10th Symposium
of the Portuguese Glial Network
May 29, 2026 - FMUL, Lisboa
Welcome message
We are delighted to welcome you to the 10th Symposium of the Portuguese Glial Network. The Symposium will be held at the Faculdade de Medina da Universidade de Lisboa (FMUL) in Lisboa on the 29th May 2026.
We are thrilled to present an outstanding and exciting lineup of speakers who will share their latest research findings in the study of glial cells. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet them, engage in fruitful discussions, and foster collaborations within and across borders. Participants are encouraged to submit their works for short talks and poster presentations. Registration is, as always, free (but mandatory), and the best poster and oral communication will receive awards! Join us at FMUL to network and catch up with friends and colleagues of the Portuguese glial family for another exciting meeting. See you in Lisboa! The Scientific Committee |
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Invited speakers
Nathalie Rouach
Collège de France, Université PSL, France 
Vanessa Coelho-Santos
Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Portugal |
Amit Agarwal
University of Heidelberg, Germany 
Andreia Barateiro
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Portugal |
Rosa Chiara Paolicelli
University of Lausanne, Switzerland 
Maite Solas Zubiaurre
Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain |
Scientific Program
9:00 Registration open, Check-in & Welcome Coffee
9:30 Opening Session
9:45 Keynote Session I
Chair: Sandra Vaz (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Astrocytes: the Stars of Brain Plasticity and Behavior"
Nathalie Rouach (Collège de France)
10:45 Session I - From Assembly to Adaptation: Glial Roles Across the Lifespan
Chairs: Maria José Diogenes (FMUL, Lisboa) and Adelaide Fernandes (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL, Lisboa)
Invited Speaker (10:45-11:15)
"Neonatal Neurogliovascular Assembly: Microglial Responses and the Rise of Astrocytic Support"
Vanessa Coelho-Santos (FMUC, Coimbra)
Selected Lectures (11:15-11:45)
"The Astrocytic Trajectory Behind Cognitive Impairment in Absence Seizures"
Mariana Neuparth-Sottomayor (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Glial Activation Regulates Sensory Axon Regeneration in Spiny Mice"
Eduardo Verissímo (I3S, Porto)
11:45 Group Photo
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Poster Session
14:00 Keynote Session II
Chairs: Sara Xapelli (FMUL, Lisboa) and Raquel Santiago (FMUC, Coimbra)
"Feeling the Pressure - How Oligodendrocytes Use Mechanosensing to Perfect Myelin Geometry"
Amit Agarwal (University of Heidelberg, Germany)
15:00 Session II - Under Pressure: Glial Cells in Repair, Metabolism, and Mind
Chairs: Cláudia Valente (FMUL, Lisboa) and João Relvas (I3S, Porto)
Invited Speaker (15:00-15:30)
"Too Much Weight, Too Little Repair: How Obesity Impacts Oligodendrocyte‑Driven Recovery in Multiple Sclerosis"
Andreia Barateiro (FFUL)
Selected Lectures (15:30-16:00)
"Astrocytic mGluR5 signaling tunes emotional and cognitive processing in the adult brain"
João Filipe Viana (ICVS, Braga)
"Dynamics of the axon-myelin interface in vivo"
Rafael Almeida (University of Edinburgh)
16:00 Coffee Break & Poster Session
16:30 Session III - Rewiring Alzheimer’s: Glial Metabolism and Synaptic Resilience
Chairs: Dora Brites (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL, Lisboa) and João Filipe Oliveira (ICVS, Universidade do Minho, Braga)
Invited Speaker (16:30-17:00)
"Astrocytic metabolic changes as key players in Alzheimer's pathology"
Maite Solas (Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain)
Selected Lectures (17:00-17:30)
"Microglial Redox Rewiring Drives Synaptic Resilience with Disease-Modifying Effects in Alzheimer’s disease"
Camila Portugal (I3S, Porto)
"hNPC-Derived miR-124 Exosomes Support Cognitive Function and Neuron-Astrocyte Dynamics in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s disease"
Mafalda Migéis (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL)
17:30 Keynote Session III
Chairs: Ana M Sebastião (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Microglia across the lifespan: from brain development to neurodegeneration"
Rosa Chiara Paolicelli (University of Lausanne, Switerzland)
18:30 Best Poster and Presentation Awards and Closing Ceremony
9:30 Opening Session
9:45 Keynote Session I
Chair: Sandra Vaz (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Astrocytes: the Stars of Brain Plasticity and Behavior"
Nathalie Rouach (Collège de France)
10:45 Session I - From Assembly to Adaptation: Glial Roles Across the Lifespan
Chairs: Maria José Diogenes (FMUL, Lisboa) and Adelaide Fernandes (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL, Lisboa)
Invited Speaker (10:45-11:15)
"Neonatal Neurogliovascular Assembly: Microglial Responses and the Rise of Astrocytic Support"
Vanessa Coelho-Santos (FMUC, Coimbra)
Selected Lectures (11:15-11:45)
"The Astrocytic Trajectory Behind Cognitive Impairment in Absence Seizures"
Mariana Neuparth-Sottomayor (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Glial Activation Regulates Sensory Axon Regeneration in Spiny Mice"
Eduardo Verissímo (I3S, Porto)
11:45 Group Photo
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Poster Session
14:00 Keynote Session II
Chairs: Sara Xapelli (FMUL, Lisboa) and Raquel Santiago (FMUC, Coimbra)
"Feeling the Pressure - How Oligodendrocytes Use Mechanosensing to Perfect Myelin Geometry"
Amit Agarwal (University of Heidelberg, Germany)
15:00 Session II - Under Pressure: Glial Cells in Repair, Metabolism, and Mind
Chairs: Cláudia Valente (FMUL, Lisboa) and João Relvas (I3S, Porto)
Invited Speaker (15:00-15:30)
"Too Much Weight, Too Little Repair: How Obesity Impacts Oligodendrocyte‑Driven Recovery in Multiple Sclerosis"
Andreia Barateiro (FFUL)
Selected Lectures (15:30-16:00)
"Astrocytic mGluR5 signaling tunes emotional and cognitive processing in the adult brain"
João Filipe Viana (ICVS, Braga)
"Dynamics of the axon-myelin interface in vivo"
Rafael Almeida (University of Edinburgh)
16:00 Coffee Break & Poster Session
16:30 Session III - Rewiring Alzheimer’s: Glial Metabolism and Synaptic Resilience
Chairs: Dora Brites (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL, Lisboa) and João Filipe Oliveira (ICVS, Universidade do Minho, Braga)
Invited Speaker (16:30-17:00)
"Astrocytic metabolic changes as key players in Alzheimer's pathology"
Maite Solas (Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain)
Selected Lectures (17:00-17:30)
"Microglial Redox Rewiring Drives Synaptic Resilience with Disease-Modifying Effects in Alzheimer’s disease"
Camila Portugal (I3S, Porto)
"hNPC-Derived miR-124 Exosomes Support Cognitive Function and Neuron-Astrocyte Dynamics in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s disease"
Mafalda Migéis (iMed.ULisboa, FFUL)
17:30 Keynote Session III
Chairs: Ana M Sebastião (FMUL, Lisboa)
"Microglia across the lifespan: from brain development to neurodegeneration"
Rosa Chiara Paolicelli (University of Lausanne, Switerzland)
18:30 Best Poster and Presentation Awards and Closing Ceremony
Registration
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Venue |
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Registration is free of charge for members of the PT Glial Network.
To become a member, follow the simple instructions here. Participants can submit an abstract to be considered for poster and/or oral presentation. Registration and abstract submission are now closed. Please note that due to logistic reasons, registrations will be limited to 150 on a first come first served basis. Deadline for Registration and Abstract Submission: 27th March 2026 Notification of Selected Talks: 30th April 2026 In case of doubt contact us here Presentation information
Oral presentations: 12 mins + 3 mins discussion
Poster layout: vertical Poster max dimensions: 80 cm (width) x 120 cm (height) Posters should be hung up upon registration and removed only at the end of Symposium |
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa
Av. Professor Egas Moniz, Ed. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa How to arrive:
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Committees
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Scientific Committee
Adelaide Fernandes, PhD (iMed.ULisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia, Lisboa) Ana Raquel Santiago, PhD (iCBR, Faculdade de Medicina, Coimbra) Ana Maria Sebastião, PhD (Faculdade de Medicina, Lisboa) Cláudia Valente, PhD (FMUL, Lisboa) Dora Brites, PhD (iMed.ULisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia, Lisboa) Francisco Ambrósio (iCBR, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Coimbra) João Bettencourt Relvas (i3S, Universidade do Porto) João Filipe Oliveira (ICVS - School of Medicine, Universidade do Minho) Maria José Diogenes (Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa) Sandra Vaz (Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa) Sara Xapelli (Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa) Teresa Summavielle (i3S, Universidade do Porto) |
Organization Committee
Sandra H. Vaz, PhD (FMUL, Lisboa) Ana Maria Sebastião, PhD (FMUL, Lisboa) Cláudia Valente, PhD (FMUL, Lisboa) Maria José Diogenes, PhD (FMUL, Lisboa) Sara Xapelli, PhD (FMUL, Universidade de Lisboa) Joana Gonçalves-Ribeiro (FMUL, Lisboa) Mafalda Manso (FMUL, Lisboa) Tiago Coelho (FMUL, Lisboa) Mariana Neuparth-Sottomayor (FMUL, Lisboa) Sara Oliveira (FMUL, Lisboa) Luísa Florido (FMUL, Lisboa) Cristian Sales Garcia (FMUL, Lisboa) João Moreira (FMUL, Lisboa) Joana Mateus (FMUL, Lisboa) |
Sponsored by:
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