The second edition of Metamersion, the cycle of artistic, scientific, technological and therapeutic immersive events of the Champalimaud Foundation, launches on December 15th with the programme Latent Spaces, taking place at the Champalimaud Warehouse, in the former warehouses of DocaPesca, in Lisbon, in a location that is also in a latent phase, and where the first steps towards the creation of a centre dedicated to Human Neuroecology and Digital Therapeutics are being taken.

This course is promoted by Champalimaud Foundation's Fior Lab, integrated in the congento - Consortium for Genetically Tractable Organisms - initiatives.

The scientific programme will cover

- Protocols for preparation of human cancer cells for injection;
- Generation of zebrafish xenografts (microinjection in the perivitelline space);
- Metastatic assay;
- Protocols for immunofluorescence;
- Mounting xenografts for confocal imaging;
- Confocal session.

Venue

Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon

A report, published last week (16 November) in The Lancet Oncology by an expert commission, under the title Key messages from European Groundshot – addressing Europe’s cancer research challenges: a Lancet Oncology Commission, analyses the current state of cancer research in Europe, identifies geographical and gender gaps (among others), and issues recommendations to rethink the priorities of European cancer research.

Fátima Cardoso, director of the Breast Unit at the Champalimaud Clinical Center/Champalimaud Foundation, is among the co-authors of the new report.

Cancers can be detected through the presence, in the tumours or bodily fluids, of so-called molecular biomarkers – in other words, of biological molecules (proteins, genes, etc.) found in blood or tissues that are a sign that a person has cancer. One well-known cancer biomarker is the PSA protein, whose rapid rise in the blood may indicate the presence of prostate cancer. 

For every argument that construes AI as essential, promising and transforming across nearly all industries, there are voiced concerns about this technology. Many people do not trust AI, claiming that intelligent machines will one day dominate humankind. But while this is a remote possibility, the harm that can be done to people (albeit mostly unintentionally) by deep learning algorithms is very tangible – and has already been known to occur in the real world.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and a master's degree in Health Sciences from the University of Minho, which introduced her to the field of immunology, Cardoso embarked upon a PhD in the laboratory of Henrique Veiga-Fernandes at the Champalimaud Foundation to study the role of neuro-immune interactions in metabolism.

Everything around a malignant tumour and its metastases, from its so-called microenvironment to the patients themselves as individuals, influences cancerous growth, and ultimately the outcome of the disease. This is the take-away message from CRSy2022 – the three-day international scientific symposium that took place at the Champalimaud Foundation, in Lisbon, from 19 to 21 October.