity of 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone and ability of its derivatives to modulate PKC isoforms, Scientific Reports
• 2024-06, Reactivity of 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone and ability of its derivatives to modulate PKC isoform, Scientific Reports
• 2024-05-06, Glycyrrhizic Acid Nanoparticles Subside the Activity of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Suppressing PBP2a, Pharmaceuticals
• 2024-04-20, Exploring the Anticancer Potential of Semisynthetic Derivatives of 7a-Acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone from Plectranthus sp.: An In Silico Approach, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• 2024-04-16, Anticancer Effects of Abietane Diterpene 7a-Acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone from Plectranthus grandidentatus and Its Semi-Synthetic Analogs: An In Silico Computational Approach, Molecules
• 2024-04-08, Biological Activity of 6,7-Dehydroxyroyleanone and Derivatives Obtained from Plectranthus aliciae (Codd) A.J.Paton, ACS Omega
• 2024-03-06, Antibiotic coordination frameworks (ACFs) against antibiotic resistance - How to involve students through experimental practices in the search for solutions to public health problems, Journal of Chemical Education
• 2024-03, Charting the course of Physiology within the post-Bologna European higher education area: Insights from Portugal, Physiological Reports
• 2024-03, Characterization of Physiology teaching in the European Higher Education Area - a Case Study from Portugal in the Post-Bologna Process, Physiological Reports
• 2024, 2023 CBIOS Scientific Seminars - Book of Abstracts, Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research
• 2023-06, Distinctive Azole-based Conjugates as Potential Anticancer and Antimicrobial Agents: A Preliminary Biological Survey, Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry
• 2023-03-16, Counteracting Colon Cancer by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Respiration and Glycolysis with a Selective PKCd Activator, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• 2023, Aprender e Ensinar em Fisiologia, Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research
• 2022-10-11, Lethality Bioassay using Artemia salina L., Journal of Visualized Experiments
• 2021-07-02, Functionalized Cyclopentenones and an Oxime Ether as Antimicrobial Agents, ChemMedChem
• 2021-06, Rebound increases in chemokines by CXCR2 antagonist in breast cancer can be prevented by PKCd and PKCe activators, Cytokine
• 2021-06, General Toxicity screening of Royleanone derivatives using an Artemia salina model, Journal Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research
• 2021-05-18, Preliminary Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br Transformed Roots Extracts Obtained through Rhizobium rhizogenes-Mediated Transformation, Cells
• 2021, Avaliação da toxicidade geral de derivados de Roileanonas pelo ensaio de letalidade de Artemia salina
• 2020-11-17, Royleanone Derivatives From Plectranthus spp. as a Novel Class of P-Glycoprotein Inhibitors, Frontiers in Pharmacology
• 2020-06-16, Diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as Potential Chemotherapeutic Agents via Apoptosis, Pharmaceuticals
• 2020-05-23, Activity to Breast Cancer Cell Lines of Different Malignancy and Predicted Interaction with Protein Kinase C Isoforms of Royleanones, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• 2020-04-06, Artemia species: An important tool to screen general toxicity samples, Current Pharmaceutical Design
• 2020-04, III Lusófona’s Nutrition Meeting, Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research Journal
• 2020-03-16, Molecular Docking Studies of Royleanone Diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as P-Glycoprotein Inhibitors, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
• 2019-02-15, Cytotoxic Stilbenes and Derivatives as Promising Antimitotic Leads for Cancer Therapy, Current Pharmaceutical Design
• 2019, Naphthoylhydrazones: coordination to metal ions and biological screening, New Journal of Chemistry
• 2018-06-05, Direct synthesis of a-aminophosphonates from biomass resources catalyzed by HReO4 , Green Chemistry
• 2018, Salicornia ramosissima: Secondary metabolites and protective effect against acute testicular toxicity, Arabian Journal of Chemistry
• 2015, Saliramophenol, an unprecedented natural t-butylphenol derivative from Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods, RSC Advances
• 2014, Lipophilic profile of the edible halophyte Salicornia ramosissima, Food Chemistry

Tese / Dissertação

• 2023-10-20, Doutoramento, New class of protein kinase C modulators: from ethnopharmacological to nanoparticles
• 2013, Mestrado, Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods: estudo fitoquímico das partes aéreas

Capítulo de livro

• An overview of Salicornia genus : the phytochemical and pharmacological profile, Daya Publishing House

Artigo em boletim informativo

• 2024-04, New Class of Protein Kinase C Modulators: from Ethnopharmacological to Nanoparticles, Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Química

Recurso online

• 2020-05-28, Animated Poster in Annual CQE Meeting: Self-assembly nanoparticles of Plectranthus hadiensis diterpenoids, https://twitter.com/Eva_M_DM/status/1265024572631527425
• 2020-05-28, Animated Poster in Annual CQE Meeting: Phytochemical study and derivatization of a cytotoxic royleanone from P. grandidentatus, https://twitter.com/Vera89733278/status/1265038955227086848
• 2020-05-28, Animated Poster in Annual CQE Meeting: Abietane Diterpenoids from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd., https://twitter.com/Gently2016/status/1264886258804887552

Resumo em conferência

• 2023-11, P. Plectranthus aliciae: Biological activity of 6,7-dehydroroyleanone and derivatives, 9th International Electronic Conference on Medicinal Chemistry
• 2023, 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone as lead compound: from extraction optimization to hybrid nanoparticles for breast cancer therapy, 9th International Electronic Conference on Medicinal Chemistry
• 2022-12, Natural and semi-synthetic royleanone diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as potential anti-tumoral agents
• 2022-11, Royleanone Analogues from Plectranthus spp. Demonstrate P-gp Inhibition and PKC Modulation
• 2021-11-02, Inhibition of P-glycoprotein activity to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer with new diterpene royleanones from <em>Plectranthus</em> spp.
• 2020-12, Natural Cytotoxic Diterpenoids as a Potential Source of Drug Leads for cancer Therapy
• 2020-11-05, Updated review of the bioactive compounds isolated from <em>Plectranthus ecklonii </em>Benth
• 2020-11-05, Self-assembly nanoparticles of 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone isolated from <em>Plectranthus hadiensis</em>, 6th International Electronic Conference on Medicinal Chemistry
• 2020-11-05, Insight into P-glycoprotein activity of royleanones from <em>Plectranthus</em> spp.
• 2020-11-05, Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Diterpenoids from Plectranthus mutabilis, 10.3390/ECMC2020-07290
• 2019-12, Molecular docking as a tool to design new royleanone derivatives for colon cancer therapy based on PKC-d modulation
• 2019-12, Bio-guided phytochemical study of Plectranthus mutabilis Codd.
• 2019-11-12, Optimization extraction study for the isolation of a bioactive diterpene from<em> </em><em>Plectranthuns ornatus</em> Codd.
• 2019-10-30, Design and molecular docking studies of new potential PKC-d activators based on royleanone scaffold
• 2019-10-30, Cytotoxic activity of coleon diterpenoids from Plectranthus mutabilis codd.
• 2015, Salicornia ramosissima an edible halophyte with nutritional value and a source of a unique natural compound
• 2013, Salicornia ramosissima: secondary metabolites and testicular protection induced by ethanol extract
• 2012, Compounds identified on hexane and dichloromethane extracts of Salicornia ramosissima

Poster em conferência

• 2024-11-15, Investigating SAR Insights into Royleanones for P-gp Modulation, 28th International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• 2024-10-17, In silico evaluation of semi-synthetic derivatives of 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone for anticancer potential, 12th Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Southeast European Countries (CMAPSEEC-2024)
• 2024-07-13, Plectranthus: an important source of bioactive diterpenoids for therapeutic applications, International Congress on Natural Products Research
• 2024-07-13, Application of 1,2,4-triazolium in structural modification of natural products and their biological activity studies. , International Congress on Natural Products Research
• 2024-07-03, Unveiling the Uterine excitability potential of Harungana madagascariensis Lam. (Hypericaceae): Rationale of usage among traditional birth attendant in Nigeria, Encontro Ciência 2024
• 2024-07-03, Plectranthus spp.: source of cytotoxic abietane diterpenoids promising for nanosystems in cancer therapy, Encontro Ciência 2024
• 2023-11-10, Synthesis and biological activity of halimane amide derivatives from Plectranthus ornatus Codd., V Jornadas CBIOS
• 2023-11-10, Paranaphthalene scaffold exhibits agonist modulatory influence on alpha subunit of PGE2-Bound EP2-GS Complex: Unveiling the mechanistic uterotonic property of Harungana madagascariensis Lam. (Hypericaceae) stem, V Jornadas CBIOS
• 2023-11-10, Cleomiscosin B: A potent coumarinolignoid exhibits promising antagonist inhibition of phosphodiesterase-5: Rationale of usage Paullinia pinnata L. (Sapindaceae) in the management of erectile dysfunction, V Jornadas CBIOS
• 2023-11-10, 3D-QSAR, pharmacophore modeling, and molecular docking for the identification of novel potential P-glycoprotein (P-gp) blockers, V Jornadas CBIOS
• 2023-10, Exploring cytotoxic abietane diterpenoids from the Plectranthus spp. as promising nanosystems for cancer therapy, PSE Meeting 2023: Natural Drug Discovery Current Approach and Future Perspectives
• 2023-07-02, Biological activity of 6,7-dehydroroyleanonederivatives from Plectranthus aliciae, 71st International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA)
• 2023-07, Selective antitumoral activity of Thymelaea lanuginosa (Lam.) Ceballos & C. Vicioso. extract, III Bio.Natural- Bioactive Natural Products Research Conference
• 2023-07, Novel nanoformulations of royleanone diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. for MDR cancers, Ciência 2023
• 2023-07, New diterpenoid derivatives from Plectranthus spp. for breast cancer therapy through protein kinase a activation, XIII iMed.ULisboa Postgraduate Students Meeting
• 2023-07, Breast Cancer Drug Discovery: From Plants to Nanosystems, Ciência 2023
• 2023-06, Cytotoxic semi-synthetic abietane diterpenoid for breast cancer therapy: form molecular docking to protein kinase a activation, XXVIII Encontro Nacional da SPQ
• 2023-05-25, Hybrid azole conjugates as viable anticancer and antimicrobial agents: a preliminary biological evaluation, CQE Days 2023
• 2023-05, New formulations with royleanone derivatives from Plectranthus spp. to inhibit P-glycoprotein activity, 71st International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA)
• 2023-03-19, Natural cytotoxic royleanones as tools for promising nanosystems, 6th International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (6th SIPAM)
• 2023-03, Natural cytotoxic royleanones and Hermetia illucens as promising nano-assemblies conjugated, International symposium on medicinal and aromatic plants- SIPAM-6
• 2022-07, Phytochemical study of the stems of ultrasound-assisted acetonic extract from Plectranthus hadiensis, 13th iMed.ULisboa Postgraduate Students Meeting
• 2022-07, Design of diterpenoids as therapeutic agents in breast cancer through protein kinase C modulation, 13th iMed.ULisboa Postgraduate Students Meeting
• 2022-06-30, Self-assembly nanoparticles of bioactive compounds isolated from Plectranthus spp., InnovDelivery 2022
• 2022-06-01, Cytotoxic Activity of diterpenes from Plectranthus spp. for MDR cancer therapy, 5th Annual Meeting of CA17104 - New diagnostic and therapeutic tools against multidrug resistant tumors (STRATAGEM)
• 2022-05, Study of photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity of new g-C3N4/TNW hybrid nanomaterials, CQE Days 2022
• 2022-05, Royleanone ester derivatives from Plectranthus spp. demonstrate P-glycoprotein inhibition, 1st African Conference on Natural Products & Related Fields
• 2022-05, Royleanone ester derivatives from Plectranthus spp. as P-gp inhibitors, Ciência 2022
• 2022-05, Development of decontamination systems for Chemical Warfare Agents, Ciência 2022
• 2022-03, Exploring the Reactivity of a natural diterpenoid to modulate protein kinase C isoforms, ACS Spring 2022
• 2021-06, Inhibition of p-glycoprotein activity to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer with new diterpene royleanones from Plectranthus spp., iMed.ULisboa Meeting 2021
• 2021-05-18, Natural diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as apoptotic agents, In Fascination of Plants Day Event
• 2021-05-05, Self-assembly nanoparticles of 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone isolated from Plectranthus hadiensis, ACS Spring 2021
• 2021-05, Naturally occurring diterpenoids from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd. with cytotoxic activity, Fascination of Plants Day Event
• 2021-05, Initial studies on the phytochemical and antitumoral activity of Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. Ex Sprenger aerial parts, Fascination of Plants Day Event
• 2021-05, Apoptosis in cancer cells induced by abietane diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp., ACS Spring 2021
• 2021-04-05, Therapeutic potential of diterpenoids obtained from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd., ACS Spring 2021
• 2021-03-29, Phytochemical and antitumoral activity studies of Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. ex Sprenger aerial parts, Proceedings of the VI Congreso de Señalización Celular, SECUAH 2021
• 2021-01-27, Overview of the Bioactivity of Abietane Diterpenes from Plectranthus ecklonii Benth., Natural Products in Cancer Research Virtual Meeting
• 2020-12-15, Innovative nanosystems with natural cytotoxic royleanone diterpenes from Plectranthus spp., COST Action 17104 (STRATAGEM) WG2 Meeting and International Online Symposium on “Synthesis and nanodelivery strategies for new therapeutic tools against Multidrug Resistant Tumours”- Online event
• 2020-12, Phytochemical and pharmacological study of Plectranthus ecklonii Benth., 1st International Electronic Conference on Biomolecules: Natural and Bio-Inspired Therapeutics for Human Diseases, SciForum online
• 2020-11-23, Synthesis of self-assembly nanoparticles of 7a-acetoxy-6ß -hydroxyroyleanone from Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. ex Sprenger, IV Cbios Meeting
• 2020-11-23, Natural Cytotoxic Diterpenoids as a Potential Source of Drug Leads for cancer Therapy, IV Cbios Meeting
• 2020-11, Royleanones from Plectranthus spp as P-glycoprotein inhibitors, Encontro Ciência 2020
• 2020-11, Novel class of P-glycoprotein inhibitors from Plectranthus spp. , WG3 meeting and International Online Symposium on “New Therapeutic Tools Against Preclinical Models of Multidrug Resistant Tumors”
• 2020-10, Estudio fitoquímico de las partes aéreas de Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. ex Sprenger (Translation: “Phytochemical study of the aerial parts of Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. ex Sprenger”), XII Congreso de Fitoterapia Ciudad de Oviedo
• 2020-09, Abietane diterpenoids isolated from plectranthus spp. induce cancer cell death via apoptosis, in Virtual 7th EFMC Young Medicinal Chemists’ Symposium (EFMC-YMCS Virtual Event 2020)
• 2020-07, Natural Cytotoxic Diterpenoids, as Potential Drug Leads for cancer Therapy , Italian Young Medicinal Chemistry Virtual Meeting (I-YMC-VMEET)
• 2020-07, Molecular Docking Studies of Promising P-Glycoprotein Inhibitors obtained from Plectranthus spp., Italian Young Medicinal Chemistry Virtual Meeting (I-YMC-VMEET)
• 2020-03, Diterpenoids from edible Plectranthus spp. as potential chemopreventive and therapeutic agents in cancer, III Lusófona’s Nutrition Meeting
• 2020-02, Cytotoxic royleanones from Plectranthus madagascariensis as agents to overcome multidrug resistant in cancer, COST Action CA17104 STRATAGEM Annual Conference – 3rd MC meeting and 4th WGs meetings
• 2020-02, Activation of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCe) and delta (PKCd) inhibits chemokine secretion enhancing antitumoral effects of CXCR2 antagonist, COST Action CA17104 STRATAGEM Annual Conference – 3rd MC meeting and 4th WGs meetings
• 2019-11, Molecular docking as a tool to design novel PKC-d modulators for colon cancer therapy , 2019 Sino-Portugal Forum on Traditional Medicine, Nanchang Jiangxi, China, November, 2019
• 2019-10, Abietane diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as a New Class of Protein Kinase C Modulators for Cancer Therapy, Physioma 2019
• 2019-09, Isolation study of a bioactive diterpene from Plectranthus ornatos Codd., Bio.Natural
• 2019-09, Isolation of Two Bioactive Diterpenes from Plectranthus mutabilis codd. , Bio.Natural
• 2019-07-15, Molecular docking as a tool to design royleanone derivatives from Plectranthus spp. as PKC-d modulators, 11th iMed.ULisboa Postgraduate Students Meeting & 4rd i3DU Meeting
• 2019-07, Synthesis of value-added compounds from carbohydrates, XXVI Encontro Nacional da SPQ
• 2019-07, Structure-based drug design of royleanone derivatives from Plectranthus spp. as PKC-d modulators, Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Human Health (NatProdDDH)
• 2019-07, Optimizing natural royleanones from Plectranthus spp. to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer, in 4rd scientific meeting of CQUL - Chemistry: Shaping the Future & 2019 Summer School (4ECQUL)
• 2019-07, Isolation and Biological activity study of coleon U from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd. , 4rd scientific meeting of CQUL - Chemistry: Shaping the Future & 2019 Summer School (4ECQUL)
• 2019-07, Bioactivity of abietane diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. against human cancer cells, Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Human Health (NatProdDDH)
• 2019-07, Bio-guided Isolation and Biological activity study of Coleon U from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd. , Ciência 2019
• 2019-05-18, Plectranthus species: A source of Anticancer lead molecules, Fascination of Plants Day Event: “Plants promoting healthy diet”
• 2019-05, Royleanone derivatives from Plectranthus spp. as new P-glycoprotein inhibitors, XXVI Encontro Nacional da SPQ
• 2019-05, Royleanone Diterpenoids from Plectranthus spp. as P-glycoprotein inhibitors in multidrug resistant cells, XXVIème Congrès National de la SFBMEc
• 2019-05, Anticancer lead molecules search from Plectranthus species, XXVIème Congrès National de la SFBMEc
• 2018-12, Cytotoxic derivatives of 6,7-dehydroroyleanone and 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone, 3rd Training School “Computational modeling tools in drug discovery with natural products”
• 2018-11-08, Bio-guided fractionation and isolation study of bioactive components from Plectranthus mutabilis Codd., 1ª Conferência sobre Investigação em Produtos Naturais e Avícolas – Iniciativa conjunta CBIOS-CYTED, Lisbon
• 2018-11, Hemi-síntese de carbamatos a partir do diterpeno natural 6,7-dehidroxroyleanona, 1ª Conferência sobre Investigação em Produtos Naturais e Avícolas – Iniciativa conjunta CBIOS-CYTED
• 2018-10-04, In vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of natural and hemi-synthetic isopimaranes, III CBIOS Seminar, Lisbon
• 2018-07-24, Isopimarane-type diterpenoids - In vitro antimicrobial activity, 10th iMed.ULisboa Postgraduate Students Meeting & 3rd i3DU Meeting, Lisbon
• 2018-06-27, In vitro antimicrobial activity of isopimarane-type diterpenoids , Chemistry at ULisboa & 2018 Summer School – 3rd Meeting of the College of Chemistry, Lisbon
• 2018-05-18, Extraction and isolation of cytotoxic 7a-acetoxy-6ß-hydroxyroyleanone from P. grandidentatus and in silico prediction of new derivatives, Fascination of Plants Day Event: “Plants promoting healthy diet”
• 2012, Some aromatic compounds from dichloromethane extract of Salicornia ramosissima

Outra produção

• 2013, Valuable compounds on conifers, macroalgae and halophyte species, As part of our on-going investigation on bioactive secondary metabolites, we carried out the phytochemical study of the endemic conifer Juniperus brevifolia and the macroalga Cystoseira abies-marine from Azores Islands, and also of the halophyte Salicornia ramosissima from Aveiro lagoon. This communication gives an overview on the isolation, structural characterization and bioactivity of the most