Thanks to an international congress organized by researchers from the CIM. The event will extend until Thursday in the Experimental Sciences building
From this Wednesday until next Friday, the Vigo campus becomes the epicenter of the latest advances in cryobiology, the science that studies biological phenomena that occur at very low temperatures. This is thanks to the 59th Congress of the Society for Low Temperature Biology, held in the Experimental Sciences building. This event, organized by Estefanía Paredes and Jesús Souza Troncoso, researchers from the Marine Research Center of the University of Vigo (CIM), brings together specialists from around the world to share knowledge, experiences, and discoveries in areas ranging from cryopreservation to cold adaptation.
The congress offers a unique opportunity for scientists in the field to come together, share ideas, and establish fruitful collaborations. In this regard, the president of the Society for Low Temperature Biology, Birgit Glasmacher, emphasized during the congress’s inauguration that it represents “an opportunity for networking among different professionals to advance in the field of cryobiology and cryotechnology”. On the other hand, the director of CIM, Daniel Rey, highlighted “the importance of such events in promoting this discipline in Spain’ and affirmed that it is a milestone for the University of Vigo and CIM, as it allows progress in an area with great potential and application in numerous scientific fields”. “Our institution is deeply committed to encouraging international collaboration among research personnel, and this congress is a clear example of this effort”, he added.
Estefanía Paredes, a researcher at CIM and president of the Spanish Society of Cryobiology (SeCrio), pointed out that “it is not common for cryobiology specialists to gather at an event like this” and that “we hope that all attendees will gain valuable knowledge about the advances made by the center regarding the importance of marine organisms as valuable models for the study of cryobiology, cryopreservation, and biobanking, of which we are pioneers worldwide”. Finally, Ana Mejías, a researcher at UVigo and Delegate Councillor for Cleaning, Water Cycle, and Transportation at the Vigo City Council, emphasized the “importance of Vigo being the venue for a congress that advances knowledge in a discipline with a wide range of future uses, demonstrating that Vigo is a city of science”. Furthermore, she admitted that “such events allow progress in new solutions to future research problems”.
Three days of presentations
Specifically, the congress began with a keynote lecture on the creation of a sustainable infrastructure for patient-focused research and biobanks by Professor Barry J. Fuller. Subsequently, there will be sessions focused on human and animal reproduction, covering topics such as the preservation of organoids and tissue engineering.
On the second day, presentations will revolve around cryotechnologies and cryoprotectors, offering lectures on methods for morphological and ultrastructural assessment in tissue cryopreservation, along with sessions on ultrasound sonication, liquid temperature monitoring, or cryopreservation in the aquatic context. In this field, CIM, which is part of the CIGUS Network that includes centers whose research quality and impact were accredited by the Government of Galicia, can offer the expertise and knowledge of researcher Estefanía Paredes, one of the few specialists in the world in the cryopreservation of marine organisms and president of the recently created Spanish Society of Cryobiology, which co-organizes this congress.
Finally, on Friday, there will be a conference on the situation at the Institute of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IPC&C NAS). Additionally, there are plans to delve into agriculture and cryobiotechnology, the conservation of American magnolias, or the study of ice nucleation molecules in plant poles.
CIM, Home to the Spanish Society of Cryobiology
The Society for Low Temperature Biology (SLTB) is a scientific organization that aims to promote research, knowledge exchange, and collaboration in the field of cryobiology. On the other hand, the Spanish Society of Cryobiology (SECrio), headquartered at CIM and with scientist Estefanía Paredes as its founding president, was established in early 2023 and boasts a diverse group of Spanish professionals with interests in this field of knowledge, which studies the effects of low temperatures on materials or biological systems”.
Source: DUVI
