Personal information

Protein glycosylation, glycomics, neurodegeneration, extracellular vesicles

Biography

Júlia Costa is a biochemist and Principal Investigator at ITQB NOVA. She performed doctoral studies in plant protein glycosylation analysis at ITQB in collaboration with the Oxford Glycobiology Institute, for which she obtained the PhD degree in Biochemistry at the University of Lisbon in 1994. In 2012, she obtained the Habilitation degree in Biochemistry specialization Biotechnology at ITQB NOVA.
Her post-doctoral research included the study of structural and biosynthetic aspects of protein glycosylation in mammalian cells at the German Research Centre for Biotechnology (current Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research), Germany. In 1998, her motivation towards protein glycosylation and glycosyltransferases, led her to found the Laboratory of Glycobiology in a pioneer area at ITQB NOVA. A work program on the investigation of fucosyltransferases was developed and glycomics methodologies were implemented. Later on, collaborative projects with the German Cancer Institute conducted to a new topic in the lab focused on the investigation of protein glycosylation in cancer and, particularly, of extracellular vesicles. Other line of research focused on the investigation of protein glycosylation in neuronal cells and cerebrospinal fluid aiming at unveiling mechanisms and biomarkers of disease, particularly, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For this work, collaboration with reference laboratories in Europe and the USA and participation in multicenter studies were crucial. More recently, she collaborated with the University of Geneva towards the implementation of a dataset on Brain Glycosylation at the database GlyConnect from Expasy Swiss Bioinformatics Resource Portal.
During this time, she participated in national and international research projects several as PI and secured more than 1 million Euros of independent funding. She supervised more than 20 students at different levels (8 completed PhD thesis) with successful careers, including leadership positions in academia and industry. She has published in international peer-reviewed journals with more than 3500 citations (h-index 32). She collaborated with grant and fellowship evaluation panels and was member of organizing and scientific committees of research conferences. Her skills include protein glycosylation analysis, glycosyltransferase characterization, extracellular vesicle separation and analysis and biofluid biomarker identification. Her research interests include protein glycosylation and its regulation, applications of extracellular vesicles in health, functions and bioactivity of glycans in health, neurodegeneration, cancer and inflammation.

Activities

Employment (4)

Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica: Oeiras, PT

2006-02-01 to present | Principal Investigator, Group Leader (Laboratory of Glycobiology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica: Oeiras, PT

1999 to 2006 | Invited Assistant Professor, Group Leader (Laboratory of Glycobiology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Universidade do Algarve: Faro, PT

1998 to 1999 | Professor Auxiliar (Departament of Chemistry)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica: Oeiras, PT

1994 to 1998 | Post-doctoral fellow (Laboratory of Protein Glycosylation, German Research Centre for Biotechnology (current Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research), Germany; Laboratory of Protein Crystallography, ITQB; Laboratory of Glycobiology, ITQB)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Education and qualifications (8)

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica: Oeiras, PT

2012-03-19 | "Agregação" in Biochemistry, Biotechnology (Laboratory of Glycobiology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Max-Planck-Institut für Experimentelle Medizin, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology: Goettingen, DE

2012 to 2012
Qualification
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: Philadelphia, US

2002 to 2002
Qualification
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research: Braunschweig, DE

1996 to 1996
Qualification
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

University of York: York, GB

1995 to 1995
Qualification
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Universidade de Lisboa: Lisboa, PT

1989 to 1994 | PhD in Biochemistry (ITQB, Laboratory of Plant Biochemistry)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Oxford Glycobiology Institute: Oxford, GB

1993 to 1993
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciencias: Lisboa, PT

1983 to 1988 | Degree in Biochemistry
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Professional activities (9)

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa: Oeiras, Lisboa, PT

2017 to present | Coordinator of the Erasmus programme at ITQB NOVA
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

International Society for Extracellular Vesicles: Mount Royal, US

2016 to present
Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa: Oeiras, Lisboa, PT

2013 to present | Member of the Directive Board of the PhD Program in Molecular Biosciences
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Society for Glycobiology: Rockville, US

2009 to present
Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Portuguese Biochemical Society: Portugal, PT

1990 to present
Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

University of Geneva: Geneva, CH

2022 to 2022 | Invited Researcher (Chercheure senior invitée bénévole) (Centre Universitaire d'Informatique)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa: Oeiras, PT

2012 to 2020 | Coordinator Teaching Quality Office at the ITQB NOVA
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa: Oeiras, PT

2009 to 2013 | Member of the Council of the ITQB NOVA
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Portuguese Carbohydrate Group: Lisbon, PT

2007 to 2009 | President Portuguese Carbohydrate Group
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Funding (18)

iNOVA4Health - Advancing Precision Medicine

2020 to 2024 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Educação e Ciência (Lisbon, PT)
GRANT_NUMBER:

UIDB/04462/2020

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Investigating GLT8D1 specificity and its implications in brain disease

2020 to 2021 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Muscle up with intermittent hypoxia: a matter of intensity, gender and metabolism

2020 to 2021 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

iNOVA4Health

2015-01 to 2019-12 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência e do Ensino Superior (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

mioSpA: the role of the muscle in Spondyloarthritis, a new paradigm

2015 to 2017 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Nanoengineered exosomes to treat glioma

2014 to 2018-01 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
GRANT_NUMBER:

ENMed/0001/2013

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Sampling and biomarker OPtimization and Harmonization In ALS and other motor neuron diseases

2012 to 2015 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
GRANT_NUMBER: JPND/0003/2011
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Glycosylation and Lewis X motif in neuronal tissue

2010 to 2013 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
GRANT_NUMBER:

PTDC/SAU-NEU/100724/2008

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Respiratory Rehabilitation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: clinical and biochemical impact

2009 to 2012 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Cell Programming by Nanoscaled Devices, Integrated Project, European Sixth Framework Programme

2004 to 2008 | Grant
Research Executive Agency (Brussels, BE)
GRANT_NUMBER:

500039-2

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Signalling and Membrane Trafficking in Transformation and Differentiation

2004 to 2007 | Grant
Research Executive Agency (Brussels, BE)
GRANT_NUMBER:

LSHG-CT-2004-503228

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Clinical, neurophysiological and neurochemical studies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2003 to 2005 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
GRANT_NUMBER:

POCTI/CBO/43952/02

Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Identification and characterization of proteins involved in Golgi organization from mammalian cells

2002 to 2005 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Purification, gene cloning and characterization of plant fucosyltransferases

2001 to 2005 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Human fucosyltransferases: membrane organization and regulation of the in vivo activity

2000 to 2002 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Mucin O-glycosylation in human gastric mucosa, intestinal metaplasia, gastric carcinoma and gastric cancer cell lines: role of glycosyltransferases and of the carrier proteins

1999 to 2001 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Construction of stable animal cells expressing chimeric forms of human fucosyltransferase III. Study of the intracellular transport of the enzyme

1997 to 1999 | Grant
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Protein glycosylation: biological relevance of oligosaccharides

1996 to 1998 | Grant
JNICT - Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (Lisbon, PT)
Source: Self-asserted source
Júlia Costa

Peer review (9 reviews for 7 publications/grants)

Review activity for Analytical chemistry. (2)
Review activity for Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular cell research (1)
Review activity for Bioconjugate chemistry. (1)
Review activity for Cellular and molecular life sciences (1)
Review activity for Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. (2)
Review activity for Journal of proteome research. (1)
Review activity for Nature communications (1)