been part of the multinational team of researchers from 10 countries that sequenced the genome of the tiny spider mite in a study published in Nature, in November 2011. The sequence of the spider mite genome has revealed the genetic basis for its feeding flexibility and pesticide resistance. - A team led by Florence Janody have uncovered a surprising link between the cell's skeleton and organ size. It was shown in a study published in Development, in April 2011, that one of the proteins that regulates the skeleton of the cell also acts to blocks activation of genes that promote cell survival and proliferation. These findings add to the puzzle of understanding how proliferation genes are abnormally activated, often leading to tumours. - A research team led by Miguel Soares discovered how sickle cell anemia protects against malaria and published the study in the journal Cell, in April 2011. - An international team led by José Feijó published a study in Science, in March 2011, revealing that pollen, the organ that contains the plant male gametes, communicate with the pistil, their female counterpart, using a mechanism commonly observed in the nervous system of animals. The study showed a new mechanism which underlies reproduction in plants and how cell-cell communication is conserved between animals and plants. - A research team led by Miguel Soares found that free heme, released from red blood cells during infection, is the cause of organ failure, leading to the lethal outcome of severe sepsis. Moreover, the team found that the toxic effect of free heme can be overcome by hemopexin, a naturally occurring molecule that neutralises free heme. These findings were published in the Science Translational Medicine journal in September 2010. - A study published in Nature, in September 2010, by a team of researchers led by Miguel Godinho Ferreira solved a paradox related to telomeres, the protective tips of chromosomes. The broken chromosome ends generated by DNA damage are quickly joined together. However, telomeres are never tied to each other, thus allowing for the correct segregation of the genetic material into all cells. The researchers found that one of the histones neighbouring the telomeres lacks a chemical signal, thus rendering the DNA damage recognition machinery incapable of arresting the cell cycle. PhD Programmes The IGC has started the postgraduate training with the format of a PhD programme in 1993 with the Gulbenkian PhD Programme in