Leonilde Moreira

Leonilde Morais Moreira

associate professor

C-6744-2011

iBB Group: bsrg

lmoreira@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Expertise: Bacterial pathogenesis and evolution, Burkholderia cepacia complex, Biofilm and exopolysaccharides, Host-bacteria interactions, Functional genomics and gene editing

Short Bio:

Leonilde Moreira is a researcher in Bioengineering and Biosciences and an associate professor at the department of Bioengineering of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). With a MSc in Biotechnology (1993) and a PhD in Biotechnology (specialization in Microbiology) (1997), Leonilde´s work focuses on the molecular mechanisms of virulence of opportunistic bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. By combining molecular microbiology, genomics, and evolution, she pursues to uncover the genetic and phenotypic adaptation of these bacteria during long-term chronic respiratory infections of cystic fibrosis patients. To promote science across different audiences, she co-organized workshops and practical courses for biology teachers and pupils.

Research Focus:

Comparative genomics to understand long-term evolution of Burkholderia multivorans isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and identification of bacterial genetic determinants implicated in multicellular aggregates formation.

IST-COVID-LAB: Functionalized (nano)particles for enrichment and efficient detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical and environmental samples (SAICTCOVID/72536/2020), Portugal2020/FCT.

Ferreira, M. R., Queiroga, V., & Moreira, L. M. (2024). Genomic editing in Burkholderia multivorans by CRISPR/Cas9. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 90(2), e02250-23. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02250-23

Gomes SC, Ferreira MF, Tavares AF, Silva IN, Becker JD, and Moreira LM. (2021). A histone-like nucleoid structuring protein regulates several virulence traits in Burkholderia multivorans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 87:e00369-21. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00369-21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33931418/

Silva IN, Pessoa FD, Ramires MJ, Santos MR, Becker JD, Cooper VS, Moreira LM. (2018). The OmpR regulator of Burkholderia multivorans controls mucoid-to-nonmucoid transition and other cell envelope properties associated with persistence in the cystic fibrosis lung. Journal of Bacteriology. 200:e00216-18. doi:10.1128/JB.00216-18. https://jb.asm.org/content/200/17/e00216-18

Silva IN, Ramires MJ, Azevedo LA, Guerreiro AR, Tavares AC, Becker JD, Moreira LM. (2017). Regulator LdhR and D-lactate dehydrogenase LdhA of Burkholderia multivorans play roles in carbon overflow and in planktonic cellular aggregate formation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 83:e01343-17. doi:10.1128/AEM.01343-17. http://aem.asm.org/content/83/19/e01343-17

Silva IN, Santos PM, Santos MR, Zlosnik JEA, Speert DP, Buskirk SW, Bruger EL, Waters CM, Cooper VS, and Moreira LM. (2016). Long-term evolution of Burkholderia multivorans during a chronic cystic fibrosis infection reveals shifting forces of selection. mSystems 1(3):e00029-16. doi:10.1128/mSystems.00029-16. http://msystems.asm.org/content/1/3/e00029-16

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Leonilde Morais Moreira