Newcastle University

Introduction

I am a BBSRC David Phillips Fellow at The Institute for Ageing and Health. I run a lab at the Edwardson Biogerontology Building composed of 3 PhD students, a Research technician and several MRes and undergraduate students.
Work by my group combines modelling, functional networks and both in vitro and in vivo experimental systems to understand the role of signalling pathways connecting telomeres to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction in cellular ageing.

Background

At the end of my undergraduate studies (2001-2002) I trained at IBMC in Portugal studying methylotrophic bacteria and stress resistance. During that time, I helped identify a new bacterial strain which is believed to be the first example of a methylotrophic Pseudomonas. I also explored the mechanisms by which bacteria respond to stress. I found that in E.coli, cadmium toxicity contrary to previously proposed models was mainly due to inhibition of the respiratory chain and not glutathione depletion. Work conducted during my undergraduate studies has led to 2 publications.

Qualifications

2006 PhD awarded by Newcastle University, United Kingdom
2002 degree in Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Portugal (equivalent UK 1st class)

Memberships

British Society for Research into Ageing

Honours and Awards

1) Awarded BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship Jun 2010
2) Awarded Newcastle University Fellowship March 2010
3) Awarded best talk prize at the Swedish Telomere Telomerase Meeting May 2010
4) Awarded poster prize at IAH/ICM Research day Jan. 2009
5) Awarded BSRA bursary for being UK representative at the American Aging Association Meeting in Texas 2007
6) Awarded best poster prize at the 3rd International Conference on Functional Genomics of Ageing Palermo, Sicily March 2006
7) Awarded best poster prize at British Society for Research into Ageing scientific meeting London UK July 2005
8) Awarded PhD studentship by the GABBA program, University of Porto 2003
9) Awarded Prof. Dr. Fernando Serrão Prize by the University of Porto Oct. 2001

Languages

fluent spoken and written English, Portuguese and French,

Research Interests

Molecular mechanisms involved in ageing, in particular the role of mitochondrial ROS production and its interaction with telomeres.
The role of cysteine oxidation in ageing.
Systems Biology approaches to study the ageing process.

Other Expertise

• During the last 2 years I have given an average of 6 oral presentations per year in prestigious national and international conferences on the subject of Biology of Ageing. I have recently been invited to the Systems Biology of Ageing Philadelphia USA (December 2010), British Society for Research into Ageing Annual Meeting (July 2010), GABBA annual symposium Porto, Portugal (Jun 2010), Telomeres telomerase Swedish meeting Sweden (May 2010).

• I am a reviewer for various international journals: PLoS Genetics, PloS ONE, Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (MAD), Aging Cell, Experimental Gerontology, Biogerontology, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS), Rejuvenation Research, BMC Endocrine Disorders, Journal of the American Aging Association (AGE) and Computational Biology and Chemistry.

• I am part of the editorial board of Frontiers in Genetics of Aging as Review Editor.

• I teach at the MRes course on Biology of Ageing at Newcastle University.

• I have also have experience in communicating science to the general public and was invited to do a Café Scientifique in 2006 about biology of ageing with students from Jordan University organised by the British Council. I have also been invited to judge a debating matters event as part of the of Changing Age initiative organised by Newcastle University.
http://www.debatingmatters.com/projects/debating_matters_newcastle_university_changing_age_event/

Postgraduate Supervision

I supervise 3 PhD students

Funding

I have been awarded a 5 year BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship.

Postgraduate Teaching

I teach at the Biology of Ageing Mres course.

• Hewitt G, Jurk D, Marques FDM, Correia-Melo C, Hardy T, Gackowska A, Anderson R, Taschuk M, Mann J, Passos JF. Telomeres are favoured targets of a persistent DNA damage response in ageing and stress-induced senescence. Nature Communications 2012, 3, 708.
• Lawless C, Jurk D, Gillespie CS, Shanley D, Saretzki G, von Zglinicki T, Passos JF. A Stochastic Step Model of Replicative Senescence Explains ROS Production Rate in Ageing Cell Populations. PLoS One 2012, 7(2), e32117.
• Passos JF, Nelson G, Wang CF, Richter T, Simillion C, Proctor CJ, Miwa S, Olijslagers S, Hallinan J, Wipat A, Saretzki G, Rudolph KL, Kirkwood TBL, von Zglinicki T. Feedback between p21 and reactive oxygen production is necessary for cell senescence. Molecular Systems Biology 2010,6 347.
• Passos JF, Saretzki G, Ahmed S, Nelson G, Richter T, Peters H, Wappler I, Birket MJ, Harold G, Schaeuble K, Birch-Machin MA, Kirkwood TBL, von Zglinicki T. Mitochondrial dysfunction accounts for the stochastic heterogeneity in telomere-dependent senescence. PLoS Biology 2007, 5(5), 1138-1151.
• Lawless C, Wang CF, Jurk D, Merz A, von Zglinicki T, Passos JF. Quantitative assessment of markers for cell senescence. Experimental Gerontology 2010,45 10 772-778.
• Passos J, Saretzki G, von Zglinicki T. DNA damage in telomeres and mitochondria during cellular senescence: Is there a connection?. Nucleic Acids Research 2007, 35(22), 7505-7513.
• Passos JF, von Zglinicki T. Mitochondrial dysfunction and cell senescence - skin deep into mammalian aging. Aging 2012, 4(2), 74-75.
• Neganova I, Vilella F, Atkinson SP, Lloret M, Passos JF, von Zglinicki T, O'Connor JE, Burks D, Jones R, Armstrong L, Lako M. An Important Role for CDK2 in G1 to S Checkpoint Activation and DNA Damage Response in Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells 2011, 29(4), 651-659.
• Ahmed S, Passos JF, Birket MJ, Beckmann T, Brings S, Peters HH, Birch-Machin MA, von Zglinicki TW, Saretzki GC. Telomerase does not counteract telomere shortening but protects mitochondrial function under oxidative stress. Journal of Cell Science 2008, 121(7), 1046-1053.
• Passos JF, Von Zglinicki T, Kirkwood TBL. Mitochondria and ageing: Winning and losing in the numbers game. BioEssays 2007, 29(9), 908-917.
• Soleimanpour-Lichaei HR, Kuhl I, Gaisne M, Passos JF, Wydro M, Rorbach J, Temperley R, Bonnefoy N, Tate W, Lightowlers R, Chrzanowska-Lightowlers Z. mtRF1a Is a Human Mitochondrial Translation Release Factor Decoding the Major Termination Codons UAA and UAG. Molecular Cell 2007, 27(5), 745-757.
• Passos JF, Nelson G, von Zglinicki T. Telomeres, Senescence, Oxidative stress and heterogeneity. In: Rudolph, KL, ed. Telomeres and Telomerase in Aging, Disease, and Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms of Adult Stem Cell Ageing. Berlin: Springer, 2008, pp. 43-56.