Take my breath away

Lung diseases are on the rise, and many treatments only ease symptoms rather than cure them. Join Rita Costa on a journey into the hidden world of our lungs, where she’ll reveal how scientists recreate these delicate organs in the lab to unravel the mysteries of disease and discover new treatments.
In this talk, Rita will explore the growing threat of lung infections, made even more dangerous by the rise of antimicrobial resistance. She’ll share her research on bacteriophages, viruses that specifically target bacteria, and how these tiny allies could revolutionize the fight against antimicrobial-resistant superbugs. Could phages be the key to winning the battle for our lungs?

Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Although treatments exist, 10% of asthmatic patients do not respond to these medications, which greatly influences their quality of life. Understanding why certain patients do not benefit from therapy requires examining the underlying complexity of asthma.
Recently, researchers have been studying small changes in DNA across people, so called polymorphisms, on disease predisposition. For instance, some polymorphisms inside a single gene have been associated with asthma. Specifically, children with this polymorphism are more likely to develop asthma than those with the unaltered gene sequence.
In this talk, we will review what is known about genetic predispositions to asthma, which genes are associated with the disease, and, finally, focus one of the most promising of them: Gasdermin B, its function in the body, and why this matters for asthmatic patients. Understanding how polymorphisms impact asthma could help diagnose children earlier, thereby improving their treatment and quality of life.