Friday, October 9, 2026
09:00
Registration
10:00
Welcome coffee
10:30
Welcome Session
Professor Nicolau van Uden
On behalf of the Organizing Committee
Speakers:
Isabel Miranda
Yeast Diversity for Circular Bioeconomy and Environmental Sustainability
Speakers:
Isabel Sá Correia
11:10
Plenary lecture
Moderators:
Nuno Mira
Rethinking yeast genetics in the post-genome era, again
Speakers:
Kyle Cunningham
11:50
Session I | Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
Moderators:
Nuno Mira, Isabel João Silva
11:50 —
Keynote Lecture - Endohyphal Bacterial Symbionts in Aspergillus fumigatus: Expanding the Biology of a Pathogen
Speakers:
Cristina Pereira
12:15 —
Oral Communications
A New Pipeline for Meta Transcriptomic Data Integration in the Metabolic Model Yeast9.0.2 for Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Ethanol Production Optimization as a Case-Study
Speakers:
Diogo Couceiro
Mechanistic Insights into Citrate Export by the CexA Transporter from Aspergillus niger
Speakers:
Francisca Ferreira
Coupling Computational Design with Yeast Display: a High-Throughput Pipeline for Antiviral Discovery
Speakers:
Andreia Pedras
12:45
Lunch
14:00
MIA Portugal lecture
Moderators:
Paula Ludovico
Anti-aging properties of ketone bodies in budding yeast
Speakers:
Jeffrey Smith
14:40
Session II | Adaptation, Cell Death and Ageing
Moderators:
Vitor Teixeira, Susana Chaves
14:40 —
Keynote Lecture - Living, Dying and Ageing in Yeast
Speakers:
Paula Ludovico
15:05 —
Oral Communications
Yeast Profilin(g): New Insights into the Yeast Cytoskeleton- Mitochondria Crosstalk
Speakers:
Miguel Correia
Bioactive Metabolites Drive Lifespan Extension in a Yeast Model of Niemann-Pick type C1
Speakers:
João Henrique Cardoso
15:25
Session III | Health
Moderators:
Teresa Gonçalves, Paula Sampaio
15:25 —
Keynote Lecture - Host Endotypes in Aspergillosis: Bridging Immune Mechanisms to Actionable Biomarkers and Therapies
Speakers:
Agostinho Carvalho
15:50 —
Oral Communications
Iron Compromises Fluconazole Activity in Candida glabrata
Speakers:
Carolina Mariano
Characterization and Immunomodulatory Effect of Alternaria alternata Extracellular Vesicles in Host-Pathogen Interactions
Speakers:
Daniela Calheiros
Chitosan-Coated Alginate Capsules for Delivery of 2’-O-MethylRNA EFG1 Oligomers Targeting Candida albicans Filamentation
Speakers:
Joana Costa
Obesity-Associated Gut Candida and Aspergillus Dysbiosis is Linked to Purinergic Receptor Polymorphisms
Speakers:
Lisa Rodrigues
MycoSifter - A Consensus-Driven, Multi-Threshold Pipeline for Species-Level Environmental Contamination Removal in Clinical Mycobiome Studies
Speakers:
Mariana Fernandes
Proteomic and Ultrastructural Dissection of N88S Seipin Inclusion Bodies Reveals Conserved Chaperone Defenses Against Motor Neuron Diseases
Speakers:
Isabel Oliveira
Production and Evaluation of a Novel Yeast-Derived Recombinant Iduronate-2-Sulfatase as a Potential Therapeutic Alternative for Hunter Syndrome
Speakers:
Francielly Dias Pereira
17:00
Coffee break + Poster session
PO1 - Biotechnological Potential of Killer Yeasts Isolated from Raw Milk Against Mastitis-Associated Staphylococci
Speakers:
Elly Ramos
PO2 - Development of a molecular diagnostic assay for rapid detection of Botrytis cinerea spores
Speakers:
Catarina Amaral
PO3 - Advancing the use of the non-conventional yeast Pichia kudriavzevii in valorisation of low-value feedstocks/residues into the high added value chemical itaconic acid
Speakers:
Alice Cruz Coimbra de Matos
PO4 - Rational Engineering of the Dct-02 Transporter for Enhanced Dicarboxylic Acid Bioproduction
Speakers:
Francisca Ferreira
PO5 - Integrated Discovery and Engineering of Chitinases for Antifungal Applications and Chitin Valorization
Speakers:
Sampaio P.
PO6 - Efficacy assessment of a combination of wavelengths of blue light against healthcare-related Candida species
Speakers:
Ângela Rita Fernandes
PO7 - Candida species and Hydrogen Peroxide: effect following repeated exposure
Speakers:
Ângela Rita Fernandes
PO8 - ADENOSINE A2A RECEPTOR DEFICIENCY RESHAPES GUT MICROBIOTA, INDUCING AN ENRICHMENT IN SACCHAROMYCES SPP.
Speakers:
Daniela Rosado
PO9 - Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptic Species Exhibit Distinct Strategies for Adaptation to Host-Relevant Conditions
Speakers:
Alexandre Mendonça
PO10 - Exploring Alternaria alternata sialidase as a novel target for antifungal therapeutics
Speakers:
Gonçalo Conde de Oliveira
PO11 - Towards the identification of new molecules with potential to control the activity of pathogenic Candida yeasts
Speakers:
Afonso Correia
PO12 - Integrated gut mycobiome–urinary metabolome signatures in aortic stenosis patients after aortic valve replacement
Speakers:
Diana Martins
PO13 - Characterization of household mould exposure in patients with fibrotic ILDs
Speakers:
Andreia Coelho
PO14 - Host-Derived Polyols as Metabolic Regulators of Macrophage Function during Fungal Infection
Speakers:
Edgar de Abreu Leite
PO15 - Antifungal activity of natural extracts against Candida spp.: from chemical characterization to synergistic interactions
Speakers:
Miguel Neto
PO16 - Species-dependent phenotypic adaptation of vaginal yeast isolates from asymptomatic women to vaginal-like acidic conditions
Speakers:
Mariana Fernandes
PO17 - The Long Pentraxin PTX3 Shapes Macrophage Immunometabolic Reprogramming During Aspergillus Fumigatus Infection
Speakers:
Mathieu Lepas
18:20
Conference “Jovem Investigador” | Tribute to Professor Isabel Spencer Martins
Sponsored by Sociedade Portuguesa de Microbiologia (SPM)
20:00
Dinner
Saturday, October 10, 2026
08:30
Registration
09:00
Plenary lecture
Moderators:
Sofia Costa Oliveira
Evolutionary perspectives from fungal genomes
Speakers:
Geraldine Butler
09:40
Session IV | Genomics and Evolution
Moderators:
Paula Gonçalves, Artur Alves
09:40 —
Keynote Lecture - Lose, Gain, Thrive: Genome Remodeling as a Driver of Adaptation in a Floral Yeast Clade
Speakers:
Carla Gonçalves
10:05 —
Oral Communications
YEASTRACT+ Upgrades to a Quantitative Regulatory Resource: Transcriptome Integration for Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling in Yeasts
Speakers:
Luís Coutinho
Characterization of a Novel Aphelid, a Fungal-Related Parasitoid, Infecting Industrial Nannochloropsis Cultures
Speakers:
Mélissa José
10:25
Coffee break + Poster session
PO18 - Investigating the Role of a LysR-Type Bacterial Transcriptional Regulator in Starmerella bombicola
Speakers:
Jirameth Angchuan
PO19 - Dissecting Eukaryotic Horizontal Gene Transfer using Yeast Models
Speakers:
João Melo
PO20 - Population-level dynamics of horizontally transferred genes in Wickerhamiella versatilis
Speakers:
João Coito
PO21 - Comparative evolutionary genomics of Candida albicans clinical isolates spanning asymptomatic colonisation, mucosal infection, and invasive candidiasis
Speakers:
Vânia Varela
PO22 - Leveraging Nanopore Sequencing for elucidation of high-resolution genomic analysis of Hanseniaspora guilliermondii strains
Speakers:
Teresa Ferreira
PO23 - Gene Losses and Gains Shape Genome Evolution in the bee-associated Wickerhamiella/Starmerella Yeast Clade
Speakers:
João Bento
PO24 - Exploring the phenotypic space leading to ecological diversification in a complex yeast lineage
Speakers:
Jose Paulo Sampaio
PO25 - Urban waters: a hidden reservoir of antifungal-resistant Candida spp.
Speakers:
Micael F. M. Gonçalves
PO26 - SF1 is a novel marine-derived compound with promising antifungal activity
Speakers:
Margarida Gonçalves
PO27 - Developing an Interactive Web Application for Promoter-Region Analysis in Antifungal Resistance Studies
Speakers:
Martins Mupueleque
PO28 - From environmental microbiome to antifungal leads
Speakers:
Ana T. Loureiro
PO29 - Dissecting the role of the ABC transporter Aus1 in azole resistance in the pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata
Speakers:
Joana Pinheiro
PO30 - Landscape of the frequency of isolation of Candida strains in clinical samples obtained from healthcare settings in the Lisbon area
Speakers:
Vlademiro Magaia
PO31 - Toxicogenomic Analysis of the Cellular Response to Cymoxanil
Speakers:
Chaves S.R.
PO32 - When Less is More: Activity of Pterospartum tridentatum in Combination with Fluconazole Against Candida guilliermondii
Speakers:
Miguel Neto
11:45
Session V | Fermented Foods and Beverages
Moderators:
Maria João Sousa, Catarina Prista
11:45 —
Keynote Lecture - Wine Yeasts: Addressing Old and New Winemaking Challenges
Speakers:
Alexandra Mendes Ferreira
12:10 —
Oral Communications
Exploring Glucose Transport to Improve the Fermentative Performance of Torulaspora delbrueckii
Speakers:
Bruna Oliveira
Genomic and Phenotypic Screening of Non-Saccharomyces Yeasts for Climate-Resilient Winemaking
Speakers:
Carolina Osório
Genomic and Transcriptomic Profiling of Hanseniaspora guilliermondii’s Ethanol Stress Response
Speakers:
Diogo Santos
12:40
Lunch
14:00
Plenary lecture
Moderators:
Teresa Gonçalves
Exploring the extracellular biology of yeast-like pathogens
Speakers:
Márcio Rodrigues
14:40
Session VI | Drug and stress resistance
Moderators:
Catarina Pimentel, Miguel Teixeira
15:10 —
Keynote Lecture - From genetic variation to translational regulation: emerging determinants of antifungal and stress resistance in Candida albicans
Speakers:
Ana Rita Bezerra
15:35 —
Oral Communications
OMICS Analyses to Disclose Tolerance Mechanisms to the Antimicrobial SO2 in the Wine Spoilage Yeast Saccharomycodes ludwigii
Speakers:
Bárbara Coelho
Drug Repurposing as a Strategy for Antifungal Adjuvant Development and Efflux Modulation in Candida albicans
Speakers:
Débora Marques
From CUG Decoding Ambiguity to Proteome-Wide Mistranslation in Clinical Isolates of Candida albicans
Speakers:
Inês Correia
Exploring the Antifungal Potential of Novel 2-Aminoimidazole Azo Dyes Against Candida krusei and Candida auris
Speakers:
Maria Inês Pacheco
From Urban Water to Clinical Settings: Hidden Reservoirs of Opportunistic Antifungal-Resistant Yeasts
Speakers:
Nuno Reisinho
Overcoming Fluconazole Resistance in Candida glabrata via PDR1-Targeted Antisense Oligomers
Speakers:
Patrícia Serra
Exploring the Potential of Molecular Glues for the Development of Novel Antifungals Against Candida albicans
Speakers:
Rute Chitas
Pentabromopseudilin: a Marine Bacteria-Derived Compound with Potent Antifungal Activity Against Pathogenic Fungi
Speakers:
Teresa Pissarro
16:25
Closing Session