João Laranjinha

Overview

João Laranjinha is professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. He graduated in Pharmaceutical Sciences (University of Coimbra) in 1984 and got a PhD in Biochemistry (University of Coimbra) in 1996. He did Postdoc studies with Enrique Cadenas in 1997-1998 at the Dept. Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, studying Free Radicals and Antioxidants in Biology. His research is focused on the functional impact of nitric oxide in the brain as a neurometabolic regulator and as a mediator of neurovascular coupling with impact in aging and neurodegeneration. He is also interested in dietary nitrite-driven regulatory processes, encompassing the non-enzymatic production of nitric oxide along the nitrate:nitrite:NO pathway. He has been awarded several prizes, including the Science and Humanity award by The Oxygen Club of California and is member of the editorial board of major journals in his area of research, including Redox Biology, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Free Radical Research and Biofactors. He has chaired the organizing and scientific committees of several international conferences, including the European (SFRRE 2007) and International (SFRRI 2018) meetings of the Society for Free Radical Research. He has been member of the council of the European Society for Neurochemistry and the European Society for Free Radical Research for several years and President of the Portuguese Biochemical Society (2014-18). Currently, he serves as member of the Advanced Courses Committee of FEBS and as the president of the General Assembly of the Portuguese Biochemical Society.