Padrón to Host the International Conference and Workshop on Microbiota Next Thursday
ALBERTO MARTÍNEZ
A wide array of specialists will participate in the first International Conference and Workshop on Microbiota, to be held next Thursday in Padrón, with Professor Alejandro Pazos Sierra from the UDC serving as the main speaker. Organized by the three universities and the Sergas, the event will take place at the Pazo de Lestrove with an intensive and packed schedule.
The scientific committee, consisting of Dr. Benito Regueiro, Dr. José Luis Ulla Rocha, Dr. Alejandro Pazos Sierra, Dr. José Manuel Vázquez, Dr. Francisco Blanco, Dr. Javier Maestro, and Dr. Humberto González, has designed an extensive program that will explore the microbiota from various angles of knowledge.
The term “microbiota” refers to the approximately 100 trillion microorganisms residing in the human body. These microorganisms are distributed in various locations, including the digestive tract, respiratory system, urinary system, skin, and oral-pharyngeal cavity, among others.
Research suggests that the composition of the microbiota is specific and individualized for each person, forming a diverse population consisting of various families of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and even protozoa and other species.
STUDIES. Recent scientific and clinical research has focused on the crucial importance of this biological diversity in basic health processes.
Furthermore, it is known that the microbiota seems to have evolved alongside our species over millions of years, helping to shape who we are today and is expected to accompany us throughout our existence.
In addition to its beneficial role in our overall health, recent discoveries have shown that some components of the microbiota may also be involved in a wide range of systemic pathologies.
Therefore, the scientific meeting in Padrón aims to raise awareness about the need for further research on this crucial topic and to present the current state of knowledge about the microbiota and microbiome, understood as the set of genes comprising these microorganisms, across various clinical areas where evidence of their influence on the pathophysiology has recently been found.
The conference will feature renowned specialists grouped into three perspectives: scientific, clinical, and technological. The goal is to make the event a pioneering multidisciplinary meeting and to inspire future research actions that generate new care protocols, including the creation of patents for diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic, monitoring, and follow-up devices.
According to the scientific committee members, the ultimate goal is to make a concerted effort to improve care quality and increase the sustainability of the public health system.
The broadly multidisciplinary nature of the conference, along with the support of Galician universities and related industry stakeholders, aims to attract medical professionals, researchers, health administration officials, and interested companies.
A 12-HOUR INTENSIVE PROGRAM
KEY SPEAKERS
The organizing committee, which includes Dr. Ana Porto, Dr. Cristian Munteanu, Dr. Francisco Cedrón, Dr. Jesús Fraiz, Dr. Aliuska Duardo, and also José Liñares and Candela Rodríguez, has prepared the program.
The meeting will start at 9:30 AM with the opening speech “Microbiota: What’s Cooking?” by Dr. Benito Regueiro, Professor of Medical Microbiology at USC. This will be followed by 15-minute presentations.
From 10 AM, the topics will cover microbiota and infectious diseases, with contributions from Drs. Enrique Míguez, Ángel Carracedo, Mabel Loza, Óscar Cordero, Germán Bou, and Alberto Céspedes.
The next set of talks, starting at noon, will focus on inflammatory, oncological, and digestive diseases. Dr. Javier Castro Alvariño will start, followed by José Luis Ulla-Rocha, Luís Antón Aparicio, Sergio Vázquez, Luis León, and Paula Peleteiro (both in the same micro-conference), and Cristina Plaza Alonso.
After a lunch break, the afternoon session will cover other pathologies related to the main topic of study, with the following speakers in this order: Roberto Peinó, Mar Castellanos, José María Prieto, Portuguese researcher Antonio Marques, Guillermo Aldama, Hugo Vázquez, Francisco Blanco, Javier de Toro, Alfonso Solar, Rafael Alonso Valente, and José R. Caeiro Rey.
Following a short break, at 6:30 PM, the final segment will feature conferences on technological solutions. Dr. Víctor Maojo will open this final session, followed by Alfonso Rodríguez Patón, Alejandro Pazos, Guillermo Vázquez, and César de la Fuente, an Assistant Professor from the University of Pennsylvania.
After all the planned conferences, there will be explanations of ethical and legal aspects, presented by Aliuska Duardo.
Finally, between 8 PM and 10 PM, two parallel workshops will be held. One will focus on artificial intelligence applied to metagenomic data on microbiota, with Drs. Adrián Carballal, Francisco Cedrón Santaeufemia, Carlos Fernández, Marcos Gestal Pose, Cristian Munteanu, Daniel Rivero Cebrián, and Enrique Fernández Blanco.
The other workshop will cover nutritional health diets for microbiota repair, led by Drs. Ana Porto Pazos, Alejandra Cardelle, and Cristina Fente, assisted by José Liñares Blanco.
Published in: El Correo Gallego