On September 18, 2025, between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., the Casa das Caldeiras at the University of Coimbra (UC) will host the cycle "Ciência à Medida". This science communication initiative presents an international research project led by UC dedicated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Cross-3DTool-4ALS - Cooperation and technology transfer for the development of a new precision medicine platform for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This is also the second meeting of the cycle, following a first edition at the University of Salamanca.
With the aim of raising awareness among children, adolescents, young people and adults, allowing audiences of all ages to ask questions and deepen their knowledge about ALS, the session will be attended by Elisabete Ferreiro, project leader and researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at UC (CNC-UC) and the Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CiBB), with Anabela Matos, a doctor specializing in Neurology and Neurophysiology, and Filipe Gonçalves, from APELA - Portuguese Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The session will be moderated by Sara Amaral, coordinator of the Science Communication Office at CNC-UC/CiBB.
The innovative project led by CNC-UC proposes the creation of a three-dimensional model for studying ALS with human cells and aims to build a cell culture platform on which it will be possible to study the mechanisms altered by the disease and test new drugs. The model will make it possible to reproduce the unique characteristics of each patient and enable personalized therapeutic strategies. Data analysis could help classify patients, enable more accurate diagnoses, predict disease progression, and, in the long term, identify new treatments.
"We want to create a 3D model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using human motor neurons and cells from the human musculoskeletal system. Both cells are obtained in the laboratory from stem cells derived from the patient's own urine in a non-invasive manner,“ explains Elisabete Ferreiro. ”But we must not forget that it could take many years from the development of the project to the creation of drugs,“ warns the researcher, for whom the project nevertheless represents ”a big step."
The Portuguese team led by Elisabete Ferreiro specializes in the study of mitochondria, organelles essential for energy production in cells. The project plans to test antioxidant molecules with the potential to protect mitochondria and improve cell function. The transfer of this technology to the project partners — the Institute of Neurosciences of Castile and León (INCYL) and the Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), with the support of the Salamanca University Healthcare Complex (CAUSA) — will allow for an increase in the number of patients studied.
The Cross-3DTool-4ALS project aims to improve knowledge of ALS, a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive loss of muscle control due to the deterioration of motor neurons, which are responsible for transmitting nerve impulses. It is co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg VI-Spain-Portugal Program (POCTEP) 2021-2027.
The "Ciência à Medida" event will be broadcast live via streaming and will subsequently be available on the Cross-3DTool-4ALS project website and social media. Those interested in attending the event in person should register using the registration form.
