Instituto de Medicina Molecular facts for kids
| Established | November 2001 |
|---|---|
| Focus | genome research |
| Key people | Professor Joao Lobo Antunes (founder) Maria do Carmo-Fonseca (president) Maria Mota (executive director) Bruno Silva Santos (Vice-director) |
| Location |
The Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, often called iMM for short, is a special science center in Lisbon, Portugal. It works closely with the University of Lisbon.
The iMM focuses on studying the human genome. The human genome is like a complete instruction book for our bodies. By understanding this book, scientists at iMM want to learn more about how diseases work. Their goal is to find new ways to test for diseases, make better tools to find out what's wrong, and create new treatments.
How the iMM Started
The iMM was created in November 2001. It was formed by bringing together five different research centers from the University of Lisbon Medical School. These centers included groups that studied things like molecular biology, brain science (neurosciences), blood vessels, stomach and gut health, and how our bodies use food (nutrition and metabolism).
In 2003, another research center joined the iMM. This was the Molecular Pathobiology Research Centre from the Portuguese Institute of Oncology Francisco Gentil.
Scientists at iMM have a strong history of working closely with the Lisbon Medical School. Many of them began their science careers at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) in Oeiras. The IGC was one of the first places in Portugal to use advanced techniques for studying cells and molecules.
Honoring a Founder
The iMM is now known as the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes. This name change was made to honor Professor João Lobo Antunes. He was one of the people who helped start the iMM and was its president from 2001 to 2014.
The current president of iMM is Maria do Carmo-Fonseca. Before becoming president, she was the executive director of iMM since it began. The current executive director is Maria Mota, who is a researcher known for her work on malaria.
