Research Areas
Biopharmaceutical Chemistry
Epidemiology and Public Health
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 

Biopharmaceutical Chemistry
The research area of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry gathers the knowledge from biological, medical and physicochemical sciences in the study of the scientific aspects of drug therapy. This interdisciplinary area excels in providing a solid background in the aspects of chemistry most relevant to drugs, namely pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, physical pharmacy, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical analysis, biopharmacy and pharmacokinetics.

The course lecture and programme structure aims tackling innovation, research, development and entrepreneurship to build up an experimental research plan (experimental strategy, factorial design, feasibility of the plan, surface response methodologies), in the design and development of biopharmaceutical systems used in drug delivery (pre-formulation studies, integration of physicochemical, mechanical, biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic properties, analytical development and validation of pharmaceutical processes), their interaction with the human body, animal and other biological systems, as well as concepts of intellectual property and technology transfer knowledge (patenteability, guidelines of intellectual property in health sciences, international Treaties and Conventions, protection against illegal competition, litigation, patents, trademarks and copyrights).

Epidemiology and Public Health
A doctoral dissertation must be original, but this frequently is a difficult barrier to overcome.

The relation between epidemiology and sustainability of personal or political decisions regarding public health is, or should be, obvious. We recognize that there is much to be done in this area regarding the diversity and the quality of epidemiological studies specifically based on the Portuguese social and cultural reality. For this the reason it is difficult to find an original topic on epidemiology.

The speciality in Epidemiology and Public Health of the doctoral programme in Biotechnology and Health will focus on the construction, at a local, regional and national level, of a Portuguese epidemiological atlas that supports a scientific database from which our public health policies can be defined with more accuracy. This database will also grant legitimacy to studies and clinical articles that allow constructive analysis with higher reliability methodological and comparatively in topics as important as etiological, predominance, morbidity, mortality causes, costs of the hospital system and earnings from a prophylactic and primary care system.

Prevention is always less costly than treatments later on!

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
PhD in Biopharmaceutical Chemistry gathers the knowledge from biological, medical and physicochemical sciences in the study of the scientific aspects of drug therapy. This interdisciplinary area excels in providing a solid background in the aspects of chemistry most relevant to drugs, namely pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, physical pharmacy, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical analysis, biopharmacy and pharmacokinetics.

The course lecture and programme structure aims tackling innovation, research, development and entrepreneurship to build up an experimental research plan (experimental strategy, factorial design, feasibility of the plan, surface response methodologies), in the design and development of biopharmaceutical systems used in drug delivery (pre-formulation studies, integration of physicochemical, mechanical, biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic properties, analytical development and validation of pharmaceutical processes), their interaction with the human body, animal and other biological systems, as well as concepts of intellectual property and technology transfer knowledge (patenteability, guidelines of intellectual property in health sciences, international Treaties and Conventions, protection against illegal competition, litigation, patents, trademarks and copyrights).

Contacts and Information

Administrative issues and Applications
Gabinete de Ingresso • Universidade Fernando Pessoa • Praça 9 de Abril, 349 • 4249-004 Porto, Portugal • tel. +351 225 071 300/335 • fax: +351 225 508 269 • E-mail: ingresso@ufp.edu.pt
 
Academic and pedagogical issues (each research area coordinator will indicate a supervisor, according to each doctoral project)
Biopharmaceutical Chemistry: Professor Eliana Souto (eliana@ufp.edu.pt);
Epidemiology and Public Health: Professor José Alves (jalves@ufp.edu.pt);
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Professor Victor Balcão (vbalcao@ufp.edu.pt)   
Universidade Fernando Pessoa • Praça 9 de Abril, 349 • 4249-004 Porto, Portugal • tel. +351 225 071 300 • fax: +351 225 508 269