Funded Partner
CIIMAR
The Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) is a leading research and advanced training institution within the University of Porto ecosystem that was established in 2000. This institution aims to promote transdisciplinary, technological development, and innovation focused on ocean sustainability and Blue Economy growth. CIIMAR integrates 605 members, of 26 nationalities, including 222 PhD holders, 379 researchers and students, and a strong network of technical and administrative staff. CIIMAR is organized into three main research lines – Biology, Aquaculture and Seafood Quality, Marine Biotechnology, and Global Changes and Ecosystem Services – whose activities are supported by state-of-the-art facilities at the Porto Cruise Terminal and partner institutions such as the University of Porto (ICBAS and Faculties of Sciences, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law), Polytechnic of Porto, IPMA, and the University of Madeira.
In 2024, CIIMAR implemented 92 competitive projects amounting to 29.16 million euros, including 29 Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe projects, 24 under EEA Grants, INTERREG, and others, 31 from FCT, and 3 PRR-funded initiatives. Its researchers have published 518 peer-reviewed papers (average IF 4.5), supervised 44 PhD and 133 MSc theses, and filed three provisional patents. Recognized for its innovation-oriented strategy, CIIMAR coordinates the Portuguese Blue Biobank and maintains ISO 9001 certification, a Gender Equality Plan, and a Social and Environmental Responsibility Plan. With extensive outreach – over 685 media appearances and 57,300 citizens engaged through CIIMAR’s Open Day – CIIMAR exemplifies scientific excellence, sustainability, and strong engagement with society and public policy.
The Aquatic Animal Health (A2S) research group at CIIMAR is composed of 15 PhD holders, 5 research technicians, 11 PhD students, and 4 MSc students. This highly motivated team is committed to exploring innovative and sustainable solutions to enhance farmed animal health and welfare in the aquaculture industry. Such efforts are accomplished by combining fundamental science with practical applications through close collaboration with industry partners. Current research initiatives involve sustainable aquaculture approaches to improve animal health and welfare, host-pathogen interactions, and neuro-endocrine/immune interaction pathways, from a multidisciplinary and holistic perspective.
The laboratory is equipped with several instruments, including the CFX384 Real-Time PCR, Maxwell RSC 48 Instrument, Precellys tissue homogenizer, thermocyclers, electrophoresis equipment, laminar flow and chemical incubators, several types of equipment that allow quantification of an array of compounds (Segmented Flow Analyzers, Atomic Absorption Spectrometers, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometers and HPLC, Gas Chromatographs, and Organic Elemental Analyzer-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer), Biotek Microplate Spectrophotometer reader, inverted microscopes, slide staining and equipment for histological analysis, and cell culture rooms. Wet lab facilities allow the possibility to develop feeding trials in a room equipped with 18 tanks of 250L, but also infection trials in 2 high security rooms equipped with 15 tanks of 100L and 24 tanks of 80L, respectively.
The A2S team is currently engaged in several international and national research projects focused on sustainable aquaculture and animal health innovation. In the last three years, three Horizon Europe projects related with aquaculture sustainability were funded: EUAqua.Org – which aims to develop innovative solutions to address critical challenges in aquaculture industry through phenotyping, genotyping and genomic prediction technologies -, GRINNAQUA – which promotes green innovation in aquaculture by developing functional feeds as prophylactic strategy to mitigate viral and parasitic infections – and IGNITION – which studies the climate-change associated challenges in aquaculture, while searching for novel biomarkers, biosensors and feed additives from halophytes. Together, these projects reinforce the A2S team’s commitment to the development of groundbreaking, sustainable, and welfare-oriented solutions to improve aquatic animal health in the context of the Blue Economy.
Personnel
Dr. Benjamín Costas
Team leader
Dr. Benjamín Costas is currently the Principal Researcher at CIIMAR and Head of Aquatic Animal Health, a highly driven team that focuses on nutritional immunology as the main research line. Dr. Costas is coordinating several national and international projects in aquatic animal health and welfare, including Horizon Europe initiatives, with close industry partnerships. His main research targets novel strategies to improve fish disease resistance and welfare, as well as non-invasive biomarkers of animal health. Dr. Benjamín owns a prolific publication record in international peer-reviewed journals, with extensive experience in academic and advisory committees, and mentorship.
Dr. Sérgio Boo
Team member
Dr. Sérgio Boo is an Auxiliary researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, dedicated to marine invertebrate health. He holds a PhD from the University of Santiago de Compostela, focused on the interaction between the clam Ruditapes spp. and the parasite Perkinsus olseni. Has a postdoctoral researcher, Sérgio has joined the EU Reference Lab for Bivalve Diseases (LRUE/IFREMER) in France. His main area of interest lies in the interaction between host/parasites and the search for biomarkers of disease resistance in invertebrates. He has enrolled in several European and national projects, also contributing internationally as an adviser and invited professor.
Dr. Rita Azeredo
Team member
Dr. Rita Azeredo is an Auxiliary researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, where she works on immunomodulatory and neuroendocrine effects of amino acids through dietary supplementation in aquafeeds. She completed a PhD in Biology granted by the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto. She mainly investigates the role of tryptophan on the modulation of the fish brain-gut axis, including neuroendocrine, immune, and serotonergic mechanisms. She has been involved in projects such as TRYPinGUT, GRINNAQUA, and IGNITION, actively supporting institutional training and sustainability initiatives.
Dr. Marina Machado
Team member
Dr. Marina Machado is an Auxiliary researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, mainly working on the development of nutritional strategies that can improve fish health and vaccination efficiency. She earned her PhD in Animal Science from the University of Porto, focused on the role of methionine on fish inflammation. Currently, she has been exploring the many action mechanisms behind viperin function, an antiviral protein, coordinating the AQUAVIP project as the main investigator. Her research path includes participation in multiple international and national projects, such as VIRALMET, GRINNAQUA, and IGNITION, and recognition through four scientific awards.
Dr. Bruno Reis
Team member
Dr. Bruno Reis is a Junior researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, and his main research line is related to fish sustainable nutrition and health. He holds a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Porto, where he unraveled the role of new nutraceuticals from marine bio-refineries in the growth and immune status of fish. Bruno has participated in international and national projects and has published several publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Nowadays, he is focused on the fish immunological status and response, together with strategies to improve it, using sustainable fish feed additives like microalgae.
Dr. Francisca Brito
Team member
Dr. Francisca Brito is a Junior researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, working within the framework of the project MICROBOOST. She has a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Porto, where she studied the effects of rearing conditions on the composition and bioactive content of seaweed, as potential functional ingredients for fish. Francisca has many publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and her main research interests are linked to sustainable dietary strategies to improve immunity and stress response of farmed fish.
Dr. Diogo Peixoto
Team member
Diogo Peixoto is a Junior researcher at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR. He earned his PhD in Animal Science from the University of Porto while studying the modulatory effects of tryptophan on the neuroendocrine and immune responses. His research line continues to focus on fish metabolism and on the neuroendocrine and immune bi-directional pathways, approaching simultaneously fish health and welfare. He has authored and co-authored numerous international publications, contributed to 17 research projects – one as main investigator – and received four scientific awards.
Dr. Inês Ferreira
Team member
Dr. Inês Ferreira is currently working as a research technician at the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, in the scope of the ShellFishBoost project as part of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact. This project aims to develop advanced tools for genetic selection to boost the resilience of European shellfish production. She holds a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Porto, where she focused on immunology and molecular biology of host-pathogen interactions. She has contributed to international and national projects addressing fish health and sustainable aquaculture, and has been publishing in international peer-reviewed journals.