The patient has multiple myeloma, one of the most common haematological (blood) cancers worldwide.

In patients under the age of 70, the first-line treatment for this cancer includes harvesting the patient's own cells, known as “haematopoietic progenitor cells”, intensive chemotherapy and, finally, reinfusion of the previously harvested cells. These haematopoietic progenitor cells are capable of giving rise to all types of blood cells normally produced by the bone marrow.

Female mammals, such as rodents, accept mating attempts only during their fertile phase, and actively reject males outside this period. While the brain areas controlling sexual receptivity are well-studied, the mechanisms behind active rejection are less so.

“Surgery can cure”, said Markus Büchler, director of the newly opened Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre, in Lisbon, during his talk. Büchler was referring to a form of pancreatic cancer surgery called the “triangle operation”, which he invented and developed.

The reasons why one animal chooses one path over another, or behaves differently from others, can often seem enigmatic. But a team led by Claire Wyart’s group at the Paris Brain Institute (ICM), in collaboration with Michael Orger’s lab at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), has shed light on these differences, revealing the dynamic relationship between an animal’s internal states and its surroundings.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder known for its characteristic motor symptoms: tremor, rigidity, and slowness of movement. Among these, rest tremor—a shaking that occurs when muscles are relaxed—is one of the most recognisable yet least understood.

For this edition of the contest, a total of nine groundbreaking biomedical and health projects spearheaded by research institutions in Portugal were selected. Alongside CF, GIMM, and i3S, awards were also granted to projects from the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA), Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e da Saúde (ICVS) and Instituto de Biomedicina (iBiMED). These nine selected projects will receive more than €7.6 million in support.

The Champalimaud Foundation's Breast Cancer Research Programme is made up of groups dedicated to all aspects related to the disease, from diagnosis to treatment. The goal is to improve the quality of life and survival of patients by utilising cutting-edge technologies that combine new techniques and methods with clinical practice to better serve patients.

In order for our bodies to efficiently transform into fat the excess carbohydrates we eat, in a process of  “lipogenesis”, two things  must happen. First, the immune system's gamma-delta T cells, a type of lymphocytes that are present in large quantities in adipose tissue (a.k.a. fat), have to produce a substance that triggers lipogenesis, called IL-17.

With nearly 30 presenters—including 4 keynote speakers—ranging from internationally renowned scientists to emerging researchers, the symposium was structured into eight thematic sessions, each exploring different dimensions, from the interplay between tumour cells and their microenvironment to the systemic impacts of cancer on the body.