The ICVS Retreat 2025 took place on June 26 and 27, bringing together over 200 participants for two days of dynamic discussions, inspiring talks, and community building.

ICVS researcher Céline Gonçalves has been awarded the L’Oréal Portugal Medal of Honor for Women in Science. This award, granted in partnership with the National Commission for UNESCO and the Foundation for Science and Technology, recognizes the achievements of scientists under 35 and supports innovative research projects with an impact on health and the environment.

Research published in Nature, co-authored by ICVS’s Rui M. Reis, paves the way for new strategies in prevention and treatment.

Researchers from ICVS have discovered that compounds originated from the plant Hemerocallis citrina Baroni could have therapeutic potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD/SCA3) and Frontotemporal Dementia with Parkinsonism (FTDP-17). These diseases are characterized by the loss of neurons and severe motor difficulties.

Researchers at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS) of the University of Minho have taken an important step in the search for new therapies for Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that still lacks an effective treatment. The results of the study, now published in the prestigious journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, show that the experimental drug NLX-101 may alleviate two of the most severe symptoms: irregular breathing and cognitive difficulties.

Malaria is proving more difficult to treat than previously thought, as drug resistance is linked to multiple genetic mutations in the parasite rather than a single one. This is the conclusion of an international study involving scientists from ICVS published in Nature Communications.