Joana Bastos

PhD student

jc.bastos@campus.fct.unl.pt 

Joana Campainhas Bastos is currently a PhD student emerging in the pharmaceutical field and her project aims to demonstrate that nature-inspired ionic liquid (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) constitute a viable alternative for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble active principals (APIs). This application targets at deeply researching and understanding the full potential of applying inexpensive, non toxic against environment and humans ILs/DESs in the upgrading chemical, physical and biopharmaceutical properties of poorly water-soluble APIs. The chemical diversity of the toolbox for the ILs/DESs synthesis grants: unusual solvation characteristics; ILs and DESs with enhanced biocompatibility and affinity for biomedical applications, and with different polarity than that exhibited by conventional ILs, due to for example wide hydrogen-bonding networks. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry for Health (FCT-UNL) where in this Laboratory she evaluated the feasibility of using ILs as biomaterials for different biomedical applications by studying their physical, chemical and biological properties. Since 2015, she published two papers and attended nine scientific meetings with her work.

Supervised by João M. M. Araújo (FCT-NOVA) and co-supervised by Ana B. Pereiro.