One of the hallmarks of multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of the bone marrow and one of the most frequent haematological cancers worldwide, is the disruption of the patients’ immune system, which allows the cancer to progress. Now, a study performed by Cristina João, who leads the Myeloma and Lymphoma Research Group at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, and her colleagues, shows how so-called extracellular vesicles (EV’s) released by multiple myeloma cells can drive the disruption of the immune system.

It is with great enthusiasm that we invite you to register for the second hybrid edition of CRSy, to be held at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU), in a stunning setting on the waterfront in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 19–21.

The overall goal of this event is to highlight examples from international funding entities that are either already piloting or considering implementing different models to allocate research funds, with a particular emphasis on the partial randomisation process, and highlight the perspective of researchers on this topic.

The session will end with a roundtable discussion featuring the views from researchers hosted by Portuguese institutions on whether partial randomisation is an appropriate alternative to the current peer review process.  

To know more about this research:

Digest

Scientific Article

Funded by the MCSA & Citizens action - RAISE is built around a concept of co-creation that will blend Researchers at Schools (RAS) activities with European Researchers’ Nights (ERN) public events over the next two years.

Zoom-In on Champalimaud: Charlotte (Charlie) Rosher

Before entering the Champalimaud Foundation, I studied Evolutionary Biology on a Master’s programme that rotated around universities in Uppsala (Sweden), Montpellier (France), Munich (Germany) and Boston (USA). I love seeing the world through the lens of evolution but I have always been focussed in some way on brains and behaviour. Now I am investigating emotions and defensive behaviours for my PhD in the Behavioural Neuroscience lab (Moita lab). 

In the USA, rTMS was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 to treat patients suffering from treatment resistant depression, or in other words, patients who do not respond to standard antidepressants. It has since been approved or recommended in several other countries. The main advantage of rTMS is that it is a non-invasive, drug-free, and safe alternative treatment that really works: up to half of the patients for whom other antidepressant strategies have not worked will respond to rTMS.

Let's face it. As enticing as the idea of starting lunch with a chocolate cake might be, few would actually make that choice when it comes down to it. And yet, at the end of the meal, many would reach for that same cake without hesitation. 

The cause behind this phenomenon is the body's ever-changing internal states: by lunchtime, the body often needs protein, so the brain promotes that particular food choice. However, after the protein was ingested, carbs might be a nice extra for padding the body’s fat stores.