Soft and Biological Matter

This group works in soft condensed matter physics with a direct application to biological systems, aiming at a far-reaching impact in science and society. The research developed has a strong focus on cellular morphology and movement, tissue irrigation, and tumor and vessel growth. Within the topic of vessel growth, we explore the consequences of physical mechanisms in the development of complex processes in both health and disease such as organogenesis, wound healing, inflammation, endometriosis or diabetes. We collaborate with several multidisciplinary international teams and bring together the know-how of researchers with proven expertise in theoretical, computational and experimental tasks.

Current projects

Previous projects

• COST Action: CA15214 - An integrative action for multidisciplinary studies on cellular structural networks
• Physical Modelling of Tumours - Understanding the metastasis mechanism
• Angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy – Integrating experiments and modeling
• The nature of the protein folding process
• Modeling Angiogenesis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - integrating experimental and theoretical approaches
• Cost Action: CA17139 - European Topology Interdisciplinary Action

Recent Publications

Papers

International Journals

1 - Graph-Based Strategies for Optimizing Wildfire Supression
J. Aveiro, D. Neves, Paulo J. Silva, A. Gameiro Lopes, C. Viegas, O. Oliveira, F. Nogueira, Jaime Oliveira da Silva
J. Phys.: Complex. 7(1), 015002 (2026)

2 - Infrared divergences and the photon mass in QED
Oliveira, O.
Phys. Rev. D 113(1), 016004 (2026)

3 - Generating vascular network structures from real data
J.B. Simoes, R.D.M. Travasso, T. Baptista, E. Costa
Expert Syst. Appl. 299(B), 129941 (2026)

4 - Radiobiological Modeling with Monte Carlo Tools - Simulating Cellular Responses to Ionizing Radiation
T.A. Azevedo, A.M. Abrantes, J. Carvalho
Tech. Cancer Res. Treat. 24, 15330338251350909 (2025)

5 - Evidence for the atavistic reversal to a unicellular-like state as a central hallmark of cancer
Carvalho, J.
Int. J. Cancer 156(9), 1671 (2025)

6 - A 3D Computational Study on the Formation and Progression of Tumor Cells in Diffuse Gastric Cancer
V. Lopes, J. Figueiredo, P. Carneiro, M. Gouveia, RDM Travasso, J. Carvalho
Bull. Math. Biol. 87(2), 28 (2025)

7 - QED photon-fermion vertex from its Dyson-Schwinger equation in 4D: The full vertex, the transverse form factors, and the perturbative solution
Oliveira, O.
Phys. Rev. D 112(7), 076009 (2025)

8 - On the momentum space structure of the quark propagator
O. Oliveira, T. Frederico, W. de Paula
Eur. Phys. J. C 85(3), 280 (2025)

9 - Cold-Captured Dynamic Hydration Networks in Oxime-Based Photoswitches: A Theoretical Challenge Uncovered by Rotational Spectroscopy
R.J.C. Roque, N.M. Campos, M. Gouveia, S.R. Domingos
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Early Access, e202513560 (2025)

10 - Predicting cardiac frequencies in mammals
R.D.M Travasso, C.A. Penick, R.R. Dunn, E.C. Poiré
Sci. Rep. 15 (1), 7017 (2025)

11 - The center-symmetric Landau gauge meets the lattice
D. van Egmond, O. Oliveira, U. Reinosa, J. Serreau, Paulo J. Silva, M. Tissier
Phys. Rev. D 112(1), 014512 (2025)

Proceedings

International Conferences

12 - Spatial localization and scaffold proteins enable sensitive and site-specific hydrogen peroxide signaling through peroxiredoxin-mediated redox relays
M. Griffith, A. Araújo, R. Travasso, A. Salvador
Free Radic. Biol. Med. 233 (1), PP II_A06 (2025)

Communications

Invited

13 - The Formation of Functional Blood Vessel Networks - signalling, resilience, flow, therapy
Rui DM Travasso
• University of Leiden, Leiden, 12th Nov (2025). • University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 13th Oct (2025). • Center for Computational Oncology Seminar Series (remote seminar), 1st Oct (2025). (2025)

14 - Phase-field models of cell migration and adhesion
Rui DM Travasso
CERES Talks, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 12th Feb (2025)

15 - Using Soft Condensed Matter Strategies to Model the Physics of Biological Systems
Rui DM Travasso
ENEF 2025, Porto, Portugal, 13th – 16th Feb (2025)

16 - Modelling biological systems - from cells to tissues
Rui DM Travasso
DCV Talks, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 22nd Jan (2025)

17 - Modelos Computacionais na Monitorização de Tumores
Rui DM Travasso
SCOPE 2025, Coimbra, Portugal, 26th – 27th Nov (2025)

Poster

18 - Computational modeling of prostate cancer progression and proton therapy response
Matilde Palmeira, Rui DM Travasso, Guillermo Lorenzo
40th Annual Critical Issues in Tumor Microenvironment: Angiogenesis, Metastasis and Immunology, Boston, USA, 10th – 14th Nov (2025)

19 - The full QCD gluon and ghost propagators and the transition to the deconfinement regime
E. Salgado, O. Oliveira, P.J. Silva
The complex structure of strong interactions in Euclidean and Minkowski space Workshop, 26-30 Maio, Trento, Itália (2025)

20 - Center-symmetric Landau gauge on the lattice: symmetry constraints and the gluon propagator
D. van Egmond, O. Oliveira, U. Reinosa, J. Serreau, Paulo J. Silva, M. Tissier
The complex structure of strong interactions in Euclidean and Minkowski space Workshop, 26-30 Maio, Trento, Itália (2025)

Other

21 - Using the Landau gauge gluon propagator to set the lattice physical scales and understanding the finite size effects
Orlando Oliveira, Paulo J. Silva
Submitted (2025)

22 - Gulbenkian New Talents in Physics Program.
Rui D.M. Travasso
Mentor of New Talents in Physics awardee, Duarte Leite (2025)