The session explored the link between human and marine ecosystem health, introducing the “One Health” concept and the goals of the UN Ocean Decade. Several challenges were discussed, including harmful algal blooms and marine pathogens such as Vibrio bacteria, which can impact human health and are exacerbated by climate change, affecting water quality and food safety.

Tina also presented examples from IST research on fungal pathogens threatening coral health, highlighting the key role of science, evidence-based solutions, and blue biotechnology in promoting both ocean and human health. 

This event brought together science, health, sports, and the community with a shared mission: raising awareness about cancer prevention and supporting oncology research in Portugal.

Throughout the day, participants of all ages joined activities that promoted healthier lifestyles and highlighted the importance of scientific research in improving lives.

As part of this initiative, iBB had the opportunity to engage with the public, share the importance of biomedical research, and reinforce the role of science in addressing major health challenges such as cancer.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this meaningful initiative and to the Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro for organizing an event that combines community, wellbeing, and science for a greater purpose.

A special THANK YOU to the iBB researchers who dedicated part of their Saturday to participate in this initiative and link with the community: Nuno Bernardes, Ana Rita Santos, Diogo Dias, Nuno Graça, Sebastião Pereira!

iBB contributed to the science fair and associated activities. The team presented examples of current research and laboratory practices to the public.

The activities included:

• Demonstrations of how laboratory work may be affected by automation and digital tools
• An introduction to fungi and their role in biological systems
• Educational activities for younger visitors showing how light is used to study molecules
• Examples of how microorganisms are present in everyday environments
• A demonstration of microbiology methods used in research laboratories

The lab was also opened for visits, where researchers showed basic microbiology techniques and explained their applications.

According to the organizers, the event received more than 4,000 visitors.

More information about the event is available here:
https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticias/campus-e-comunidade/tecnico-recebeu-mais-de-3300-visitantes-na-maior-edicao-de-sempre-do-dia-aberto/

Professor Isabel Sá-Correia, faculty member at the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB), is co-chair of the Congress, which is organised in collaboration with the Portuguese Society of Microbiology.

The event will cover key areas including Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology, and other fields of Eukaryotic Microbiology, offering a programme focused on recent scientific developments, cross-disciplinary exchange, and networking opportunities.

With the abstract submission deadline approaching (29 April 2026), researchers are invited to contribute to the scientific programme. A full list of topics is available at: https://iums2026.com/abstract-topics/

Selected contributions will have the opportunity to be featured in Frontiers in Microbiology.

The Congress will begin at 9:00 on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, and will take place in Lisbon, providing a setting for scientific exchange within an international research community.

More information is available at: https://iums2026.com/

During the visit, students had the opportunity to meet iBB researchers, learn about ongoing research activities, and discuss potential thesis opportunities across different areas of bioengineering. The sessions were marked by active participation, with students asking questions and showing curiosity and interest in how science and engineering can contribute to improving disease outcomes and advancing more sustainable solutions.

The visit provided a first contact with iBB’s research environment and opened the door to future thesis opportunities.

Highlights of the General Assembly include 11 workshops on key questions for the future of cultured meat and seafood (CM/CSF) in Europe, hosted by several partners of the consortium, with the coordination leading three of them: Strategic partnerships to foster CM/CSF in Europe, co-led by Genopole and APROVALS; Building the European infrastructure for CM/CSF: centralisation vs decentralisation & process development, co-led by TUM; Actions to de-risk CM/CSF in Europe, in collaboration with New Harvest. Beyond the workshops, the assembly was also marked by countless valuable exchanges between project partners and stakeholders. Together with the workshops, these conversations provide a strong foundation for the project’s final run and reinforce the importance of collaboration in advancing the future of Cellular Agriculture and CM/CSF in Europe.

The showcase included biopolymers produced in-house and applications of 3D printing that are advancing innovation in circular economy, medical technologies, and cellular agriculture. Together, these demonstrators illustrated how bioengineering tools can support the translation of research into practical solutions with societal and industrial relevance.

The projects presented addressed a broad range of themes, including rare diseases, digital workflows for biomanufacturing, and the development of biosurfactants and biopolymers for applications in the cosmetics, textile, automotive, furniture, and packaging sectors. Other initiatives highlighted the use of marine microorganisms for the synthesis of high-value bioproducts.

Taken together, these activities reflected iBB’s contribution to the development of sustainable and innovation-driven value chains grounded in scientific excellence.

In parallel with the exhibition, iBB also contributed to round-table discussions held during the event. Luis P. Fonseca participated in the discussion on innovation in advanced materials, while Leonilde Morais Moreira contributed to the session focused on the role of biotechnology in health.

iBB thanks the organisers of the Técnico Innovation Summit, as well as the wider Técnico community, for their strong engagement in promoting innovation and helping move research beyond the laboratory towards real-world impact.

iBB researchers were strongly represented at MICROBIOTEC 2025, held in Azores (São Miguel), with contributions across keynotes, oral communications, posters, and scientific coordination.

Thank you to the organisers for creating space for discussion, exchange, and collaboration!

Keynote
• Jorge H. Leitão, Non-coding RNAs in bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex

Oral communications
• William O. S. Salvador, Inline monitoring of induced pluripotent stem cell growth kinetics using bioreactor oxygen uptake modelling
• Inês Vieira Costa, Mediator-complex subunits and Candida biofilm formation
• Luís Coutinho, YEASTRACT+ goes quantitative
• Madalena Matos, Yeast temperature profiles and auxin production in industrial microalgal cultures
• Maria Zolotareva, Fungal DNA barcoding on a chip
• Gabriel A. Monteiro, Biotransformation of a ferulic acid derivative with anticancer potential
• Sandra N. Pinto, Cationic dendrimers targeting Listeria biofilms
• Joana Dias de Almeida, Valorisation of seafood canning residues for biosurfactant production
• Diogo A. C. Couceiro, Automation of genome-wide regulatory and metabolic models in yeast

Posters (iBB authors)
• Mónica A. Fernandes
• Madalena Matos
• Sandra N. Pinto
• Diogo J. Marques
• Maria Zolotareva

iBB poster contributions covered industrial and marine microbiology, yeast and fungal biotechnology, biofilms and antimicrobial strategies, bioprocess engineering, diagnostics, and blue bioeconomy applications.

 iBB members also served as Session Chairs: Gabriel A. Monteiro, Raquel Aires Barros, Jorge H. Leitão, and Miguel Teixeira.

This Pathfinder Open project, joining institutions from France, the UK, Germany, Canada, Spain, and Portugal, will explore antineutrinos as a direct and non-intrusive probe of nuclear reactors. Antineutrinos are subtle particles, difficult to detect, yet with the potential to reshape how we monitor and understand reactor operations.

A first-of-its-kind and ambitious approach, the antineutrino detector will be built at Instituto Superior Técnico (Tecnico Loures) and later deployed in the north of France, close to one of the most powerful nuclear reactors operated by EDF.

Looking ahead with energy and purpose, the team is ready to learn, test, and push what nuclear reactor monitoring can become in the near future.

Partners: 

CNRS (Coord. Anatael Cabrera)
EDF
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
University of Sussex
Queen’s University
UK Research and Innovation – Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas
Instituto Superior Técnico (iBB, C2TN, IDMEC, CQE).

This event brings together leading scientists from both academia and industry from around the world who are advancing downstream processing for a wide range of molecules.

Ana Rita Santos, Ricardo Silva and Francisco Marques delivered the following oral presentations:

• Ana Rita Santos “3D-printed matrices for steric exclusion chromatography of plasmid DNA”
• Ricardo Silva “Single-step extracellular vesicles isolation strategy using steric exclusion chromatography”
• Francisco Marques “shRNA precipitation strategies for sustainable RNA-based biopesticides”