In this meeting, scientists approached topics from Biology and Medicine, discussing questions such as: what factors cause pathogens and why do some develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs? How can we eliminate malignant stem cells without causing damage to normal stem cells? How do brain activities influence the capacity of the immunological system to find and destroy tumours?

Financed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the International Research Scholars programme seeks to foster scientific talent from all around the world, supporting scientists starting out on their careers and attempting to engage in creative research programmes of excellent scientific quality. Of the scientists selected from all around the world, there are three Portugal based researchers: Ana Domingos, of the Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Catarina Homem, of Cedoc – Centre of Chronic Disease Studies, and Joe Paton, from the Champalimaud Foundation.