UMinho Researcher Wins Prestigious Grant for a Transplant Area

Scientist from the University of Minho wins a scholarship of 1.5 million euros. Research Group 3B receives science awards for the sixth time.

Rogério Pirraco, from research group 3B of the University of Minho, received a grant of 1.5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). With one of the most prestigious grants in Europe, the researcher will develop in the coming years a new approach to connect the blood vessels and organs of patients made in laboratories for transplantation.

The ERC scientific portfolios, awarded for the sixth time to Group 3B, are individual projects in which selection is defined as 50% in the researcher's curriculum and 50% in the excellence of the project to be achieved, the degree of risk and the innovative approach and the boundaries of science. Rogério Pirraco presented the project "Generalized Capillary Beds for the Successful Prévascularisation of Tissue Construc- tions" and won a Start-up Grant for those who are starting an individual career and want to create their own line of research.

The scientist intends to develop the creation of a bioartificial capillary bed that serves as an interaction between organs or tissues made in the laboratory and the vascularization of patients who need it. The interface will allow an accessible connection between patients' blood vessels and transplanted tissues or organs, facilitating the injection and viability of these.

"To receive this funding is an honor, but also a challenge and a responsibility," says the researcher. Rogério Pirraco also claims to be "a unique opportunity to develop a technology capable of solving the problem of deficient vascularization of organs and tissues developed in the laboratory," one of the biggest obstacles to clinical application strategies. of tissue engineering.