A group of researchers from the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (University of Coimbra) including Clévio Nóbrega, current researcher at the CBMR – Centre for Biomedical Research (University of Algarve), won the 2nd prize at the Janssen Innovation Competition, with the work “Ataxin-2 in the hypothalamus: a new molecular target for metabolism and circadian rhythm regulation”.

The main objective of this study was to understand the role of the ataxin-2 protein at the level of the hypothalamus – the metabolic regulatory center – being, for example, involved in the process of obesity control.

The team, composed by Clévio Nóbrega, Cláudia Cavadas, Luís Pereira de Almeida, Célia Aveleira, Sara Carmo-Silva, Marisa Marques and Maria Botelho, won the € 20.000 prize, which distinguishes the more innovative projects carried out at Portuguese institutions.

The french pharmaceutical company distinguishes, annually, the three best scientific papers in the areas of Pulmonary Hypertension, Oncology, Immunology, Infecciology or Neurosciences, and   awarded, in 2016, an honorable mention to the work of Sónia Simão, also researcher at the Center for Biomedical Research.