IDIVAL researcher Javier Crespo is coordinating the congress, which will take place on 11th and 12th April

The 1st International Symposium on Rare Liver Diseases 2024 will bring together leading national and international experts in the field of rare liver diseases, with the aim of sharing knowledge, scientific advances and clinical experiences relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies.

Scheduled for 11 and 12 April 2024 at the Botín Centre in Santander, this symposium is led by renowned experts Javier Crespo, researcher of the Clinical and Translational Research Group in Digestive Diseases at Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Valdecilla (IDIVAL) and Head of the Digestive System Service at the Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla (HUMV), as well as José Luis Calleja, Head of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service at the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital.

During the event, keynote lectures, panel discussions and interactive sessions will address various aspects related to rare liver diseases, from diagnosis to clinical management and the latest research in the field.

The symposium starts on Thursday 11 April with an opening ceremony at 12:00h by Ángel Carracedo and will continue to address different rare liver diseases such as Wilson’s disease, primary biliary cholangitis, Delta virus hepatitis or vascular liver diseases. The role of artificial intelligence in clinical activity will also be discussed.

On Friday 12 April, the programme will focus on other rare inherited liver diseases, highlighting the role of laboratory research for new treatments and the benefit of population cohorts.

Anyone interested can register via this link. IDIVAL staff can register free of charge by sending an email to Javier Crespo indicating name, IDIVAL position and DNI.

This event has the collaboration of the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH), the Portuguese Association for the Study of the Liver (APEF), the Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology (SEPD), the European network ERN Rare Liver, the Botín Centre, the Government of Cantabria and the City Council of Santander.

Link to the symposium website: www.isrld2024.com

Download the complete programme

The work focuses on the transport of drugs through lipid nanosystems.

The University of Cantabria has announced the winners of the ‘Juan María Parés Research Awards’ in the doctoral thesis category, highlighting the work of Lourdes Valdivia Fernández in the area of Health Sciences. Valdivia’s thesis was supervised by researchers Mónica López Fanarraga and Rafael Valiente Barroso, from the Nanomedicine Group of the Valdecilla Health Research Institute (IDIVAL).

These awards, established with the aim of promoting the talent of young researchers, recognise the five best doctoral theses presented in the last three years in each of the areas of knowledge.

Lourdes Valdivia’s doctoral thesis focuses on the development of two lipid nanosystems for the transport of three different drugs: two antibiotics (Chloramphenicol and Enrofloxacin) and a chemotherapy drug (Doxorubicin). This innovative study ranges from the synthesis and preliminary analysis of the nanosystems to in vivo investigations in murine models.

According to their findings, the transport of Doxorubicin through a lipid nanosystem has shown a significant improvement in its therapeutic effectiveness, as well as a reduction in its toxicity compared to its conventional free form. Furthermore, preliminary results obtained with the antibiotics show promising potential for future applications.

Other award-winning theses in the IDIVAL Nanomedicine Group

Previously, two researchers from IDIVAL’s Nanomedicine Group were recognised with the Juan María Parés Award for the best doctoral thesis in the area of health sciences. In 2018 Ricardo Calderón González won the prize thanks to his thesis entitled “Vaccines based on listeria monocytogenes”, which also obtained an international mention and was directed by the researchers Mónica López Fanarraga and Carmen Álvarez.

In 2019 the recognition went to Lorena García Hevia with her thesis entitled “Therapy against cancer based on the biomimetics of carbon nanotubes with cell filaments” and with which she also obtained the extraordinary prize in the area of health sciences. This thesis was also supervised by the researcher Mónica López Fanarraga.