Biochemistry and molecular biology in Portugal: An overview of past and current contributions

Abstract

Portugal, represented by the Portuguese Biochemical Society, has been a long-standing member of the IUBMB and a founding member of FEBS. It has organized several international meetings in the broad field of biochemistry and molecular biology, such as the 27th FEBS Meeting (Lisbon, 2001). In 2008, four international conferences on topics ranging from pattern recognition to proteomics are already scheduled to take place in Portugal, showing that the field is dynamic and diverse. Currently, 22 Portuguese higher education institutions (Table 1) offer nine undergraduate and 33 postgraduate programs with a strong emphasis on biochemistry and related fields. Specifically, undergraduate students can select study plans in biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, and health sciences. Graduate students can choose from 18 MSc and 15 PhD programs in the aforementioned areas as well as in structural and functional biochemistry, biomedical sciences, computational biology, neurosciences, and molecular genetics. Together with research institutions such as Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of Coimbra (CNC), Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC), Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (ITQB), and many others, they provide a framework for sustainable development of the biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) field in terms of teaching and research excellence. Here we will review some of the past and present contributions made by researchers in Portuguese scientific institutions to the BMB field. We will address current research trends and we will briefly discuss the opportunities and perspectives presented by them. MATERIALS AND METHODS Most publication and citation records were collected from the ISI Web of Knowledge (WoK) platform using the Science Citation Index Expanded (1900 to present) and the Essential Science Indicators databases. The number of projects approved in scientific areas overlapping the BMB field was collected at Portuguese funding agency (FCT). The list of higher education schools offering undergraduate and graduate programs with a strong emphasis on biochemistry and molecular biology was compiled from the respective institutional websites. This information was later cross-checked with data supplied by Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal. Most bibliographical references were limited to peerreviewed publications clearly catalogued as belonging to the BMB field. However, this approach excluded important scientific studies that shed light, for instance, on the molecular biology of the cell and metabolism. Therefore, in the sections reviewing specific contributions by scientists in Portuguese institutions, records catalogued as publications in cell biology, endocrinology/metabolism, plant biochemistry, microbiology, and/or neurosciences were included. As electronically stored information is dynamic, retrieval dates are given with reference to this and other information sources.