Meet our Plenary Speakers
Dr. Ruben Abagyan is a Professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, which he joined in 2009. He received his master’s and Ph.D. degree in molecular physics at MPTI and MSU. At the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, he developed internal coordinate mechanics and structural docking approach (ICM) for structure prediction and docking. He founded Molsoft LLC, received his tenure at New York University and Courant Institute of Mathematics, continued from 1999 at Novartis Functional Genomics Institute as a Director of Computational Chemistry and Biology, and the Scripps Research Institute as a professor. Dr. Abagyan serves on international review panels for Institutes in Switzerland, UK, EU and Hong Kong. He received CapCure awards, Princess Diana Award and medal in Sydney, Australia, AACP Teacher of the Year award and UCSD-SSPPS Faculty-of-the-Year awards. R.A. co-authored 333 research papers and book chapters (over 40,000 citations, H-index of 96). His research interests include methods, data and tools for accelerated computer-aided drug discovery, repurposing, and development.
Brandon Lucke-Wold was born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO. He graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Neuroscience and distinction in honors from Baylor University. He completed his MD/PhD, Master’s in Clinical and Translational Research, and the Global Health Track at West Virginia University School of Medicine. His research focus was on traumatic brain injury, neurosurgical simulation, and stroke. At West Virginia University, he also served as a health coach for the Diabetes Prevention and Management program in Morgantown and Charleston, WV, which significantly improved health outcomes for participants. In addition to his research and public health projects, he is a co-founder of the biotechnology company Wright-Wold Scientific, the pharmaceutical company CTE cure, and was a science advocate on Capitol Hill through the Washington Fellow’s program. He has also served as president of the WVU chapters for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Neurosurgery Interest group, and Erlenmeyer Initiative Entrepreneur group. In addition, he has served as vice president for the graduate student neuroscience interest group, Nu Rho Psi Honor Society, and medical students for global health. He was an active member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is currently a member of the UF House Staff Council, Positive Culture Committee, Quality Improvement Committee, Board of Directors Alachua County Medical Society, and Accreditation Requirements Review Committee. He is married to Noelle Lucke-Wold and has two children. As a family, they enjoy running with their dogs, rock climbing, and traveling. In his spare time, Brandon frequently runs half marathons and 10ks together with is wife. Brandon also enjoys reading, playing piano, discussing philosophy, and playing chess. He is currently a Pgy5 neurosurgery resident at University of Florida with pursuing endovascular enfolded training and was awarded the Dempsey Cerebrovascular Research Fellowship.
Yesica Vicente MartÃnez: Degree in Chemistry from the University of Murcia and Master of Fine and Molecular Chemistry. In 2010 I began my doctoral thesis in the area of analytical chemistry at the University of Murcia with a research grant for the training of research personnel (FPI) funded by the government of Spain. After four years of predoctoral training, I defended my doctoral thesis whose title "Microextraction systems for the determination of traces of inorganic species by atomic absorption spectrometry" and its content achieved the highest mark (cum laude). After that, I started my postdoctoral stage working in several companies into the pharmaceutical industry, but always in the field of analytical chemistry. In 2016 I got a research contract at the University of Murcia in the organic chemistry department and during 15 months I developed and validated analytical methods for organic substances. This first research stage, described above, gave rise to 13 scientific articles in journals indexed in the Journal Citations Report (JCR) in the first tertile, all of them in the category of analytical chemistry and organic chemistry and positioned in the first tertile.The results achieved have led to the generation of knowledge, also allowing me to acquire great scientific-technical capacities to be able of develop the following challenges of my career. In July 2017 I got a professor position at the University Centre of Defence at Spanish Air Force Academy (centre attached to the Polytechnic University of Cartagena). During the next four years I taught in the area of chemistry and environmental technology. At this stage, I formed my own research group based on the analysis of aquatic pollutants and the development of methods for removing pollutants using adsorption techniques. In addition, I have directed thirteen final degree projects, four of them have given rise to scientific publications in the field of the elimination of phosphates, nitrates and ibuprofen in the aquatic environment. This experience has allowed my contributionin the training of young researchers who begin their scientific career. In summary, this stage has given rise to 9 scientific publications in journals indexed in JCR, all of them in the first tertile, all of them as the result of investigations directed by myself. In addition, the decontamination of water is an inestimable contribution to society, specifically in the Region of Murcia, inasmuch as many of these works are within the framework of the Mar Menor problem. In 2020 I got a chemistry professor position at the University of Murcia, joining the analytical chemistry department in the chemistry faculty. Nowadays I teach in the aforementioned department, and I belong to the research group "Applied Instrumental Methods", in which I am currently developing my research work. Moreover, at present,I am directing three final degree projects and one final master's degree project. In summary, from the beginning of my research career to the present, I have published 22 articles in journals indexed in JCR (in the category of analytical chemistry, organic chemistry and environmental sciences), all of them in the first tertile. In addition, in the last 9 articles I am the first author, corresponding author and these are the result of research work directed by myself. I have participated in more than 20 national and international conferences both in oral communications and contributing a poster. Finally, I am currently co-directing a doctoral thesis whose subject is the analysis of pollutants in the Mar Menorlagoon and the development of methods to remove the main pollutants by the use of nanomaterials.
Xiaohua Teng, female, born in March 1963, PH. D, professor, doctoral supervisor, works in College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University (Harbin, China). She is one of "Outstanding scholars" in Northeast Agricultural University. Her main research interest is environmental toxicology on animals (including fish and poultry). She once served as the team leader of “Livestock and Poultry Environment Discipline†in Northeast Agricultural University and the discipline leader a key discipline of Heilongjiang Province (China) on “Animal Husbandry System Managementâ€. At present, she is an expert in the project evaluation of the National Nature Fund (China), an expert in the evaluation of doctoral and master's thesis, as well as excellent doctoral graduation thesis of the degree center of the Ministry of Education (China), a vice president of “Livestock Ecology of China†(One branch of “Chinese Society of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine†(China), an expert of “the International Cooperation Committee on Animal Welfare of China Association, and an executive director of Heilongjiang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Society, Member of Heilongjiang Agricultural Rural Reform and Development Soft Science Research Committee, an evaluation expert of Heilongjiang Educational Science Planning, and an expert of Heilongjiang Educational Science Planning Office in the 12th Five Year Plan and the 13th Five Year Plan. She was a chairman and member of conference academic committee, sub venue host and specked at many academic conferences. She presided over, guided, and participated in 28 projects of NSFC and other scientific research topics and won 10 scientific research awards. She serves as editor for Metabolites and Metabolites Special Issue "The Role of Signaling Pathways in Animal Cell Metabolism" (SCI, 2-zone, IF = 5.581), a member of review committee of one 3-zone SCI journal (Animals). She reviewed manuscripts for 65 SCI journals, including four 1-zone SCI journals, fifteen 2-zone SCI journals, thirty-two 3-zone SCI journals, and fourteen 4-zone SCI journals.
Maria Dalamagka currently works at the Department of Anesthesia, General University Hospital of Larissa. Maria does research in acupuncture and Anaesthetics. She is PhD medicine , doctor of pain , MD. Editorial board member :Scifed Journal, Pain Medicine and Management, Enliven, Cient Periodique, Journal of Pain Management and Medicine _Longdom, Anesthesia &Pain Research _Scivision, GJNFS, Journal if Pain and Relief. Speaker and organizing committee to conferences as:Pain Research and Management Zurich 2018, 5th international conference Pain Research &Management London 2017, and Vancouver , Canada 2016, Word congress on Pain Medicine and Management Singapore 2019, International Conference on Alzheimers &Neurodegenerative desease Madrid , Spain 2018, scientific federation speaker
Mmahiine Mosana (Nee Molepo) is a Senior Technician and an Academic Technical Coordinator at the School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Mmahiine Mosana’s educational qualifications are Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Environmental Sciences (Wits), Bachelor of Science with Honours in Environmental Sciences (Wits), Master of Science in Biology (NWU) and PhD Medical Physiology (Wits) (In progress). She serves in the school of physiology teaching and learning committee. Her research interest include using phytochemicals to programme for good metabolic health through neonatal interventions during critical windows of development. Her interests also include general gastrointestinal and nutritional physiology. Her research has produced a few peer reviewed original scientific manuscripts and presented at a few local and international fora.
Sergey Suchkov was born in the City of Astrakhan, Russia, in a family of dynasty medical doctors. In 1980, graduated from Astrakhan State Medical University with MD. From 1980 through 1983 has been working as Res Associate, and from 1983 through 1985 as Senior Res Associate at the Inst of Medicical Enzymology, USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. In 1985, maintained his PhD at the Sechenov University. From 1986 through 1989, has been working as Senior Res Associate at the Koltzov Institute of Dev Biology, USSR Academy of Sciences. From 1989 through 1994, was a Director of the Division of Clinical Immunology, Helmholtz Eye Res Institute in Moscow. In 1989-1993, was trained at the NEI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA, as well as at some of the British universities on the invitation of the Royal Society for Immunology. In 1993-1996, was an Executice Secretary-in-Chief of the Editorial Board, Biomedical Science, an int journal published jointly by the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. From 1994 through 2006, was a Director (full-time job) of the Division for Clinical Immunology, Vladimiskii Moscow Clinical Research Institute (MONIKI), and The Clinical Immunology Physician-in-Chief (quater-time job) of the Moscow region. In 2002, maintained his Doctor’s Degree at the National Institute of Immunology, Russia. In 1999, was working as a Clinical Immunology Physician (quater-time job) at the “Ehinacea†Clinical Center in Moscow, Russia. From 2006 through 2014, was The First Vice-President (full-time job) of The University of World Politics and Law, Moscow, Russia. From 2000 through 2007, was collaborating with some US and European Healthcare and Pharma companies (half-time job) staying in Moscow, Russia. From 2003 through 2021, was a Professor (quator-time job) of the Dept for Clinical Human Pathology of Sechenov University,Moscow, Russia. From 2007 through 2021, is a Professor (quator-time job) of the Dept for Clinical Allergology & Immunology of A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine & Dentistry, Moscow, Russia. From 2014 through 2021, was a Professor and Director (full-time job) of the Dept (since 2016 The Center) for Personalized & Precision Medicine of Sechenov University,Moscow, Russia. From 2021 through present time, is The President and Physicion-in-Chief, Center for Personalized & Precision Medicine “InMedStarâ€, Russia From 2021 through 2021, is a Professor and Chair (full-time job) of the Dept for Personalized Medicine, Precision Nutriology & Biodesign of Moscow State University for Food Industry (MGUPP), Moscow, Russia
Meet our Keynote Speakers
Irene Martins holds a PhD in Ecology and is an expert in Ecological Modelling. She has been working as a researcher in coastal and marine ecosystems for more than 30 years, with a focus on the effects of multiple stressors on the composition and function of marine organisms and ecosystems. She develops numerical models that account for the effects contaminants on marine food webs, and she is interested in assessing the type of interactions between different environmental stressors.
Meet our Invited Speakers
PatrÃcia Cardoso graduated in Biology in 1998 and concluded her PhD in 2005. Since then until March 2015 has worked at IMAR-CMA at same university, developing her research in ecosystem ecology in estuarine/marine systems. She specialized in long-term studies on benthic communities in response to multiple stressors; biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and ecotoxicological studies. Since 2015, as Senior Researcher at CIIMAR her main scientific interests are related to the study of the combined effects of climate change and emergent contaminants on the structure and functioning of coastal ecosystems.
My research focuses on assessing pesticide exposure and its toxicological effects in ecological and human health. I am particularly interested in utilizing innovative research platforms to characterize pesticide toxicity resulting from environmentally relevant doses, and then seek for mechanistic interpretations for the adverse health effects. One of my current research projects involves in the exploration of trans-generational toxicological effects of neonicotinoids, a group of the most commonly used insecticides worldwide, in sensitive non-target organisms in the environment. Before being appointed as the Distinguished Professor at Southwest University in Chongqing, China in May 2018, I was on the faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston MA, USA, from 2008-2018. Before that, I was an Assistant Professor at Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, from 2004-2008. I received the doctoral degree from the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, Seattle WA, in 1996. I have served as an Associate Editor for Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) between 2006 and 2016, and on several committees at the federal and state levels, including the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to US Environmental Protection Agency under the authority of the Federal Insecticides, Fungicides, and Rodenticides Act (FIFRA) since 2004 and the National Academy of Science (NAS) since 2013. I am currently an Affiliated Professor at the University of Washington.
A trained biostatistician, Dr. Chen’s current research interests include statistical methodologies in the broad area of environmental exposure assessment and related health risk assessment, including developing quantitative methods of benchmark dose calculation with multiple endpoints, exposure assessment of environmental toxicants such as air pollutions, phthalates, melamine, heavy metals, pesticides, and cumulative risk assessment of chemical stressors. He is also interested in studies related to cardiovascular diseases and healthy aging.
Maria Elena de LimaismarriedwithHoracio Raul Perez Garcia, physician, motherof a daughter – Maria Fernanda Perez Lima and a soon, HoracioRaúl Pérez Lima Garcia. Biologist by Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (MG, Brazil), Master of Sciences in Biochemistry and Immunology by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (MG, Brazil) and PhD in Neurosciences (1988)by Marseille University (Marseilles, France). Dr. De Lima’s research includes biochemistry and pharmacological studies of peptides purified from animal venoms, including those fromspiders, scorpions and other venomous animals, as well as synthetic derived peptides. Her focus is on the peptides with biotechnological potential, showing mainly one of the following activities: antimicrobial, insecticidal, antinociceptive, anti-cancer and active on erectile function.As a full professor at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)she was Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, President of the Ethical Committee on Research involving Human Beings and Dean of research, besides participating in various committees, as the University Consul, among others. She was President of the Brazilian Society of Toxinology (2006-2010) when was chair of two scientific meetings, one international and another national. She is author of more than 120 papers in indexed Journals, of many book chapters andeditor of two scientific books. She has various granted and filled patents and a technology transfer to Biozeus company (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil), having already finished the clinical trial, phase 1. She has been advisor of more than 50 students including masters and doctoral students, besides a dozen of post-doctoral students.
The place of work : Department of General Botany, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland 1998 – PhD – in Sciences – Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology. The doctoral dissertation entitled: “Cytochemical and ultrastructural alterations of Funaria hygrometrica Hedw. protonemata under lead exposureâ€. 1998 – Assistant professor 2013 – Habilitation – entitled “Cell wall modifications in Funaria hygrometrica protonemata Hedw. in response to leadâ€. 2014 – Associate professor My interests are focused on plant and plant cell responses to toxic metals and metalloids. The research concerns mainly the alterations in plant organs (root , leaf) architecture, but also the alterations at the cellular level. I work on trace elements uptake, alterations in cell wall, chloroplasts, cytoskeleton, endomembrane system - involved both in plant defense strategy and disorders caused by trace elements and metalloids toxicity. Analysis of the nature and scale of structural alterations can be useful indicators of plant ability to cope with stress conditions, e.g. in prospect of using the examined plants for reclamation of soils contaminated with toxic elements like mine tailings.  Presently, in my research most attention are focused on the trees reactions growing on the mining sludges. In my research I use fluorescence–based imaging (confocal microscopy), electron microscopies and among others immunocytochemistry, electron tomography, high-pressure freezing and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques.
I’m a twenty five years old PhD student working in two laboratories: the Health Molecular Engineering Service (SIMoS) at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) of Paris and the BioMaps Laboratory at the Frederic Joliot Hospital Center (SHFJ) of Orsay. I graduated as a biotechnology engineer from the AgroParisTech Engineering School in 2021 and then chose to enrol in a PhD program in order to further specialise myself in oncology and toxinology, two fields that are dear to me. I previously worked on acute myeloid leukaemia and CRISPR/Cas9 genetic engineering, but was eager to reunite with the world of toxinology which I now did. My PhD is on the derivation and the development of a snake toxin called mambaquaretin, which is the only V2R specific and selective ligand, as a PET-ready, multi-cancer radiotracer. I already gave several talks centred on different aspects of my work: the SFET congress in 2022 at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, the JFMN congress of 2023 and won the Paris-Saclay MT180 contest (the French equivalent of the 3MT contest).
Cécile Levasseur-Garcia is associate professor at Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-industrielle (LCA), Université de Toulouse, INRAE, INPT, INP-PURPAN, Toulouse, France. Her work focuses on developing near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics for qualifying food and feed quality. One of the main applications of this technology is focused on preventing the mycotoxin's risk in cereals. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain filamentous fungi (molds).
Maria Teresa Cruz (MT Cruz) has a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (1991) from the University of Lisbon, a master in Drug Technologies (1996) and a PhD in Pharmacology (2004) from the University of Coimbra. She is associate professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Group Leader at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra (Cell Signaling and Metabolism in Disease) and Principal Investigator of the research line Innate Immunity in inflammation-related diseases. The research developed has focused mainly in two areas: the molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation with a special focus in dendritic cells and macrophages and the development of methodologies to evaluate the ability of natural and industrial chemists to modulate innate immunity. MT Cruz holds the European Registered Toxicologist (ERT) title, awarded by EUROTOX. She has participated in national and international funded projects (43 projects), being the researcher responsible for 19, namely from the European Union 7th Framework Programme, John Hopkins, USA, Cosmetics Europe, Lierac and Vichy. She published 4 international patents, 6 book chapters and 184 articles in SCI indexed journals, supervised or co-supervised 19 PhD students, 24 master thesis and 3 pos-docs presenting an h-index of 36 with 6676 citations, according to the Web of Science. MT Cruz is a regular reviewer of I&D projects from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, French National Research Agency, Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship Program, Estonian Research Council, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, External Expert for COST proposals evaluation and National Centre of Science and Technology Evaluation from Cazaquistão. At the level of knowledge transfer and valorisation, the creation of a spinoff from the UC stands out, Toxfinder, dedicated to the development of non-animal approaches for toxicological purposes. Toxfinder received several entrepreneurship awards, highlighting her participation in patents and activities in the provision of specialized services to national and international entities, namely Cosmetics Europe, a European entity that represents around 40 of the largest companies in the world of cosmetic products. Maria Teresa Cruz participated in the design and creation of a Pilot Production Unit for Cell Therapy, UpCells laboratory, resulting from a partnership between UC and the pharmaceutical industry Tecnimede, fulfilling all the requirements for the preparation and handling of cellular products for clinical application according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Diana was born in Leiria in 1987. She holds a biochemistry degree from Évora University, Portugal. In the last year of her undergraduate studies, she experienced Erasmus Mundus in Lodz, Poland. In 2010, she was awarded a scholarship from the Luso-Brazilian Santander foundation to study the role of cancer stem-like cells in brain tumours at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (UFRJ- Brazil). She has an MSc in Biomedical Research from the Faculty of Medicine-University of Coimbra (UC), Portugal, where she exploited a new therapeutic approach to fight brain tumours. In 2013, she returned to Brazil and started her Ph.D. in morphological sciences at Moura-Neto's Lab at IECPN and UFRJ- Brazil, funded by the renowned Brazilian scientific academy (CNPq). She identified a novel therapeutic targets in glioma and highlighted the mechanisms involved in interactions between glioma and the immune microenvironment. Notably, she received an honourable mention for best Ph.D. thesis (PCM – UFRJ) and an indication for CAPES/interfarma award (Brazil). After that, she got a postdoctoral researcher position at IECPN under a CNPq fellowship, but her ambition was to expand her knowledge of nanomedicine. Then, she faced a new challenge and moved to London from 2018 to 2022, where she got a postdoc position at University College London, UK, under EPSRC and CRUK fellow in the Laboratory of Prof. Giuseppe Battaglia to develop novel targeted drug delivery systems for glioma treatment. Moreover, she was involved in designing and delivering drug nanocarriers for glioma applications in collaboration with Somaserve Ltd (Cambridge, UK). Currently, she is a Junior Leader research fellow at Institute of Molecular Medicine João Lobo Antunes (IMM) in Lisbon, where she is developing super-selective nanoparticles to promote immune system engagement in cancer cells with the support of the La Caixa Foundation.
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