Science You Can Believe In

On 14 November, CEO Team Coordinator Catarina Ramos joined a group of experts at ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa for a roundtable discussion about trust in science. This marked the culmination of the European Commission-funded POIESIS project, an international research consortium spanning seven countries.

This year, we thought of doing something a bit different that would:

- bring our community together 
- unleash our creativity (we may not be artists but scientists and health professionals can be super creative!)
- result in beautiful and unique artistic images that could be shared with you!

Higher calorie foods were preferred among individuals with and without obesity despite similar taste and texture, according to a study published December 17th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Albino Oliveira-Maia from the Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal, and colleagues.

Precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer are very difficult to characterise with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But now, in a new study, researchers led by Noam Shemesh and Carlos Bilreiro – respectively head of the Preclinical MRI lab at Champalimaud Research and a doctor at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre’s Radiology Department – have shown, for the first time, that a particular form of MRI, called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), is capable of robustly detecting pre-malignant lesions in the pancreas.

Psychedelic substances like psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), LSD (commonly known as acid), and ayahuasca have shown potential in treating conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addiction. These substances can induce profound psychological experiences that, when paired with psychotherapy — a form of talk therapy — have been proposed to lead to significant therapeutic benefits.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and it brings with it significant emotional, social, economic, and public health challenges.
Prevention is a crucial tool in the fight against cancer. By identifying risks early, it not only saves lives and reduces suffering but also helps conserve valuable healthcare resources, both human and financial.

Additionally, we will explore the ongoing evolution of minimally invasive techniques and their impact on the patient's quality of life, even on complex cases, such as lateral compartment resections in rectal cancer and D3 lymphadenectomy in colon cancer.

Female mammals, such as rodents, accept mating attempts only during their fertile phase, and actively reject males outside this period. While the brain areas controlling sexual receptivity are well-studied, the mechanisms behind active rejection are less so.