The Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry was prominently represented at the Controlled Release Society (CRS) Annual Meeting and Exposition 2025, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, from July 14 to 18. This event is considered the most prestigious international conference in the field of controlled release technologies, advanced drug delivery systems, and biomedical engineering.
The conference gathered over 1,400 participants, including global leaders from academia, industry, and clinical research. The scientific program featured more than 200 oral presentations and over 450 posters.
Representing CBQF were Dr Ezequiel Coscueta, Principal Investigator of the gBiOT project, and MSc Ana Sofia Sousa, researcher on the gBiOT team and PhD student at ESB. Both were invited as speakers, a recognition that highlights their leadership and contribution to this emerging research area.
Their participation focused on the gBiOT project, Nutraceutical biopolymeric biocatalytic nanobots against gut inflammatory disorders, funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). The project was featured in the sessions of “Skin and Mucosal Delivery” and “Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Delivery”, disseminating its developments in enzyme-powered nanotherapeutics.
The conference also featured keynote lectures by internationally renowned scientists, including Professor Robert Langer from MIT, a pioneer in biomedical innovation, and Dr. Drew Weissman, a Nobel Laureate in 2023 for his work on mRNA vaccine technology.
CBQF’s presence at CRS 2025 reinforces the centre’s positioning in the field of drug delivery and nanomedicine, strengthens the international visibility of Portuguese research in bioinspired therapeutic strategies, and promotes innovation in the development of next-generation solutions for intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Participation in the event has already fostered contacts with leading international researchers, generated interest in the gBiOT project approach, and opened new perspectives for collaborative research, translational impact, and future participation in global scientific forums.
