This session will introduce you to a subject under the study of many Physicians and Physicists nowadays.
Indeed, you will be able to acquire an unique and insightful perspective about NGS through one of the most brilliant and insightful minds there are in the field.
Raquel Soares is a biochemist, has a master degree in oncobiology and a PhD in Human Biology. She is full professor at the department of Biomedicine, FMUP and leader of Metabesity group at i3S. Her research is focused in understanding how obesity influences other metabolic disease, including diabetes and cancer, by investigating metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation and angiogenesis. She published nearly 200 full papers indexed at scopus (h-index: 43; citations 8682).
She is head of a PhD program and a Master course in Metabolism. She is also involved in knowledge transfer to the community, specially addressing lifestyle.
Professor Pascal Mayer is a scientific innovator and inventor of various technologies in DNA analysis and drug development. Indeed, Professor Pascal Mayer studied at the University of Strasbourg up to his 1991 PhD in macromolecular biophysics at Institut Charles Sadron. His thesis is about the dynamics of DNA during PFGE (Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis) and creating the associated automated optical instrumentation. He performed a first postdoc at University of Ottawa (Canada) from 1991 to 1994, working on the physics of DNA in gel sequencing and incepted research on ELFSE (End Labeled Free Solution Electrophoresis). He performed a second post doc at CNRS’s Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal in Bordeaux (France), working on DNA separation in polymer solutions and in self-forming micro-structured ferrofluid arrays. He then was hired in late 1996 as scientist at Glaxo-Wellcome’s research center in Geneva (Switzerland) to initiate his founding work of DNA sequencing on self-forming DNA colonies. This work was continued at Serono and as CSO at Manteia Predictive Medicine in the Geneva area until 2003. It is now a main component of today’s NGS (Next Generation Sequencing). In 2004 he co-founded Haploys (France), to develop DNA sample chips and a novel isothermal DNA amplification method with DNA computing applications. He worked from 2009 to 2013 at various positions in the microbiology startup Biofilm Control (France). Since 2014, he is a co-founder and CEO of Alphanosos (France), a startup company using his genuine Artificial Intelligence algorithms to assemble non-pharmaceutical ingredients into safe and patentable mixes with strong biological activities of medical and non-medical interest.
Mayer conceived and performed the initial development of 'DNA colony-based massively parallel sequencing by synthesis', initially at Glaxo-Wellcome’s and Serono’s research institutes in Geneva, and finally at a spin-off company, Manteia Predictive Medicine, where he was Chief Scientific Officer. This cluster technology is a key component of the Solexa-Illumina massively parallel sequencing technology. Manteia and its intellectual property were acquired in 2004 by Solexa. NGS has had – and continues to have – a transformative impact in the fields of genomics, biology and medicine. It has allowed a million-fold improvement in speed and cost when compared to the first sequencing of the human genome. In 2000, sequencing of one human genome took over 10 years and cost more than a billion dollars; today, the entire genome of multiple humans can be sequenced in a single day at a cost of less than $1,000. More than a million human genomes have been sequenced, and continue to be sequenced at scale each year, as well as genomes of animals, plants, bacteria and viruses, providing unprecedented insights into genome variation across the planet.
Professor Mayer will delve into the particularities of NGS in Medicine as well as its future. Over and above, this technique has had an enormous impact on Life Sciences. Many aspects of the basic research into mechanisms in living systems now routinely involve high-throughput sequencing of DNA or RNA as the primary readout. Clinical research is undergoing a revolution via the application of genome sequencing, and genomic applications more generally, to discover the underlying causes and markers of diseases, along with substantial new knowledge on the genetic causes and signatures of cancers. There is a wave of new clinical diagnostics emerging for cancers, rare genetic diseases and infectious diseases enabled by NGS of patient samples that now includes minimally invasive blood sampling. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this test was essential for the rapid understanding of the viral cause of the disease, and then in identifying and monitoring the spread of new variants. Without this technique, progress towards developing vaccines and other interventions would have been dramatically slower. It is quite difficult to overstate the importance and impact of NGS. It has initiated a revolution in biology, enabling the revelation of unsuspected genetic diversity in humans and their pathogens, with major implications, from cell and microbiome biology to ecology, forensics and Personalized Medicine.
This year, the Neurosciences Session proudly presents two emerging themes in Modern Medicine: Microdosing Psychedelics as well as the Prediction and Early Detection of Psychosis!
This session will introduce you to two subjects under the study of many Neuroscientists and Psychiatrists nowadays. Indeed, you will be able to acquire an unique and insightful perspective through the knowledge of two Professors of scientifically recognized expertise in the area.
Indeed, this session will count with the presence of Professor Kim P. C. Kuypers, Professor at Maastricht University's Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Professor Stefan Borgwardt, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein at the University of Lübeck.
Maria Augusta Vieira-Coelho completed the Title of Aggregate in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2020 and Doctorate in Medicine in 2000 by the University of Porto-Faculty of Medicine.
She develops clinical, research and pedagogical activities as a Full Professor in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Porto-Faculty of Medicine and as a Clinical Psychiatry at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João.
She is currently a principal investigator of neuroscience projects at the Centre for Pharmacological Research and Drug Innovation. She has published 107 articles in specialized journals in the area of pharmacology, mostly psychopharmacology. Her research activity has been especially dedicated to the synthesis, metabolism and release of monoamines.
Professor Kim P. C. Kuypers is an esteemed Psychiatrist, who is affiliated with Maastricht University's Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience as an Associate Professor. Her research focuses on the neurobiology of flexible cognition, empathy, and well-being. She uses a psychopharmacological model to study the effects of psychedelics on these behaviors and their underlying biology, spanning short-term, medium-term, and long-term impacts. She also conducts surveys to understand motivations, experiences, and patterns of psychedelic use. In the future, Professor Kuypers aims to focus on identifying biological markers of positive responses to psychedelics but also to understand the impact of nutritional interventions on mental wellbeing. Her ultimate goal is to contribute to personalized understandings of the relationships between psychedelics, nutrition, and mental well-being.
During her presentation, Professor Kuypers will delve into Microdosing Psychedelics, a therapy which has been receiving widespread attention from the nonprofessional and scientific community for the last few years. What is more, the practice of taking a small, non-psychedelic dose of LSD or psilocybin repeatedly over weeks to months to improve particular behavior, emotions, or a psychiatric condition is claimed to be effective by users. Her presentation will give an overview of the current scientific understanding of microdosing and show that the effects of microdosing on mental well-being seem promising but need to be substantiated by controlled studies.
Professor Stefan Borgwardt is a respected Medical Doctor, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein at the University of Lübeck completed his MD at the Charite in Berlin and his psychiatric training at the University of Basel, where he also became Associate Professor. During his Habilitation he moved to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, this relationship has continued as Visiting Professor. Since 2018, he has been listed by Clarivate/Web of Science as a "highly cited researcher” in the area of psychiatry and psychology. His research and clinical work focuses on the prediction, identification and treatment of mental disorders in young people at risk and in investigating the underlying neurofunctional mechanisms and efficacy of potential innovative treatments such as cannabinoids and psychedelics. He uses a variety of methods including structural and functional neuroimaging, neurocognitive and computational modeling as well as pharmacological and clinical studies.
During his talk, Professor Borgwardt will share his knowledge about the detection of prodromal psychosis and its impact on the prediction of clinical psychosis. Over and above, his presentation will cover the neurobiological changes as well as the associated behaviors in this condition, exploring the relevance of his findings to the treatment and prevention of psychosis, taking concomitantly into consideration the challenges left to face in the
This year, the Biotechnology Session will focus on Engineering the Organs of Tomorrow!
This session will introduce you to two groundbreaking technologies that have the power to take medical practice and biomedical research to a new level. You will have the opportunity to learn about what Organ-on-chips are and how they revolutionize biomedical research, as well as learn about a new perfusion system - Liver4Life - that enables long-term preservation and viability of livers.
Blend of an eternal optimist with a pragmatic problem-solver. Born and raised in Porto, Portugal, Miguel Mascarenhas is a sports, food, and travel lover, always trying to grasp the best life has to offer. Naturally curious, fascinated by technology and Human history. A firm believer that our health and time are the most valuable assets. For all these reasons, he considers healthcare a priority and ended up choosing medicine as his career path. Loyal, hardworking, and caring, Miguel Mascarenhas deeply values trust, friendship, and loyalty as fundamental core values. Always looking for win-win situations and a huge fan of meritocracy. He cannot withstand jealousy, envy, and untruthfulness. In every project, he strives to do it with an entrepreneurial and highly motivated spirit, always seeking to create solutions capable of solving problems in the field of health technology. He is an MD (Gastroenterologist), mainly focused on big data’s many challenges and opportunities in digestive healthcare. Founder of two biotech startups, both focused on levering clinical and genomic data, powered by Deep Learning and Blockchain innovations. Founder and coordinator of Hospital São João’s Gastroenterology Precision Medicine unit. He is also the lead inventor of 8 academic patent-pending AI technologies in different fields of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Capsule Endoscopy, Colon Capsule Endoscopy, Crohn’s Capsule Endoscopy, Device-Assisted Enteroscopy, Endoscopic Ultrasound, Cholangioscopy, High-Resolution Anoscopy and Anorectal Manometry). The first author of several clinical and data-science publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals. Awarded with multiple national and international awards from the most relevant medical societies, namely the ACG auxiliary award 2022 (for the best scientific paper), Top 10 Oral Abstract Award from Highlights of European Crohn's and Colitis Organization for the IBD Smart Technology, 2 awards from International Liver Congress 2021 and 2022, 2 presidential posters from American College of Gastroenterology for Deep Capsule and Deep Bowel technologies and a poster of distinction from American Gastroenterological Association for GI Spy technology.
Professor Liliana Moreira Teixeira is an Associate Professor at the University of Twente (UT), The Netherlands, leading the Targeted Microphysiological Systems group. She focuses on developing human multi-organ microphysiological systems to study organ communication in disease processes. Dr. Teixeira is co-founder and scientific lead of the Organ-on-Chip Center Twente, as well as board member of the European Organ-on-Chip Society (EUROoCS). She is also vice-chair of the Ethics Committee and Biomedical Engineering Education Program Committee at the UT and has served on the European Society for Biomaterials’ Young Scientist Forum board. Additionally, she is editorial board member for journals including Frontiers in Lab on a Chip Technologies and In Vitro Models and is advisory board member for Biofunctional Materials.
She holds a BSc in Applied Biology (University of Minho, PT), a MSc in Biomedical Engineering (FEUP, PT), and a PhD in Tissue Engineering (UT, NL). She was a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, the Wyss Institute (Harvard Medical School), MERLN Institute (Maastricht University), and Veterinary Medicine (Utrecht University), where she was also appointed Assistant Professor. Her work in biomimetic biomaterials and organ-on-chip technologies earned her awards such as the Young Investigator Award by Cells Tissues Organs, NWO-Women in STEM, and NWO-Aspasia.
During her talk, Professor Liliana Moreira Teixeira will focus on how Organ-on-Chip technology is transforming the way we study diseases and develop new therapies. You will also discover how miniaturized organ models can effectively mimic human (patho-)physiology, offering insights into disease processes and streamlining drug discovery. Moreover, the synergy of Organs-on-Chips with other advanced technologies will be highlighted, with emphasis on how this interdisciplinary approach revolutionizes our understanding of cell behavior in the context of complex diseases.
Kendra Wernle is a Scientific Product Manager for the Liver4Life Project at Wyss Zurich Translational Center and a doctoral candidate in Medical Sciences at the Private University of Liechtenstein (UFL). She holds a Master's degree in Biomedicine from the University of Zurich and a Bachelor's degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine from the University of Delaware.
At Liver4Life, she manages collaborations, oversees research, and contributes to developing a long-term liver perfusion device. She has expertise in liver organ procurement, perfusion techniques, biochemical analyses, and data analysis. Liver4Life recently launched a new spin-off, Apersys.
Previously, Kendra worked at the University of Zurich in gravitational biology, where she contributed to space biology research involving suborbital rocket campaigns, ISS space missions, and parabolic flight experiments. She also served as a Research Assistant in biomedical engineering, focusing on limb development. Additionally, she gained significant experience in histopathology at Cornell University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Beyond her professional work, Kendra volunteered as a Science Teacher with World Teach in American Samoa, teaching Biology and Physical Science to high school students. She managed a wide variety of learning levels, organized a science fair, and facilitated educational events, demonstrating her commitment to education and science outreach in resource-limited settings.
The global demand for liver transplants is three times greater than the available supply of organs. This presentation will delve into our research on long-term normothermic machine perfusion as a novel strategy to enhance the quality of donor livers. This technique can help address organ shortage by allowing for better evaluation and treatment of liver conditions such as steatosis and cancer. By improving organ quality and increasing the pool of viable organs, we aim to reshape the standard of care and save more patients in need of a liver transplant.
This year, the spotlight will be on optogenetics, headlined by the 2020 Shaw Prize winner: Professor Gero Miesenböck!
This session will introduce you to optogenetics - a technique that uses light to remotely control nerve cells. You will obtain an enlightening perspective on optogenetics and its numerous applications from a distinguished Professor acclaimed for his scientific expertise in this field.
Vasco Galhardo has been involved in Pain Research for 30 years. During his PhD he developed an interest on a systems neuroscience approach to pain networks, merging neuroanatomic studies of the spinal cord dorsal horn with the novel techniques of multielectrode neurophysiology, performed in the laboratory of A.V. Apkarian (SUNY Upstate Medical University, currently at Northwestern University). Upon his return to Portugal, Vasco Galhardo started at FMUP and i3S one of the first european labs of awake animal neurophysiology. Over the last 2 decades, Vasco's lab has focused on the understanding of the neural mechanisms behind pain-induced cognitive deficits, addressing malplasticity in the functional connectivity of prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus of adult rats and mice, and on how this faulty reorganization affects behavioural performance in tasks dependent on learning, memory, and emotional decision-making. He is tenured professor of Histology and Embryology in the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, and Director of the PhD Program in Neuroscience of the University of Porto.
Professor Gero Miesenböck is a Waynflete Professor of Physiology and founding Director of the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at the University of Oxford (2017). Professor Miesenböck studied medicine at the University of Innsbruck in Austria and did postdoctoral research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York with James Rothman (2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). He was on the faculty of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Yale University before coming to Oxford in 2007. Gero Miesenböck has received many awards for the invention of optogenetics, including the Brain Prize (2013), the Shaw Prize (2020), the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2022) and the Japan Prize (2023). He is also a member of the Austrian and German Academies of Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Professor Gero Miesenböck is widely recognized as the founder of optogenetics. He was the first scientist to genetically modify neurons, enabling their electrical activity to be controlled with light. This process involved the introduction of DNA encoding light-sensitive opsin proteins into the cells. Professor Miesenböck applied similar genetic alterations to produce animals with brain cells responsive to light integrated into their neural networks and he was the first to demonstrate that the behavior of these animals could be controlled remotely. Professor Miesenböck has utilized optogenetics in a series of remarkable experiments illuminating synaptic connectivity, the neural basis of reward, mechanisms of sleep homeostasis and the regulation of sexual dimorphic circuitry. These insightful contributions to neuroscience have demonstrated the full potential of optogenetics beyond the proof-of-principle stage and has been widely adopted, generalized to other biological systems and technically improved.
During his presentation, Professor Gero Miesenböck will intertwine recent insights into the regulation and function of sleep with personal highlights from the early days of optogenetics. The identification of neurons whose artificial activation induces sleep was a significant landmark to the discovery that these neurons naturally respond to byproducts of mitochondrial respiration. Energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and sleep — three processes implicated independently in aging and degenerative disease — are closely related.
This year, the Biomolecular Session presents two emerging themes in matters of the heart: targeting cardiac fibrosis with CAR T cells and the role of mitochondria in cardiac ischemia!
In this session, you will dive into the molecular aspects of cardiology and learn about some groundbreaking insights into the treatment of cardiac fibrosis utilizing innovative CAR T cell therapies and pioneering strategies at targeting mitochondria in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury.
This session will feature Dr. Joel Rurik, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Marcus Buggert’s laboratory at the Karolinska Institutet, and Dr. Hiran Prag, a research associate in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Vasques-Nóvoa earned his Master's in Medicine from the University of Porto in 2011 and completed his Internal Medicine training in 2017. He integrates basic and clinical research to investigate cardiovascular inflammation, ranging from low-grade inflammation associated with cardiovascular risk and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) to high-grade inflammation in septic cardiomyopathy. Currently, he leads heart failure cohorts and conducts clinical trials aimed at advancing the understanding and management of HFpEF.
Dr. Joel Rurik studied cell and molecular biology at George Fox University, graduating Magna Cum Laude (2016), and completed his PhD in Prof. Jonathan Epstein’s laboratory at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (2023), where he developed novel RNA delivery technologies (together with 2023 Nobel Laureate Prof. Drew Weissman) to generate immuno-medicine therapeutics in vivo to treat fibrosis and understand how the cardiac mesenchyme interacts with the immune system. Dr. Rurik won several awards during his academic path, such as Outstanding Senior in Biology at George Fox University (2016) and the Paul and Evelyn Richter Memorial Research Fellowship (2014). Nowadays, he is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Marcus Buggert’s laboratory at Karolinska Institutet, where he is studying human tissue resident memory T cells and developing mRNA-based cellular immunotherapies. Dr. Joel Rurik has contributed to many other research projects, including those focused on heart development and epigenetics.
During his presentation, Dr. Joel Rurik will provide an insightful understanding of his previous research on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and their role in chronic cardiac disease, where transient anti-fibrosis CAR T cells could be used to heal the heart.
Dr. Hiran A. Prag is a research associate working with Professor Thomas Krieg in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Hiran Prag studied Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham and completed his Pharmacy registration training at Merck Sharp and Dohme and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Afterwards, he completed his PhD at the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit under the supervision of Professor Mike Murphy, focused on the development of novel inhibitors of the mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase. Currently, Dr. Hiran is exploring mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiac diseases with the hope of developing new therapies for patients.
In the course of his lecture, Dr. Hiran Prag will give a presentation on a fascinating topic: the role of mitochondria at the heart of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. We already know that heart attacks occur when there is a blockage in the blood supply to the heart. In order to salvage the heart tissue, blood flow needs to be restored, but paradoxically this causes even more damage in a process called ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Thus, mitochondria are central to IRI, with one of their metabolites, succinate, playing a key role once succinate metabolism drives the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), initiating IRI. Dr. Prag and his working team are now investigating strategies targeting these processes in mitochondria, which may be the key to preventing the damage from IRI in a multitude of pathophysiologies.
This year, the Career Session presents an extraordinary journey from the bench of scientific discovery to the boardroom of leadership with Dr. Bahija Jallal as she unveils the remarkable strides in biotechnology shaping the future of healthcare!
This session will introduce to you Dr. Bahija Jallal: Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Board of Immunocore, a commercial-stage biotechnology company that discovered, developed and commercialized the world’s first approved T cell receptor (TCR) therapy. Their main goal is to radically improve outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases, by pioneering and delivering transformative immunomodulating medicines
Sofia Ramalho completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (1997) and a Scientific Master's in Psychological Intervention with Children and Youth (2005) at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP). She is a Specialist in Educational Psychology and Work, Social, and Organizational Psychology, as well as an Advanced Specialist in Special Educational Needs. Vice-President of the Portuguese Psychologists Association (OPP), she is responsible for the Education portfolio. Since 2002, she has been working at the Psychology Service of the Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (CNSR) in Porto, which she coordinated for 14 years. In her school-based work, she has focused on collaborative psychological consulting, emphasizing broad interventions for prevention and promotion. She has also developed action-research projects for psychological intervention and educational innovation in collaboration with universities. In 2008, she co-founded a peer supervision group, which now includes colleagues from 22 private educational institutions, aiming to validate professional practices in context. She is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Gulbenkian Knowledge Academies, Portugal, as well as the Advisory Council of the Psychology Department at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Porto.
Dr. Sarah Teichmann is affiliated with the Teichmann Group, where she researches gene expression genomics, and with the Human Cell Atlas, being part of its Administrative Support. In fact, Dr. Teichmann is interested in global principles of protein interactions and gene expression. In particular, her research now focuses on genomics and immunity. Sarah was the Head of Cellular Genetics programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute from 2016 to 2024. Dr. Sarah did her PhD at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK and was a Beit Memorial Fellow at University College London. She started a group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2001. In 2013, she moved to the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge, where her group was joint between the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Dr. Sarah is an EMBO member and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and her work has been recognized by a number of prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture and EMBO Gold Medal.
Professor Sarah Teichmann will offer an inspiring narrative detailing her journey in science and her career as well as lessons the Professor has learned along the way.
YES Meeting’s Environmental Session proudly presents: “Paradoxes in Global Health: Re-emerging Viruses and Emerging Contaminants”!
In this session, you will be able to learn more about the research of Professor Jean-Michel Claverie, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Genomics at Aix-Marseille University School of Medicine and Professor Dick Vethaak, toxicologist and research professor emeritus of water quality and health at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The two topics addressed in this session present a valuable opportunity to learn more about the evolving world of environmental medicine, emerging threats, and their public health impact.
Professor Claverie will focus on re-emerging viruses and the risk of ancient pathogens being released from melting permafrost as a consequence of climate change. On the other hand, Professor Vethaak will share his knowledge on the risks associated with microplastics, a major emerging contaminant and how its increasing prevalence may be affecting human health.
Joana C. Prata, DVM PhD, is an invited Assistant Professor at Abel Salazar Institute of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto (ICBAS-UP) and University Institute of Health Sciences - CESPU (IUCS-CESPU). She has a degree and master’s in Veterinary Medicine (2016) from University of Porto, being certified by the Portuguese veterinarians board, and a PhD in Biology and Ecology of Global Changes with a specialization in Environmental Biology and Health (2021) from the University of Aveiro, with merit and distinction.
Joana C. Prata has conducted interdisciplinary research for which she has been recognized in the "World’s Top 2% Scientists list" in Single Year Rank (2019, 2020, 2021) by Stanford University and as a highly cited researcher in cross-field (2022) by Clarivate. She has been awarded top reviewer in cross-field and in environment and ecology (2019). From the >40 peer-reviewed ISI papers in renowned journals (76% as a first and corresponding author, 7 as sole author), which amount a total of 3518 citations (h-index 22), 10 are Highly Cited Papers (top 1%) according to Web of Science, and from >25 communications in international scientific meetings/congresses, 2 were as invited speaker.
Dr. Jean-Michel Claverie is an Emeritus professor of Medicine at Aix-Marseille University. He got his initial training from the University of Paris through a multidisciplinary cursus including biochemistry, computer science and theoretical particle physics that he combined into a Doctorate (Dr. Sc.) on the subject of mathematical modeling of biological systems (1977). He then held research positions at the CNRS in Paris, The Salk Institute (La Jolla), The Pasteur Institute (Paris), the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH, Bethesda), and Incyte pharmaceuticals (Palo Alto, CA) before returning to France in 1993 to create the Structural and Genomic Information (IGS) Laboratory with his wife and coworker Dr. Chantal Abergel. This IGS laboratory is most known for its research on “giant” viruses, the discovery of which (Mimivirus, in 2003) deeply challenged basic concepts in virology and marine microbiology. In the last 20 years his team discovered and described 5 new families of giant viruses, some of them revived from ancient (>48,000 y) Siberian permafrost layers, hence initiating the notion of “zombie virus” nowadays a recurrent headline in the popular media. Following these findings, Dr. Claverie is now involved in further evaluating the microbial threats that might realistically arise from the warming of the arctic (and Antarctic) and in establishing a circum-polar monitoring network for emerging infectious disease in the context of the Uarctic academic consortium.
During his talk, Professor Jean-Michel Claverie will dive into the world of giant viruses, especially the ones emerging due to the defrost of ancient Siberian permafrost and evaluating the microbial threats that might realistically arise from the warming of the Arctic. He will combine his lecture with an epistemological-based motivational speech promoting creativity and non-conventional thinking for the next generation of scientists.
Juliette Legler jlegler.uu.nl is Professor of Toxicology and chair of the Toxicology division at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Prof. Legler did her BSc in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and her MSc and PhD in Environmental Toxicology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. From 2001-2015, she worked at the Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University Amsterdam, where she was appointed Professor of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2013. From 2016-2017, she was group leader at the Institute for Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London. Known for her collaborative and warm personality, Prof. Legler is an experienced coordinator of large interdisciplinary research projects with multiple partners from the public, nongovernmental and private sector. Her research focusses on understanding how exposure to environmental contaminants such as chemicals and microplastics affects human and environmental health. Prof. Legler is also a dedicated teacher, having developed multiple courses in toxicology at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, and she is a mentor to over 30 PhD candidates. Prof. Legler was awarded the Poulsson Medal from the Norwegian Society of Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2018, and the ZonMw Pearl Prize for her microplastics project in 2023.
The widespread and increasing presence of microplastics in our environment and the evidence that they are found in our bodies raises serious concerns about their implications for human health (Vethaak and Legler, DOI: 10.1126/science.abe5041). In this presentation, I will describe the approaches used to characterize the exposure and health effects of microplastics, the challenges we need to overcome in this field, as well as potential solutions to reduce the health impacts of this complex class of environmental contaminants,.
This year, the Clinical Session will spotlight a dose of Endocr-Innovation!
We are excited to present a session exploring two pivotal advancements in endocrinology: Professor Lars Krogvold’s innovative antiviral therapies for type 1 diabetes and Dr. Emily Goodchild’s latest breakthroughs in managing primary aldosteronism.
Jorge Pedro is a specialized endocrinologist based in Porto, Portugal. He completed his integrated master’s degree in Medicine at Universidade do Minho and his undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Universidade do Porto.
Dr. Pedro is currently an Endocrinology and Nutrition Specialist at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, a position he has held since April 2021. Prior to this, he completed his training as an Endocrinology Intern at the same institution from January 2016 to April 2021. His earlier experience includes a role as a General Medicine Intern at Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave and positions as a pharmacist in the UK and Portugal.
At Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Dr. Pedro focuses on managing diabetes and endocrine disorders, employing advanced diagnostic techniques and personalized care. He is also actively involved in research and education in his field.
Lars Krogvold, M.D., PhD is a consultant in paediatric diabetology and endocrinology and head of the diabetes unit at the Children department, Oslo University Hospital, Norway. He finished his PhD-degree in 2016 entitled “The pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes - lessons from pancreatic biopsies in the Diabetes Virus Detection Study (DiViD)”, which thoroughly described pancreatic biopsies from newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic adult patients. The collected material has so far led to more than 45 peer-reviewed articles. In 2023, the results from the DiViD Intervention trial were published in Nature medicine, showing better preservation of endogenous insulin production in children treated with antiviral medications compared to placebo. Krogvold was a member of the Executive committee as treasurer in the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) from 2018 to 2023.
The professor will talk about his revolutionary work with antivirals in new-onset T1 diabetes as a method to conserve β cell function. During his talk, Professor Krogvold will share insights from his recent phase-II clinical trial, which explored the potential of antiviral treatments to preserve β cell function in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, targeting the novel notion of infection with enteroviruses as a pathway to progressive deterioration of insulin-producing areas of the pancreas. This research holds the promise of transforming the future of diabetes care by offering new hope for improved long-term outcomes in young patients.
Dr. Goodchild has trained in a variety of hospitals in the South of England, Bristol and London. Her Specialist Endocrinology Registrar training in Barts Trust, East London, led her to develop an appetite for a better understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, subclassification and management of primary aldosteronism. For this purpose, she undertook a Barts Charity Clinical Fellowship, prior to undertaking a PhD with a Medical Research Council-funded Clinical Trainee Fellowship, during which time she investigated primary aldosteronism, from the level of molecular biology through to translational clinical research. She has contributed to some of the pivotal publications in the field in recent times, including The MATCH and FABULAS studies, in addition to basic science articles about novel PA mutations such as GNA11 and CADM1.
Dr. Goodchild's lecture will focus on the latest advancements in the identification, stratification, and management of primary aldosteronism, a leading cause of hypertension. With a PhD from Barts and a background in Specialist Endocrinology Registrar training, Dr. Goodchild is an expert in the pathophysiology and diagnosis of this condition. In her talk, "Curing Hypertension in 60 Seconds," Dr. Goodchild will provide an update on the most effective strategies for diagnosing and treating primary aldosteronism, offering insights into how rapid and accurate treatment can transform patient outcomes. Attendees will gain a deep understanding of cutting-edge techniques that are poised to revolutionize the management of hypertension.
This year, the Pathway to Scientific Discoveries Session will focus on deciphering life’s code! We are thrilled to present to you an upcoming session that will delve into two innovative approaches poised to revolutionize medical practice and biomedical research. This session will explore the use of CRISPR-Cas9 for treating hemoglobinopathies and retron-based editing to combat antibiotic resistance.
In 2005, Joana Caldeira graduated in Microbiology from the School of Biotechnology (Portuguese Catholic University). After completing her degree, she moved to Seville (Spain) where she began her research at the Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology. There, she started her PhD thesis under the supervision of Dr. Fernando Casares and in collaboration with Dr. Raquel Seruca (IPATIMUP). During this period, her focus of interest was oncobiology, using Drosophila as an animal model to study new genes involved in Gastric Cancer. In 2011, she obtained her PhD in Biomedicine from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto. In 2012, she joined INEB, in a collaboration between Prof. Mário Barbosa and her previous supervisor, Dr. Raquel Seruca. Since then, she has been interested in understanding the role of the extracellular matrix (at the cancer/regeneration interface). Joana is currently an Assistant Researcher at i3S/INEB and aims to explore matrix modulation to recapitulate early developmental stages in order to improve current regenerative therapies, particularly those used to address intervertebral disc degeneration.
In 2018, she received funding from the European Spine Society (EUROSPINE) and won the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Medal, subsequently securing additional national and international funding from FCT, ON Foundation, and AO Spine. More recently, she was awarded the 1st prize in the EIT Jumpstarter in the health category (a European entrepreneurship program), the Amyris Innovation Big Impact Award, and funding from the European Commission through the Women TechEU program, which supports women-led startups. Her work has been widely featured in the media. In addition to supervising PhD and Master's theses, she has participated in numerous science communication initiatives as a mentor, project coordinator, or collaborator. Professor Joana is also the CEO and co-founder of FetalDisc, Lda.
Antonis Kattamis is Professor of Pediatrics - Pediatric Hematology–Oncology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). He is the Head of the University Oncology and the Thalassemia Units at the "Aghia Sofia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. Both units are the largest ones in the country and recognized as European Reference Network Centers for Rare Blood Disorders (EuroBloodNet), Pediatric Cancer (PaedCan) and Cancer Predisposition Syndromes (GENTURIS). He has been serving in many consulting bodies of the Ministry of Health, like the National Registries for Rare Diseases and for Pediatric Cancers (Chair) and the Committee for Rare Diseases and in many scientific organizations, like the Hellenic Society for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (President, 2019-2022). He has published >170 articles and participated in numerous clinical trials and collaborative research programs, funded by the European Union, NKUA and Pharmaceutical companies.
The professor will give a presentation entitled “Gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies”, where he will delve CRISPR-Cas9 technology as a therapy for sickle cell disease. This technology is used as a method to increase the production of fetal hemoglobin, in order to decrease the production of deficient hemoglobin chains. Such a well-tolerated treatment, with no evidence of off-target editing, is a pivotal finding that will surely have a substantial impact in the foreseeable future. In fact, it led to the approval of the first ever treatment based on such technology, with lower long-term complications for those affected by this indisputably impactful disease.
Divjot Kaur holds a PhD in Synthetic Biology from the University of Warwick and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford. She specializes in advanced DNA editing tools and am an expert in retron-mediated editing. Her research has focused on utilizing retrons to address challenges such as antibiotic resistance. She learned retron editing at the Church Lab at Harvard Medical School and has continued to utilize and enhance this technology during her research in the UK.
This lecture will explore cutting-edge techniques in synthetic biology, focusing on the use of retron-mediated editing to reverse antibiotic resistance. Highlighting research conducted at the Church Lab at Harvard Medical School and further developed during my PhD and postdoctoral studies at the University of Warwick and the University of Oxford, I will discuss the application of retrons in addressing global health challenges, particularly in combating resistance to "last resort" antibiotics such as colistin. Additionally, I will cover the use of Retron Library Recombineering (RLR) to create diverse genetic variants for precise genome editing. Attendees will gain insights into the mechanisms of retron-mediated recombineering, its efficiency in precise genome editing, and its potential for broad applications in microbial resistance management.
