Fifty years ago, Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) transformed rectal cancer surgery, improving local control, survival and quality of life worldwide.
On 22–23 May 2026, the International Rectal Cancer Meeting - “50 Years of Total Mesorectal Excision: Celebrating the Legacy of Bill Heald” will bring leading experts to the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon to mark this milestone and explore what lies ahead.
11 February 2026
Different Visual Experiences Give Rise to Different Neural Wiring
The visual system is hierarchically organised into different areas. The lower visual areas see small parts of the visual field, and they are sensitive to very simple features, such as edges and their orientation. Higher up the hierarchy, the visual areas start encoding more abstract representations of the world, expanding their visual field to respond to stimuli such as objects and faces.
10 February 2026
Controlled “Oxidative Spark”: A Surprising Ally in Brain Repair
Oxidative stress is a direct consequence of an excess in the body of so-called “free radicals” – reactive, unstable molecules that contain oxygen. Free radicals are normal metabolic by-products and also help to relay signals in the body. In turn, oxidative stress (an overload of these molecules) can be caused by lifestyle, environmental and biological factors such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, poor diet, stress, pollution, radiation, industrial chemicals, and chronic inflammation.
01 February 2026
Champalimaud Symposium Returns to Hyderabad for Its 18th Edition
As always, President of the Champalimaud Foundation, Leonor Beleza, was in Hyderabad to participate in the meeting and celebrate the long-standing friendship between the two institutions. Her speech stressed the importance of collaboration in an ever-changing world and a commitment to innovation and disruption in healthcare. These words were echoed by LVPEI’s Executive Chair and Founder, respectively, Drs Prashant Garg, and GN Rao.
IV Annual Conference YPP
Date and Time
April 11, 2026, 11:00-18:00 WEST
Location
Auditorium, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon
About
The conference consists of scientific sessions, debates, and patient testimonials, bringing together young researchers, leading experts, patients and families for a broad discussion in the areas of neuroscience and Parkinson's disease.
Some of the topics discussed will include AI in medicine, research on movement disorders and the challenges of living with Parkinson's.
Champalimaud Open Seminar (COpS)
"Why does cancer come back and how to fight it?"
Ana Luísa Correia, Cancer Dormancy & Immunity
"The quick and the dead: a tale of resident memory T cells in infection and cancer"
Klaas van Gisbergen, Tissue Immunity
Moderation
Leopoldo Petreanu, Cortical Circuits
29 January 2026
A Substantial Proportion of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancers Can Be Treated Directly by Surgery
Currently, the reference standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer, meaning tumours that have grown deeper into the layers of the rectal wall and/or involved nearby lymph nodes, but have not yet spread to the rest of the body – is to submit patients to chemotherapy and radiotherapy before surgery. This “total neoadjuvant therapy” reduces the risk of the cancer coming back in the rectum and can lower the risk of metastases, but has a cost for the patients because of the detrimental effects of radiation.
