Associate Professor Mirian Hayashi (mhayashi@unifesp.br), advisor to the program in Pharmacology, works mainly in two different lines of research: (1) natural products and drug development, and (2) identification of biomarkers in mental disorders. (1) The toxins present in animal venoms are of great scientific interest, mainly due to their potential for biotechnological application and therapeutic use. Her group studies a toxin from the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, which has antimicrobial and antitumor activity, besides also acting in the modulation of animal metabolism. This peptide toxin has been evaluated as a possible transporter of other drugs, and its theranostic (therapy + diagnosis) properties were demonstrated for several applications, including tumors and kidney transplantation; (2) Mental disorders (MDs), which are potentially serious and highly prevalent disorders, urgently need tools that can assist in the accuracy of the diagnosis. Our group has contributed to a better understanding of the neurobiology involved in MDs, with a special focus on the study of oligopeptidases and peptidergic pathways that may be involved in the etiology and / or pathophysiology of MDs, such as schizophrenia and / or bipolar disorder (as demonstrated in the schematic graphic below).
More informationwww.ppg.unifesp.br/farmacologia