Location: GA, Congress Center

The Welcome Session marks the beginning of SBE and will count with the presence of Prof. Rogério Colaço, president of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Prof. João Conde, president of IST’s Bioengineering Department (DBE) and Vicente Guerreiro, president of the Biological Engineering Nucleus (NEBIST). Don’t miss the starting point of what will be an incredible and unforgettable week!

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

Have you ever wondered what the future of medicine looks like? Hint: It will probably be about Precision Medicine. Precision Medicine is a promising innovative approach that applies strategies for detecting, diagnosing, and preventing diseases and clinical conditions for each patient in a precise and personalised manner. It relies heavily on the patient’s genomic sequence and the lifestyle and environmental factors that surround them. It resorts to bioinformatic tools as well as deep knowledge of molecular mechanisms so that the right treatment can be provided to the right patients at the right time. 

To illustrate the progress and research that has been done towards implementing precision medicine in the near future, we present you our experts:

▫️ João Fonseca Eurico, PhD, has an academic degree in Medicine and a PhD in Rheumatology. He is the Head of the Rheumatology Department and leads a research group at Instituto de Medicina Molecular, whose aim is the characterisation of potential tools for early diagnosis and prediction of responses to treatment interventions, incorporating precision medicine in the field of rheumatology.

▫️ Marta Ferreira, MSc, is a PhD student currently working in the Expression Regulation in Cancer Group at i3S. She was responsible for the development of bioinformatics tools that were used for a system analysis towards precision medicine in several projects regarding genetic mapping and phenotypic heterogeneity in cancer as well as diabetes and obesity.

▫️ Rita Fior, PhD, is a Developmental Biologist that holds a post-Doc in zebrafish somitogenesis. She is a Research Group Leader at Champalimaud Foundation, where she aims, through zebrafish larvae xenograft models, to test inter and intra-tumour heterogeneity and differential response to therapy, to determine the best treatment for each patient, paving way for personalised medicine in cancer.

Our moderator:

▫️ Filipa Mendes, PhD, has completed a PhD in Cellular Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of ULisboa, and as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute of Health (INSA) she received 2 awards: the Gulbenkian Award “Estímulo à Investigação” and the L’Oréal Medal of Honour for Women in Science. She is a Principal Researcher at the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering (DECN) and a member of the research unit Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN) of IST, ULisboa. Her multidisciplinary scientific activity is focused on molecular imaging and targeted therapy, in particular in the pre-clinical evaluation of novel theranostic radio-compounds, designed for a precision approach to cancer therapy.

Interested in learning more about the future of medicine? Join us on Monday, March 20th, at 09h30 am!

Location: 2.3, Congress Center

The world faces the huge challenge of feeding a growing population that is expected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050, with increasing levels of urbanization and with diets in transition. Demand for food will grow exponentially, promoting a global commitment to accelerate the shift towards sustainable production and consumption (Sustainable Development Goal 12). 

In the XXI century, food production is scarce and food prices assume significant increases. The low efficiency of agricultural production systems, followed by scarcity of water resources, arable land and biodiversity, makes urgent the search for alternative food sources. Protein scarcity is one of the most relevant aspects, which will mark nutritional options in the coming years. These options now involve a new paradigm: the combination of healthy and sustainable food.

Innovative and sustainable ingredients such as insects, seaweeds or microalgae can be incorporated in the human diet as an alternative source of protein and bioactive compounds. The use of microalgae as a food ingredient has deserved special attention in recent times, taking into account its nutritional richness, particularly in terms of proteins, minerals, vitamins, lipids, antioxidants, and dietary fibres. This workshop will consider relevant aspects related to the use of microalgae in different types of food, taking into account the impact on processing, bioactivity and sensory appreciation.

The use of poorly exploited food sources (e.g., microalgae biomass, insects and food industry by-products) to develop high added-value products is the main work focus of Dr. Anabela Raymundo. Anabela Raymundo, PhD, Chemical engineer, holds a MSc in Food Science and Technology and a PhD in Food Engineering. She is an Associated Professor with Habilitation, coordinator of the LEAF Food and Feed Group LEAF research unit. She has done research work in close collaboration with companies, taking an active role in transferring knowledge from the university to the industry. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Portugal Foods and was a founding member of Colab4Food. Coordinator of teaching areas of Food Rheology and Quality management.

Fill out this registration forms to try and secure your place to attend this workshop! Please don’t leave to the last minute as places are limited! If you are accepted you will receive a confirmation email a few hour before the activity.

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

We are in a new era of medicine where breakthrough science is transforming care and our approach to treating patients. Drug development is a collaborative effort involving researchers, medical professionals, patients, and regulators, as it’s essential to ensure that drugs are safe, effective, and accessible to all who need them.

Did you know that according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA Org) , there are currently over 8000 medicines in clinical development worldwide, with over 3500 of those targeting diseases with no known cure?

Looking to learn more about the fascinating world of drug development?

For this lecture, we assembled the following list of experts:

▫️João Pedro Almeida Lopes, PhD, has a BSc. and PhD in Chemical Engineering. He heads the Pharmaceutical Engineering and Manufacturing Lab at the research center iMed.ULisboa. He’s currently President of the Portuguese Association for Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPCF), President of the Analytical Division of the Portuguese Chemical Society (SPQ), member of the steering committee of the PAT&QbD network of EUFEPS member of the Chemometrics Study Group of EuChemMS. He develops activity on innovative pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and acts as consultant for multiple pharma companies.

▫️ Madalena Testas, MSc, completed her MSc.in Biological Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico. After earning experience as an “In-House Clinical Research Associate”  and as a “Manufacturing Science and Technology specialist”, she joined Pfizer in Dublin as a Process Scientist in the Technical Services Department.

▫️ Cláudia Martins, MSc, who holds a MSc. in Biomedical Engineering, is a PhD Candidate at i3S-University of Porto, under a partnership with the School of Pharmacy of University of Nottingham and University of Louvain. Some of her current areas of interest include biomaterials, targeted nanomedicine and tissue engineering.

The moderator of this lecture will be:

▫️ Vasco D. B. Bonifácio, PhD, holds a PhD in Chemistry with a specialty in Organic Chemistry, and his actual research is focused on the development of nanotheranostics using dendrimers (novel antimicrobial, anticancer and diagnostic agents), and mechanosynthesis of APIs. Currently is Professor of Biomaterials at the Bioengineering Department at IST.

Join us on Monday March 20th at 14h for an unforgettable lecture on drug development!

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

What will you do after university? What are the options available, and how to achieve them? These are some of the main questions we all think about. Fortunately, we will have Alumni from Bioengeneering Masters who are in the next chapter of our lives and are willing to share their experience with us!

Location: Congress Center at Civil Building

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

Did you know micro and nanodevices have a wide range of applications, from medicine to electronics and energy? Some are so small that they can be injected into the human body to monitor internal health or deliver medication directly to a specific area. For instance, a nanodevice using nanotechnology can be designed to recognize and attack only cancer cells, sparing healthy cells from destruction. This targeted approach can make cancer treatment more effective and reduce harmful side effects.

But don’t just take our word for granted! We’ve selected the finest experts for this panel and they will discuss the many applications of nanotechnologies in healthcare.

The speakers…

▫Ana Grenha, PhD: earned her PhD in 2007 in Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Santiago de Compostela. She is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR-UAlg) and leads the Drug Delivery Laboratory, which focuses on inhalation drug delivery strategies and exploring the potential of natural materials. She has authored numerous papers and received awards for her scientific projects in pulmonary immunisation strategies.

▫João Conde, PhD: received his PhD in Biology with a specialization in NanoBiotechnology. He was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Harvard-MIT Division for Health Sciences and Technology, and a Junior Investigator at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, and in 2019 he won an ERC Starting Grant to build a genetic biobarcode to profile breast cancer heterogeneity. He is also a co-founder of the biotech company TargTex and part of the Global Burden of Disease Consortium.

▫Lídia Gonçalves, PhD: graduated in Biological Engineering and has worked in various research positions since 1994. Her current research interests focus on developing new biocompatible 3D systems for drug delivery, including vaccines and DNA delivery, with a particular focus on mucoadhesion nanoparticulate for ocular drug delivery. She has also been involved in several funded research projects and was awarded a “CEEC, FCT” researcher position as Principal Investigator at FFUL (iMed.ULisboa, University of Lisbon) in 2017.

The moderator…

▫João Conde, PhD: got his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University. Now, he is a Professor and also the President of the Bioengineering Department at IST. Besides, he is co-responsible for the Thin Film MEMS and BioMEMS research group and director of INESC Microsystems and Nanotechnologies. His current research interests include novel thin film devices such as thin film silicon MEMS and optical sensors, integrated lab-on-chip microfluidic biosensing microsystems, and cell-chips for biomedical applications.

Eager to learn more about this emerging and exciting field of studies? Join us on Tuesday, March 21st, at 11h30 am!

Location: 2.2, Congress Center

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global consulting firm, a world leader in business strategy. We work with companies in all sectors of activity and regions to identify their greatest opportunities, overcome their most critical challenges and transform their business.

Join us on Tuesday, March 21, from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm at Póvoa de Santa Iria, at the A4F facility to learn more about the development and production of microalgae on an industrial scale. The A4F is right next to Póvoa train station. So you can choose to meet us there at 2:30 pm or go with us by train from Roma-Areeiro station at 01:35 pm. Fill out this registration form to try to secure your place for this amazing opportunity! Don’t leave it for the last minute because spots are limited!

Location: 2.3, Congress Center

What wonderful news would it be to say that we no longer need to wait on transplant lists when all we need is a 3D bioprinter to rebuild ourselves? Have you ever thought about how incredible it is to join the principles of engineering and combine them with those of biology so that these bioprinters can improve or even save lives? 3D bioprinting technology has been showing enormous advances with great importance in regenerative medicine.

▫Frederico Ferreira, PhD will bring us an activity, which will consist of a simulation, where we can understand the principles and all the dynamics of how 3D printing works, as well as help a young (fictitious) injured patient. Frederico Ferreira has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London and holds an MVA and a BSc in Applied Chemistry with specialization in Biotechnology, both from Nova University. Frederico Ferreira current research interests are focused on tissue engineering, sustainable separations and biorefineries and seafood cellular agriculture. Nowadays, his research group is exploring novel bioprinting approaches, both for tissue engineering and cell-based structured fish prototyping.

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

Have you ever wondered how the production and downstream processing of antibodies takes place, and its current applications?

To discuss this topic, we bring to you the following panel of experts:

The speakers…

• Cecília Roque – associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, researcher at UCIBIO & i4HB, and head of the Biomolecular Engineering Lab at the School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon. Her research focus on biomimetics merging chemistry, biotechnology and engineering, and her work has been merited with several national and international distinctions.

• António Grilo – PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London (2019). He is currently working at the Foundation Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), an NGO that jointly with the World Health Organization, co-leads the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme aimed at equipping low and middle income countries with mRNA vaccine manufacturing technology.

• Isabel Pinto – PhD in Health Sciences, postdoctoral in the field of antibody discovery, and research scientist at the Bayer Satellite Laboratory at iBET. She works in the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies for antibody discovery.

The moderator…

• Raquel Aires-Barros – professor at the Department of Bioengineering at IST, University of Lisbon, and research group leader at Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB). She focus on the development, at a microscale, of biopharmaceuticals production and purification processes.

Location: Central Atrium

Among the various activities that you can participate in this week, there will be a Job Fair, where the invited companies can answer all your questions and sooth your curiosities regarding the business world. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to get to know these companies better! We’ll be waiting for you!

With participation of:

CUF

Generis

Deloitte

Eurofins

BNP Paribas

Accenture

J. Pereira da Cruz

Location: 2.3, Congress Center

Did you know every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nation? That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.

As the world’s capacity to cope with the fast rising output of throwaway plastic goods becomes overwhelmed, plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most urgent environmental challenges.

Bioplastics made from renewable sources can be naturally recycled by biological processes, thus limiting the use of fossil fuels and protecting the environment. Therefore, bioplastics are sustainable, largely biodegradable, and biocompatible.

Come take this opportunity to better understand bioplastics with Dr. Margarida Lopes from BioLab. Registrations are mandatory, limited, and will take place on our app. Don’t forget your lab coat!

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speaker:

João Rovira

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speaker:

André Rodrigues

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speaker:

Rui Gomes

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

Did you know fungi plays a pivotal role in fundamental and modern processes of biotechnology?
Fungal bioproducts are now used in numerous activities, including baking, brewing, and the manufacture of alcohols, antibiotics, enzymes and medicinal products.

We assembled a professional panel to discuss this topic:

• Dr. Maria Calado holds a PhD in Biology, Microbiology and has a long experience in working in Mycology, Ecology and Microbiology scientific areas. Currently, she is dedicating her investigation to the isolation and identification of saprobic and endophytic marine fungi from the Portuguese coast, and assessment of their potential biotechnological potential.

• Miguel Ramos is on his way to finishing his PhD in Biotechnology. His academic path clearly shows his passion for kingdom fungi. He works with saprophytic and mycorrhizal fungi, establishing wild mushroom plantations, developing mycomaterials for the footwear sector and inducing magnetism in fungi for bioremediation purposes.

• Dr. Nelson Lima holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences from UMinho and his research is related to environmental and food mycology. This includes water biofilms studies, with the integration of polyphasic for fungal identification with long-term preservation. He is the PI of the EU Horizon 2020 IS_MIRRI21 project and has more than 400 publications, including papers, books, and book chapters, and more than 600 conferences and communications.

Our moderator:

• Dr. Cristina Viegas holds a PhD in Biotechnology from IST and her research interests have been related, for example, with the prediction of toxicological risks of environmental samples based on yeast transcriptomics and gene expression, and the optimization of bacteria-bioremediation strategies. Is an Assistant Professor and the coordinator of the Biological Sciences teaching laboratory at the Bioengineering Department (DBE) at IST.

Join us on Wednesday the 22nd of March from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in Barcarena near TagusPark, at LEF’s facilities to learn more about pharmaceutical product development, and analytical method development and validation.

Fill out this registration form to try and secure your place for this unique opportunity! Please don’t leave it to the very last minute as places are limited!

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

From investigation in diverse prestige institutions to business on famous firms, Alumni from Biological Engineering will help you obtain a different perspective about your future.

• Joaquim Contradanças has a Master in Biological Engineering and started the International Neuroscience Doctoral Programme at the Champalimaud Foundation.
• Jorge S. Oliveira has a PhD in Biotechnology and is an Invited Assistant Professor at the Departament of Computer Science and Engineering of IST.
• Luís Costa is Biological Engineering and Chemical Engineering PhD.
• Marcelo Silva has a M.Sc. degree in Biological Engineering and developed his Ph.D. working on different downstream process alternatives for the capture and purification polyphenols produced by fermentation.
• Mariana Branco holds a PhD in Bioengineering from IST, and is currently working as an assistant researcher in the collaborative laboratory Accelbio.
• Miguel Paço is a neuroscience PhD student at the Champalimaud Foundation.
• Beatriz Guapo Neves graduated in Biological Engineering from IST. She is currently working as a Research Fellow in CICECO (Compass Group), combining stem cells with biomaterials.

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

How does machine learning relate to biology? Machine learning consists of the application of algorithms used in bioinformatics, covering genomics, proteomics, microarrays, systems biology, evolution, and text mining.

To discuss this topic, we assembled a professional panel:

• Dr. Oscar Dias holds a PhD in the area of Systems Biology. He is currently an Assistant Researcher at CEB at the University of Minho. He teaches at the MSc in Bioinformatics course. Dr. Óscar Dias is also the co-founder and CEO of OmniumAI.

• Dr. Ana Teresa Freitas holds a PhD in Computer Engineering, is Chairwoman of the School Assembly at TécnicoLisbon (IST), University of Lisbon and a Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IST. She is also a senior researcher at the INESC-ID research institute. She was CEO and co-founder of HeartGenetics, Genetics and Biotechnology SA.

•Dr. Joel P. Arrais is a computer scientist with leading research interests in Deep Learning applied to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra and a researcher at the Laboratory of Artificial Neural Networks at CISUC.

Our moderator:

• Dr. Rui Henriques holds a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering. His research studies are centered on advancing the machine learning field with the aim of answering real-world problems across biomedical and social domains. He has received several distinctions for his scientific achievements, including Best Senior Researcher by INESC-ID and a National Award by CGD.

Location: Central Atrium

Among the various activities that you can participate in this week, there will be a Job Fair, where the invited companies can answer all your questions and sooth your curiosities regarding the business world. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to get to know these companies better! We’ll be waiting for you!

With participation of:

CUF

Generis

INESC TEC Porto

Neyond

CMC Biomassa

Alten

Ordem dos Engenheiros

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

Neuroengineering stands on the leading edge of neuroscience, designing pioneering brain computer interfaces and charting unprecedented insights into language processing. Neurobiology uses engineering to repair, replace, or enhance neural systems. Our experts will talk about their experience in this field.

The speakers…
• Ana Sebastião is a Full Professor and Director of the Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences at Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon. One of the projects she is currently leading is the International Research Project “Epileptogenesis and Epilepsy Network: from genes, synapses and circuitries to pave the way for novel drugs and strategies” (EpiEpiNet).

• Filipa França de Barros holds a bachelor and master’s degree in Biochemistry. In 2020, she graduated from Université Paris Cité (France), with a PhD in Neuroscience. Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow at the Neural Circuits Dysfunction laboratory at Champalimaud Foundation focused on neuronal pathways controlling motor behavior.

· Paulo Aguiar graduated in Physics from Instituto Superior Técnico, and completed the course work in the Biophysics Doctoral Program at the Institute for Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Lisbon. He is a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), where he leads the Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Lab (NCN).

The moderator…
• Patrícia Figueiredo is an Associate Professor with the Department of Bioengineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and Principal Investigator of the Biomedical Engineering Lab at the Institute for Systems and Robotics – Lisboa. Her research is focused on imaging human brain function noninvasively using MRI and EEG, with applications in basic neuroscience as well as disorders such as dementia or schizophrenia.

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speaker:

Lucas Coelho

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speaker:

Carlos Alexandre Ferreira

Location: 1.1, Congress Center

Speakers:

Hugo Ramos

Sílvia Carrasco

Location: LTI 5 – DEQB

In this workshop, attendees will have a brief introduction on Structure-Based Drug Discovery computational techniques. Following will be a hands-on session, where participants will use molecular docking software to predict the binding of pharmaceuticals to proteins of interest.

Location: Q4.1 or Online

EngD BPE – Design the Future Programme is an Engineering Doctorate in Bioprocess Engineering Design. Ana Maria Echavarria, Design Coach, and Henrique Avelar, EngD Graduate, will be presenting it and providing an overview of the Doctorate in question to participants from both of their perspectives.

Speakers:

Design Coach : Ana Maria Echavarria

EngD Graduate: Henrique Avelar

Location: 2.2, Congress Center

This workshop aims to collaborate with the IST community on the growing visibility of their scientific production. The purpose will be to present tools to support the decision on which path is most appropriate to publish scientific articles. The workshop will develop the content in three parts: i. science communication; ii. the essential concepts for the analysis of scientific production; iii. and publication tips for authors to help them carefully choose a magazine that can boost the impact of their publication.

Thaiane Honda Cotts, PhD

Location: 2.1, Congress Center

This dilemma is upon us and we should address it as much as possible to ensure a smooth evolution regarding genetic manipulation.
To learn more about this matter, we bring you a panel of experts in science and ethics.

Moderator:

Margarida Diogo, PhD

Speakers:

Helena Pereira de Melo, PhD

João Lavinha, PhD

Vasco Barreto, PhD

Location: GA, Congress Center

On the closing session, an explanation about some of the courses involved in the organization of SBE will be given by their correspondingly coordinators.

Prof. Miguel Teixeira (LEBiol), Prof. Gabriel Monteiro (MEBiol), Prof. Jorge Morgado (MBioNano), Prof. Arsénio Fialho and Prof. Leonilde Moreira (MBiotec), Prof. Jorge Leitão (MMicro), Prof. José Menezes and Prof. Ana Margarida Azevedo (MEFarm), and Prof. Tiago Fernandes (MBMRP).

To end on a high note, join us on what will be the last talk of this amazing week!