Neuroproteomics Laboratory · Unicamp
Science that revealsthe brain,one protein at a time.
We study the brain's proteins to understand schizophrenia and depression — and share our discoveries, milestones and curiosities here.
News
Latest from the lab
Discoveries, milestones, events and curiosities — straight from the bench.
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Curiosities
Bite-sized science — swipe for more.
The brain uses about 20% of the body's energy
At only 2% of body weight, the brain is one of the hungriest organs in the body — and proteins are what make the numbers add up.
20,000 genes, far more proteins
The human genome has about 20,000 protein-coding genes — yet the different protein forms we produce may exceed one million.
Nerve signals can travel faster than 100 m/s
The secret to this speed is myelin, an insulating sheath made in the brain by oligodendrocytes.
Where does the word “protein” come from?
The name was suggested in 1838 and comes from Greek: something like “of first importance”. It could not be more fitting.
A scale for molecules that earned a Nobel Prize
Mass spectrometry “weighs” molecules with incredible precision. In 2002, the scientists who found how to do this with proteins won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
How many neurons do we have? A Brazilian scientist counted
For decades it was repeated that the brain had 100 billion neurons. Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel measured it: about 86 billion.
About LNP
Proteomics to understand the mind
Unicamp's Neuroproteomics Laboratory studies the full set of proteins in the nervous system — the proteome — using mass spectrometry, cell culture and bioinformatics.
Our goal is to understand the biology of mental disorders and support the search for biomarkers and new treatments.
Discover our research~0
proteins encoded by the human genome
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neurons in the human brain
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people with depression worldwide (WHO)
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people with schizophrenia worldwide (WHO)
Research lines