Research outputs that
create knowledge and
improve clinical outcomes

The Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS)
was established in 2003 to develop biomedical research
within the School of Medicine of the University of Minho.

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Researchers

ICVS at a glance

Discover ICVS' milestones.

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  • Establishment of ICVS

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • Recognition as an R&D unit by FCT

    INSTITUTIONAL

    1st Ciência Falada

    OUTREACH

  • Inauguration and certification by the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture of the animal house facilities

    INSTITUTIONAL

    1st completed PhD

    POS-GRADUATION

  • First outreach activities

    OUTREACH

  • Launch of the MD/PhD program

    POST-GRADUATION

  • 1st registered patent

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Inauguration of the definitive facilities of ICVS/ECS

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • Creation of MSc and PhD programs by ICVS/ECS

    POST-GRADUATION

  • Launch of the 1st spin-off in Medical Devices – iSurgical3D

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

    STORZ minimally invasive surgery laboratory

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • Status of Associate Laboratory to ICVS/3B’s

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • Launch of the Clinical Academic Center of Braga (2CA-Braga)

    INSTITUTIONAL

    1st European project coordinated by ICVS

    SCIENTIFIC

    Launch of the 1st spin-off in Life Sciences – BnML

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

    >10000 participants in ICVS outreach activities

    OUTREACH

  • Launch of the 1st spin-off in Medical Education – iCognitus

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • 1000 peer-reviewed published articles

    SCIENTIFIC

  • Inauguration of the new animal house facilities

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • 1st La Caixa Foundation project

    SCIENTIFIC

  • Patent sold for > € 1 million – KidneyNav

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

    2000 peer-reviewed published articles

    SCIENTIFIC

  • > 100 PhD researchers

    INSTITUTIONAL

    Diagnostic service to the community – COVID-19

    TRANSLATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

    1st ERC grant

    SCIENTIFIC

  • 1st researcher in tenure track

    INSTITUTIONAL

  • Restructuring of ICVS into thematic teams

    INSTITUTIONAL

Let’s Build Something Together

What’s new?

Read about the latest news and events from ICVS

NLX-101: A Breath of Fresh Air for Patients with Rett Syndrome

Researchers at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS) of the University of Minho have taken an important step in the search for new therapies for Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that still lacks an effective treatment. The results of the study, now published in the prestigious journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, show that the experimental drug NLX-101 may alleviate two of the most severe symptoms: irregular breathing and cognitive difficulties.

Read More

Next on ICVS

Discover ICVS’ next events

May 2025
May 19
May 19, 2025 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

May 19th at 1 pm, don’t miss Diana Rodrigues "The rostral ventromedial medulla as a key target of the maladaptive response to chronic inflammatory pain" at the A0.02 auditorium in UMinho’s School of Medicine. 

May 22
May 22, 2025 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Hélder Novais-Bastos, Pulmonologist, Physician-scientist in interstitial lung diseases, and head of Interventional Pulmonology Unit of Hospital de São João
"Decoding the host-environment crosstalk in pulmonary fibrosis: advancing precision medicine"

May 26
May 26, 2025 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

May 26 at 1 pm, don’t miss Ana Raquel Cunha "RKIP in Lung Adenocarcinoma: Insights into tumor biology, prognostic significance, and resistance to EGFR targeted therapies" at the A0.02 auditorium in UMinho’s School of Medicine.