Iva Pashkuleva is a Principal Investigator at 3Bs Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal. She holds PhD in Organic chemistry from University of Sofia, Bulgaria (2000) and works at the interface of carbohydrate and supramolecular (non-covalent) chemistry towards development of biomimicking systems that aid the understanding and the treatment of different pathologies. The design of specific glycan copolymers and amphiphiles as well as their self-assembly at physiological conditions or in response to physiological stimuli plays a central role in her research. The developed supramolecular systems are used to gain fundamental insights into extracellular matrix organization, dynamics and function as well as to design adaptive and responsive biomaterials.
Iva Pashkuleva is an author of more than 100 publications focused on the development of new analytical methods and platforms for characterization of challenging to measure glycan-protein and glycan-cell interactions; glycan-based delivery systems; selective cancer therapies based on biocatalytic self-assembly of glycan amphiphiles; and extracellular supramolecular mimics.
She has been awarded several prestigious grants for her research - a Starting Grant (2008) and two Consolidator Grants (2013 and 2019) from the Portuguese scientific foundation. Currently, she participates in several European consortia that develop clinical solutions for different pathologies such as diabetic foot ulcers and neonatal intensive care.