With 23 posters and two oral presentations, the IMPACT Basal Center stood out at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Chilean Society of Cell Biology, held recently in Puerto Vara, capturing the scientific community’s attention.
This event is a milestone in the national scientific calendar and brings together leading researchers in cell biology. On this occasion, IMPACT, in addition to its participation and thanks to the coordination of FONDECYT led by researchers from the Universidad de los Andes Patricia Luz, Jimena Cuenca, Francisca Alcayaga and the Director of IMPACT, Maroun Khoury, had a leading role in presenting the symposium “Mitochondrial transfer: from a physiological process to an organelle-based therapy”. This symposium was attended by leading international speakers, who shared their latest research on mitochondria and their therapeutic potential in various areas, such as mitochondrial transfer and its application in different skin pathologies, epigenetics, cancer, aging, and Leigh Syndrome.
The invited speakers were Rafael Argüello, CNRS Researcher from Marseille (France), expert in the role of metabolism and mitochondria in inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes in different immunological cell models; Keshav Singh, from the University of Alabama (USA), founder and editor in chief of the journal Mitochondrion; Andrés Caicedo, researcher at the University of San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), pioneer in the artificial transfer of mitochondria from one cell to another in a method coined as “mitoception” which allows the study of the role of mitochondrial transfer in different pathologies; and Jonathan Brestoff from the University of Washington (United States), who is investigating the role of mitochondrial transfer between macrophages and adipocytes in inflammatory processes associated with obesity and the mechanisms related to mitochondrial transfer.
IMPACT’s participation included 23 poster presentations by its thesis students and postdoctoral fellows and two oral presentations by Lucas Cereceda and Francisca Velarde. Their research demonstrated the depth and breadth of the Center’s work and provided crucial platforms for the exchange of ideas and constructive feedback. In the oral presentation, Lucas Cereceda, Research Assistant, shared his work entitled “Impact of platelet-derived mitochondria on the metabolic profile and progression of mda-mb-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells“, and Francesca Velarde, a PhD student in Biomedicine at Universidad de los Andes, presented her research “Metabolic enhancement of human CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation by modified mitochondrial transfer (MitoT)”.
According to Noymar Luque, IMPACT postdoctoral researcher: “Participation in this event is vital for professional and academic development, providing unique opportunities to establish new collaborations,” she said.
Maroun Khoury, director of IMPACT, emphasized “the importance of our presence at meetings such as the Cell Biology Society meeting, is mutually beneficial for all of us to not only keep abreast of scientific advances in the community but also to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas that lead to new perspectives that improve and enhance the various clinical solutions developed by the society and the center.”
For Patricia Luz, principal investigator of IMPACT and coordinator of the event, the research presented in mitochondria transfer research “has emerged as a new form of cellular communication gaining more relevance every day. A few years ago, many thought of this possibility almost as a fortuitous or science-fiction event. However, the consequences and effects seen in recent years and its implications and potential applications have made it a subject that many international research groups are studying,” he said.
IMPACT’s active and prominent participation in the Annual Meeting of the Chilean Society of Cell Biology reflects its continued commitment to scientific excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration, critical elements in driving cutting-edge research in cell biology, and the focus on advanced and precision therapies.