Understanding the brain remains one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time. Despite remarkable advances in genetics, molecular biology and imaging technologies, neurological and psychiatric disorders continue to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. This session brings together leading researchers working across different scales of neuroscience — from the molecular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration to new tools, including artificial intelligence, which promise to revolutionise our understanding of diseases and the development of new therapies. Kicking off the celebrations for i3S’s 10th anniversary, this session reinforces i3S’s commitment to tackling complex biological problems through interdisciplinary research, spanning from fundamental research to clinical application. The program concludes with a tribute to Maria João Saraiva, whose scientific work and dedication to training young researchers have left a lasting mark on neuroscience in Portugal.

17h00 Commemorations opening | i3S 10th Anniversary
Claudio Sunkel, i3S Director

17h15 Alzheimer’s disease: imperfect mechanistic therapies and the way ahead
John Hardy, University College London, United Kingdom

17h45 A brief history of the dawn of Neuroscience from an Iberic/sunset perspective
Fernando Castro, Centro de Neurociencias Cajal-CSIC, Spain

18h10 Break

18h30 Regeneration of the nervous system: impossible or not?
Mónica Sousa, i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal

18h50 AI to Decode Diseases, Design Therapies and Deliver Cures
Paulo Fontoura, Xaira Therapeutics

19h20 Tribute to Maria João Saraiva
Memory as legacy, science as continuity
Presentation of a commemorative piece by Gabriela Queiroz, Councillor of the Porto City Council.

20h00 Closing