Monday, 9 a.m.. A small group of basic science researchers from the Champalimaud Foundation and other people working at the Foundation who are interested in bridging the gap between science and medicine is scheduled for a “medical class” via Zoom (due to pandemic restrictions) with Pedro Marvão, their tutor in a new course called Fundamentals of Medicine. In one week, they will have to “solve”, together, a clinical case. They will do this, week after week, with a series of other cases. 

What does physiotherapy have to do with cancer?

“Physiotherapy is an integral part of the cancer treatment and recovery plan: it promotes the patients’ life quality and overall sense of well-being by restoring movement, function and strength.” - Champalimaud Foundation Physiotherapy Team.

For the seventh episode of the Zoom-In series, meet Laura Fernandez, a surgeon at the Digestive Unit. Curious about Laura’s work? Check out our website here and you can also find out more about Laura's latest work on the Watch&Wait protocol - a non-invasive approach to rectal cancer treatment.

Right now, lung cancer is the most lethal cancer in the world. Eighty percent of its victims are smokers, making smoking a determinant risk factor for this cancer. But according to oncologist Nuno Gil, who heads the Lung Unit at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre, smoking is not the ultimate cause of lung cancer. First, many smokers never develop lung cancer, and second, a growing number of non-smokers have this disease. Nuno Gil would really like to solve this mystery.

Time marches on, waits for no man, and even possesses the power of flight, or so the sayings go. Ageing is the natural and unavoidable result of this passage of time for living organisms. But over the years, we have been rallying against Father Time and increasing human life expectancy through better medical care, understanding of hygiene, diet and exercise. Add to this that the maximum age a person could be anticipated to reach is now around 121 years old (note that this is maximum life expectancy - few will reach this, but most of us will die trying!).