Name
Vasco Rui Veloso Neves Branco
Category
Junior Researcher
Research Unit
biographical note
Vasco Branco’s research concerns how the interaction between mercury compounds and antioxidant systems (thioredoxin; glutathione) modulates the unfolding of neurodevelopmental toxicity. Namely, the research is focused on understanding how mercury affects microglia activation and neural stem cell differentiation. Knowledge of these early toxic events is a key tool for identifying potential biomarkers of early effect to be used in Human Risk Assessment. How selenium compounds interact with mercurials and modify toxicity is also an interest.