UC scientist secures prestigious European Research Council grant of over €2 million

Vanessa Coelho-Santos, a researcher at the University of Coimbra (UC), has received a Starting Grant of over two million euros (£2,748,617) from the European Research Council (ERC). This prestigious and highly competitive grant will fund the AngioArchitects project, Endothelial–microglial communication as a sculptor of brain capillary network architecture, for a period of five years. The research seeks to provide new insights into brain development in newborns and to identify factors that can influence this process during the first 28 days of life.

Scientists from the Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), and the University of Coimbra Institute of Physiology will study three-dimensional networks of capillaries in the brain. Spanning more than 600 kilometres, these networks mainly expand after birth, protecting the brain, supplying oxygen and nutrients, and removing metabolic waste.

Vanessa Coelho-Santos emphasises that there is still much to discover in this line of research: “Very little is known about how endothelial cells – the building blocks of microvessels – organise themselves to form the brain’s capillary network, and how the brain’s immune cells, the microglia, contribute to this formation during this critical phase of newborn brain development – the neonatal period.” She adds, “The great mystery is understanding how endothelial cells know where to connect. Do they follow specific signals indicating the path, or are they programmed with this destination from birth?”

In this context, the AngioArchitects project highlights that dialogue and cooperation between these two cell populations are essential for vessel formation. While some cells provide direction, others ensure they reach the correct destination, the researcher explains. “By uncovering the role of microglia in organising the brain’s blood vessel network, we can gain a better understanding of how cerebral vessels form and how neuroimmune responses — particularly after infection or brain injury — shape the capillary network, which may ultimately influence brain development and susceptibility to neurological disorders,” the scientist adds.

Vanessa Coelho-Santos, who has been studying brain development in newborns since 2017, stresses that this funding is crucial for understanding normal brain development and the underlying physiological processes. “The formation of new blood vessels is crucial for regeneration after brain injury, and understanding these mechanisms during development could lead to advances in regenerative medicine,” she adds. “Perhaps the key to explaining the brain’s resilience and plasticity throughout life lies in understanding how this network is established during the neonatal period,” she suggests.

In addition to research activities, this grant will fund the acquisition of new state-of-the-art equipment — including a multi-photon microscope adapted for awake imaging — to monitor brain activity in real time, without the use of anaesthesia or causing pain, as well as the establishment of a research team, which will include the hiring of four new members to join Vanessa Coelho-Santos on the project.

ERC Starting Grants are a highly competitive funding programme from the European Research Council, designed to support excellent projects led by promising early-career scientists, enabling them to carry out their research and establish independent research groups.