On 11 December 2025, the 2nd NIMSB Symposium in Medical Systems Biology was held at the Champalimaud Foundation, bringing together researchers and experts for a full day dedicated to the latest advances in biomedical research. The symposium offered a journey across biological scales — from molecules to cells, neural circuits to whole organisms — highlighting how systems-level approaches are transforming the understanding of health and disease.
The scientific programme covered a broad spectrum of cutting-edge topics, including dopamine neuron circuitry and neuroimmune mechanisms in CNS health and dementia, advances in genetic diagnostics and therapeutic development, translational control and non-canonical open reading frames, and the mapping, functional characterisation and therapeutic targeting of RNA structural ensembles in living cells. Additional sessions explored the largest elements of the human genome, the effects of circulating nutrients on 3D engineered breast microtumours, and the importance of integrating multiscale perspectives to capture both global and fine grained biological processes.
The symposium featured talks from Danny Incarnato, Estibaliz Gómez de Mariscal, Kaiyue Ma, Sara Matias, J. Matthew Franklin, Cláudio Gouveia Roque, Jorge Ruiz Orera, Leslie Rubio Rodríguez-Kirby, Carolina Trenado Yuste, David Castillo-Azofeifa, and André Dias, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of medical systems biology.
Scientific direction was provided by the Scientific Committee, composed of Antonio Jacinto, Claudia Nunes dos Santos, Nikolaus Rajewsky, Jana Wolf, Ashley D. Sanders, Catarina Brito, Ines Sequeira, Sophia Maschalidi, Joseph Paton, Markus Landthaler, Ricardo Henriques, and Philip Junker.
The event fostered lively scientific discussions, interdisciplinary exchange, and networking, reinforcing the role of medical systems biology as a key framework for addressing complex biomedical challenges. The 2nd NIMSB Symposium in Medical Systems Biology highlighted the growing importance of integrative and data-driven approaches and set the stage for continued dialogue and collaboration in the field.
Photography by: Catarina Dagmar Leal