The Treeck Laboratory | The Cell Biology of Host - Pathogen Interactions
June 2026: Toxo 18 (Búzios, Brasil)
Another month, another conference. Moritz, Franzi, Ana, Diogo, Gwen, Carolina and Chris travelled to beautiful Buzios (Brasil) for the Toxo 18 meeting. We enjoyed a few days of amazing science and were happy to share our work. Ana and Franzi presented their projects as oral presentation, Catarina and Diogo presented a turbo talk and a poster, and Carolina and Chris presented posters. Ana got recognized with "best oral presentation". Besides the amazing science, we enjoyed tasty food and caipirinhas, beautiful beaches, made many new connections, and reunited with old friends and former lab members.
We are fully recharged and are looking forward to the next edition in 2028.
June 2026: Lab Retreat
What's better than scientific discussions next to the pool, petting goats, cooking together and preventing the spread of a dangerous parasitic disease by drinking margaritas during the annual escape room game? It was a privilige to change the pipet for swim wear and be part of such a wonderful, talented group of people. We finish these three days with a new logo, new ideas and plenty of motivation for another year of amazing science.
May 2026: BioMalPar XXII
David, Gwen, Hugo and Steph attended BioMalPar XXII in the (very hot) Heidelberg. We were very pleased to have such a large part of our lab represented and for everyone to have the opportunity to present their work.
Gwen presented part of her PhD project as a selected talk, while David, Hugo and Steph presented their work during the poster sessions. We also presented an additional poster from a collaborative project by Gwen, Hugo and Steph on optimised transfection protocols and novel selection cassettes, which was very well received by the community and acknowledged with a poster prize (you can find more information in the Resources section).
It was great to see the malaria research community come together to present high-quality science and catch up with colleagues in such a friendly atmosphere. We're already looking forward to attending again next year!
April 2026: World Malaria Day
Today at GIMM, we raise awareness for malaria. Watch Gwen, Ojo and Moritz debunk some common myths about malaria (and showcase excellent acting skills).
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXhZV1OCNyn/?igsh=MTJhZzYxbGEwNzZoZA==
April 2026: Goodbye Elena
After 9 months in the lab, Elena finished her Master thesis project and we celebrated her achievements with cake and drinks. Thank you for your time in the lab and good luck in your future endeavours.
March 2026: Welcome Ojo
Ojo joined the lab as a PostDoc. Ojo has a joined PhD from the labs of Frank Seeber (RKI, Berlin, Germany) and Kevin Saliba (RSB, Canberra, Australia). He will study how P. falciparum surface proteins are trafficked through the Maurer's clefts in infected erythrocytes. Welcome to the lab!
March 2026: Fellowship alert
Hugo received the "la Caixa" Foundation Postdoctoral Junior Leader Fellowship.
Hugo ranked among the top 4.32% of applicants to secure the highly competitive 3 year fellowship. Congrats Hugo and well deserved!
March 2026: Parasitology in Portugal
We had a busy week communicating our work. Ana and Moritz presented at GIMM's weekly internal seminar series. The following day, we participated in the first "Parasitology in Portugal" meeting. Thanks to the organizer's for their efforts in uniting the entire parasitology community and for putting together an interesting meeting. Ana, Gwen, Franzi, Steph and Chris presented posters. We are looking forward to the next meeting.
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February 2026: Welcome Lara
Lara joined the lab for a Bachelor thesis project. Under Ana's supervision she will study the function of Toxoplasma SOS1. She is a Bachelor student in Microbiology from the University of Ljubljana. Welcome to the lab!
January 2026: GIMM/CAML PhD Meeting
During the last week of January, the first edition of the GIMM/CAML PhD Meeting took place. Three exciting days filled with science, giving all PhD students the opportunity to present their work, including our PhD students Ana, Gwen, and Mónica. The meeting was not only a great place to talk science, exchange ideas about our projects, and get feedback from peers, but also to strengthen the PhD community, which is essential for a future-driven institute.
A special highlight for our lab was the recognition of the quality of the work and presentations: Ana received a Talk Prize and Gwen a Poster Prize.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s edition!
December 2025: Merry Treeckmas
While we usually search for apples and oranges, this year we found potatoes on our pizzas. We had a great christmas party with delicious food, thoughtful Secret Santa gifts, the annual pub quiz, and amazing company. Ready for 2026!
October 2025: GIMM PostDoc Retreat
David, Franzi, Catarina and Chris participated in the first GIMM PostDoc in beautiful Ericeira. Part of the PostDoc union at GIMM, they represented the lab as co-organizers and presenters. After two days of science, networking, and inspiring workshops, we can tell a story of roaring lions, cats, and cows and already wait for next year's edition!
October 2025: Good bye Bárbara
Thank you for your time in the lab and good luck with your future work in the lab of Ben Schuhmann at the Technical University Dresden, Germany.
October 2025: Host-Parasite Relationship: From Mechanisms to Control Strategies
Ana, Gwen and Moritz attended the EMBO conference “Host-Parasite Relationship: From Mechanisms to Control Strategies” in Southern France. The conference covered a wide range of topics and parasites and led to great discussions. Ana and Gwen presented their PhD work during the poster session. We always enjoy sharing our science within the parasite community and are already looking forward to the next edition in 2027!
September 2025: Fellowship alert
Chris and Mónica received fellowships for their PostDoc and PhD projects.
Chris secured a 3 year VR (Vetenskapsrådet; Swedish Research Council) postdoctoral fellowship to uncover the impact of host cellular heterogeneity on Toxoplasma infection outcome.
Mónica has secured an FCT PhD fellowship to investigate FIKK mediated signaling in the sexual stages Plasmodium falciparum.
August 2025: Welcome Elena
Elena joined the lab for a Master Thesis Project supervised by Steph. She pursues her Master studies at the Technical University of Munich and fell in love with gametocytes during her bachelor thesis project in the Ankarklev lab at Stockholm University. Welcome to the lab Elena!
June 2025: GIMM Parasitology Day
The whole parasitology community at GIMM got together in Oeiras. We had a day full of exciting science, networking, and discussions about the future of the parasitology community at GIMM and in Portugal. And now we all know how to represent infectious diseases using emojis 🐔🔫👍 Thanks to all the speakers and participants for making it a success - to be repeated...
June 2025: Preprint Alert
What happens when the parasite that causes malaria in humans experiences fever-induced heat stress in its host red blood cell?
Check out our latest preprint. Congrats to David and all coauthors.
May 2025: Paper Alert
Congratulations to Hugo and all coauthors for their publication in Nature Microbiology on the FIKK kinase family of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
One million years ago, a bird-infecting Plasmodium species crossed into great apes. A single, non-exported FIKK kinase gained an export element and rapidly expanded into 15–21 atypical, exported Ser/Thr effector kinases. These kinases then developed different functions and target different host pathways. Remarkably, one even evolved the rare ability to phosphorylate tyrosine, a modification previously unknown in malaria parasites. Despite their differences, all FIKK kinases are inhibited by a single compound - a novel antimalarial treatment strategy?
April 2025: Lab Retreat Troia
What's better than scientific discussions next to the pool, a lab quiz that required all our senses, and the tension before the roller shutter opens?!
We definitely have new wind in our sails after our lab retreat! Looking forward to another year on the verge of discovery!
