It will not be the first time that our institute hosts scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs working in the field of neurobiology, but it will be the first time we organize this conference under the banner of Łukasiewicz – PORT’s strategic P4Health project. Thanks to support from the Horizon Europe Teaming for Excellence programme, we are implementing activities aimed at optimizing diagnostics of neurobiological diseases—and this will be the focus of conversations with the conference participants when it launches on 7 April.
During “PORT for Health: Neuroscience 2025”, speakers—global experts in neurobiology—will present the latest results of their research and describe the path to translating scientific discoveries into practical applications. The opening session, “Empowering translational brain research through networking”, will feature presentations by: Lorenza Magno and Judith Schweimer from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma (Germany), Julie Neubauer from the Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering (Germany), Joseph Hritz from CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology (Czech Republic), Luis Pereira de Almeida from the University of Coimbra, GeneT – Center of Excellence in Gene Therapy (Portugal), Cezary Mazurek from Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, and Witold Konopka, Michał Ślęzak, and Agnieszka Krzyżosiak from Łukasiewicz – PORT. The session will focus on the importance of collaboration between research centres and open access to data repositories for advancing brain research.
Session I – Neuroimmune dialogue with sensory systems and cancer neuroscience
In this session, researchers Marcin Szczot (Linköping University, Sweden), Franziska Denk (King’s College London), Mateusz Kucharczyk (Łukasiewicz – PORT), and Anne-Marie Heegaard (University of Copenhagen) will present the latest findings in neuro-oncology. Studies on interactions between tumour tissue, the nervous system and the immune system form a rapidly developing field, enabling the creation of entirely new therapeutic strategies against cancer—a group of diseases that naturally affects an increasing number of patients as life expectancy grows.
Session II – Translational approaches to understand neurodegeneration
Speakers Selina Wray (University College London), Sara Carracedo (University of Bordeaux), Pranesh Padmanabahn (University of Queensland), and Dimitris Xirodimas (Montpellier Cell Biology Research Center) will discuss approaches to tackling age-related neuronal loss occurring in diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Session III – Translational biomarkers of mental disorders
This session will focus on effective and clinically applicable diagnostic methods for cognitive disorders. Presenters include: Mykhailo Batiuk (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Aleksandra Badura and Henk-Jan Boehle (Erasmus University MC, Netherlands), and Thomas Fenzl (Technical University Munich).
Session IV – Translational neuropsychiatry across the lifespan
This session will address psychiatric treatment methods. Invited speakers Agnes Nadjar (Université de Bordeaux), Weronika Potok (ETH Zürich), Nora Raschle (University of Zurich), and Ali Jawaid (Łukasiewicz – PORT) will discuss the mind and brain as interconnected systems that become dysregulated during cognitive disorders, as well as methods of restoring balance.
Satellite Session – PORT4Business: Digital therapeutics
This session continues the discussion on combating cognitive disorders such as chronic stress and affective disorders, inviting business representatives into the dialogue. The central theme will be artificial intelligence. Speakers Marta Marciniak (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Małgorzata Sochacka (MoodMon), Elżbieta Trypka (VividMind), Ignacy Czajewski and Anna Chrzanowska (Paris Brain Institute) will address AI applications in psychiatry.
Keynote speakers
The highlight of the conference will be keynote lectures by two distinguished authorities in neurobiology:
- Paul Schultz, University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston)
- Simona Lodato, Humanitas Research Center (Milan)