Researchers led lectures and hands-on activities on cryo-EM, bacterial models, and bioinformatics

Text: Bianca Bosso
Photos: Beatriz Lemos and Vinicius Gonçalves Satkauskas

Raphaela Machado, a Ph.D. student at CEPID B3 and member of the course organizing committee, and Shaker Chuck Farah, Director of CEPID B3 and course speaker.

Researchers and students from the Center for Research on the Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages (CEPID B3) took part in the 18th Winter Course on Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, organized by the Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo (IQ-USP), from July 13 to 17, 2026. During the event, the team delivered three lectures on the Center’s areas of expertise to approximately 40 in-person participants and more than 550 online attendees, in addition to leading hands-on laboratory activities focused on bacteria and bacteriophages.

Lectures covered cryo-EM, bacterial models, and bioinformatics

Shaker Chuck Farah, Director of CEPID B3, opened the Center’s lecture series on July 13. His presentation introduced participants to cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), highlighting its fundamental principles, major applications, and importance for structural biology research.

On July 15, Regina Lúcia Baldini, Principal Investigator of the  Laboratory of Microbial Interactions (LabMint-CEPID B3), discussed the role of bacteria as research models, emphasizing their remarkable diversity. She presented bacterial species widely used to study cellular differentiation and pathogenicity, and explained the phenomenon of quorum sensing, through which bacterial cells communicate via chemical signals, enabling coordinated behavior within multicellular communities.

Regina Baldini (LabMint-CEPID B3) presenting her lecture on bacterial models.

On July 16, Antônio Pedro Camargo, an Associate Researcher at CEPID B3, discussed the distinction between Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. His lecture also explored the principles behind computational tools used for genome analysis and protein structure prediction, while presenting examples of bacteria–bacteriophage coevolution and the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.

Antônio Pedro Camargo, Associate Researcher at CEPID B3, during his lecture on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.

Hands-on activities in three CEPID B3 laboratories

Three CEPID B3 laboratories located at the Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo – the Laboratory of Microbial Interactions (LabMint), the Laboratory of Protein Structure and Function, and the Laboratory of Genome Evolution – hosted practical sessions as part of the 2026 Winter Course. These workshops introduced participants to the Center’s research infrastructure while providing practical experience with techniques and approaches commonly used in microbiology and molecular biology research.

At LabMint, M.Sc. student Isabella Lourenço led the workshop “DNA Without Borders: Exploring Transformation, Conjugation, and Transduction in Bacteria”, which focused on the mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer. Participants explored how bacteria and bacteriophages contribute to the exchange of genetic information in nature, learned how these processes are applied in scientific research, and discussed their importance for bacterial evolution.

Hands-on activity at LabMint.

At the Laboratory of Protein Structure and Function, coordinated by Shaker Chuck Farah, participants attended the practical session “Recombinant Expression and Structural Characterization of Bacterial Proteins”. The workshop introduced the fundamental concepts and key techniques used in the production and structural characterization of bacterial proteins, integrating methods from microbiology, biochemistry, and structural biology.

Raphaela Machado, a Ph.D. student at CEPID B3 and member of the course organizing committee, during an electron microscopy activity.

At the Laboratory of Genome Evolution, coordinated by Antônio Camargo, participants took part in the workshop “Comparing Biological Sequences: From Homology Searches to Structural Analysis”. Using widely adopted bioinformatics tools, participants explored biological databases, interpreted sequence alignments, reconstructed evolutionary relationships, and examined how sequence conservation is linked to molecular evolution and protein structure.

 Hands-on activity at the Genome Evolution Laboratory.

About the IQ-USP Winter Course

The IQ-USP Winter Course is held annually for senior undergraduate students and graduate students from institutions outside the Institute of Chemistry. In 2026, the 18th edition brought together more than 300 participants in both in-person and online formats. Over the course of a full week, the program covered approximately 12 topics and was coordinated by junior faculty members Janaína Nascimento, Letícia Franco, and Danilo Medina.