Photo 1: Luís Grilo e George Perry
Photo 2: Laura Carvalho e Bruno Soares
Photo 3: Catarina Rodrigues e Sofia Ferreira
Photo 4: João Roque e John Jones
The 19th edition of the Experimental Biology and Biomedicine Doctoral Program (PDBEB) Symposium took place on May 26–27, 2025, at the Seminário Maior in Coimbra, and awarded prizes to PhD students for their research work.
Luís Grilo (from the MitoXT Group) won the award for Best Publication of 2024 with the article "Cardiac Molecular Analysis Reveals Aging-Associated Metabolic Alterations Promoting Glycosaminoglycans Accumulation via Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway", published in Advanced Science.
The Best Poster award went to Laura Carvalho (from the Advanced Therapies Group) for her work entitled "mRNA formulation for fibroblast targeting in the context of spinal cord injury", with the support of the company LabOrders.
Two awards for Best Oral Presentation were also given:
– " Modulation of GABAergic synapses by autoantibodies from epileptic patients" by Catarina Rodrigues (from the neuronal Signaling Group), sponsored by Alfagene;
– " Addressing cerebellum defects in a mouse model of schizophrenia harbouring a human mutation in the CACNG2 gene encoding stargazin" by João Roque (from the Synapse Biology group), supported by LabOrders and Chaperone.
According to Nuno Empadinhas, coordinator of PDBEB, “We believe that awarding presentations, articles, and other forms of dissemination of research carried out by doctoral students constitutes a recognition of merit and dedication to science, encouraging academic excellence, effective communication of discoveries, and the development of essential skills for a scientific career. These awards foster motivation, promote the visibility of emerging research, and contribute to building a culture of quality and innovation within academic and research institutions.”.
This initiative brought together over 80 participants across two days of multidisciplinary panels, lectures, workshops, and social activities. The event was organized by PDBEB students with institutional support from CNC-UC and CiBB.
More about the event here.
