7th Brazilian Student Council Symposium

Neglected Diseases

November 17th and 18th, 2023

In 2023, the 7th BR-SCS will be focused on Neglected Diseases. These are overlooked and marginalized diseases that are typically prevalent in impoverished communities with limited access to healthcare and research resources. The event will highlight projects involving diseases such as Chagas Disease, Leishmaniasis, Schistosomiasis, Malaria, and Dengue Fever.

This symposium brings together keynote lectures and panels by distinguished scientists in the field of computational biology. Moreover, the BR-SCS is an opportunity for attendees to develop soft skills as they submit and present their research projects in English.

The Event

7th SC-RSG Symposium - Neglected Diseases (Nov 17th Morning)

7th SC-RSG Symposium - Neglected Diseases (Nov 17th Afternoon)

7th SC-RSG Symposium - Neglected Diseases (Nov 18th Morning)

Speakers

Tetsu Sakamoto

Dr. Sakamoto is a biologist and holds a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Throughout his career, he developed computational tools and databases in the area of molecular phylogeny, such as TaxOnTree and Taxallnomy. Currently, he is a Professor at the Instituto Metrópole Digital (IMD) and a member of the Bioinformatics post-graduate program at UFRN. His main interests involve software and database development related to Bioinformatics, the discovery of genetic factors associated with a phenotype, evolution, machine learning, and structural biology.

Talk: "Bioinformatics and Leptospirosis: Uncovering the Genetic Basis of Serology"

Gabriel Wallau

Dr. Wallau is a Public Health Researcher at the Fiocruz Ageeu Magalhaes Pernambuco (Brazil) and at the Tropical Medicine Institute Bernhard Notch of Hamburg, Germany. He has a master's and P.h.D in animal biodiversity from the Federal University of Santa Maria. He also has wide experience in evolutionary biology and genomics, acting on the following topics: molecular evolution, transposable elements, bioinformatics, and omics methodologies (genomics, transcriptomics, etc) applied to pathogens and vectors.

Talk: "Genomic and bioinformatic approaches to study virus evolution: the case of arthropod-borne viruses in Brazil."

Luciane Sussuchi da Silva

Dr. Sussuchi da Silva is a Researcher at the Molecular Oncology Research Center ("Centro de Pesquisa em Oncologia Molecular" (CPOM)) and a Professor for the post-grad Oncology program of the Cancer Hospital of Barretos. She has a master's and a P.h.D. in Molecular Biophysics from the São Paulo State University (UNESP) and a post-doc with bioinformatics. She has experience with Computational Biology with virtual screening of natural products and system biology; analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression; development of risk scores; and graphical interface for research tools and molecular diagnosis.

Talk: "The Role of Computational Biology and Virtual Screening in Combating Neglected Diseases"

Schedule

Day 1 (Nov 17th):

10:30 am - Organizers’ Welcome.

11 am - Tetsu Sakamoto - Bioinformatics and Leptospirosis: Uncovering the Genetic Basis of Serology.

12pm - Break

3 pm - Short talks from selected abstracts (3 in total, 10’ each + Round of questions of 5’) .

4 pm - Luciane da Silva - The Role of Computational Biology and Virtual Screening in Combating Neglected Diseases.

Day 2 (Nov 18th):

3:30 pm - Gabriel Wallau - Genomic and bioinformatic approaches to study virus evolution: the case of arthropod-borne viruses in Brazil.

4:30 pm - Short talks from selected abstracts (3 in total, Three student talks (10’ each + and Round of questions of 5’) .

5:30 pm - Brief Presentation about RSG Brazil.

6:00 pm - Closing remarks and Awards Ceremony.

The event will be broadcasted on RSG Brazil's YouTube channel. The streaming will be available only during the event, then it is going to be deleted. It is going to take place on November 17th and 18th, from 3:30 pm to 6:00/6:30 pm (Brasilia time, GMT -3).

Awards

The abstracts selected for short talks may be awarded with one of the following awards:

Best Presentation ($120 - US Dollars)
Honorable Mention. ($90 - US Dollars)

All authors selected for short talks will also be invited to publish their work on Revista Bioinfo*.

*The process of adapting the work for the journal may involve formatting and writing, thus not being a direct publication. The publication model is a Book Chapter, with a focus on popular science, therefore, it might require a creative adaptation of the work. All process is free of charge.

Certificates

Types of certificates provided:

Certificate of participation* (regardless of abstract submission)
Certificate of short-talk
Certificates for each award

*To receive the certificate of participation, it is necessary to register in the symposium and to fill out a form only available during the event. It will be sent to the email adress used on registration.

Certificates will be sent within 40 days after the event. If you do not receive it after this date, please contact us via e-mail: symposium.rsg.brazil@gmail.com

Why we have chosen this theme

The choice of focusing the symposium on neglected diseases is justified by the critical impact these diseases have on the health of populations in tropical and third-world countries. Neglected diseases, often overlooked, have a disproportionately severe effect on these regions, particularly among the most economically vulnerable communities. The leading factors of this unequal impact arises from the challenges of concentrated poverty, leading to inadequate access to basic necessities such as clean water, sanitation, and proper housing.

These diseases are historically overlooked and marginalized for the developing world. As a result, they have remained disregarded in global health discussions and interventions. Due to the general overlooking, Neglected Diseases mitigation has been a challenge, since achieving such health actions relies into translating the few basic research into practical efforts.

By dedicating the 7th BR-SCS to neglected diseases, we seek to align ourselves with these initiatives by promoting lectures by computational biology researchers who have notable scientific production in the area of neglected diseases. We intend to contribute to the formation of students in the area of bioinformatics and to promote the discussion of this emerging theme.

Organization

Chair: Hugo Oliveira

Rayssa Feitosa - RSG Brazil 2023 President