Isabel Inês Araújo (PPS – Population health, policies and services) and Ana Paula Arez (VBD – Vector Borne Diseases), researchers from the Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), IHMT-NOVA, represented the institution at the 60th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine (MEDTROP 2025), held from 2 to 5 November in João Pessoa, Brazil. MEDTROP is one of Latin America’s most influential forums in tropical medicine, gathering experts to discuss major public health challenges.
Biobanks and Open Science in Focus
Both researchers participated as speakers in the roundtable “Biobancos, ciência aberta e inovação: acelerando o futuro da medicina tropical através do compartilhamento de materiais biológicos”, moderated by Aline da Silva Soares Souto (Fiocruz). The session brought together specialists to discuss how shared biological resources and open science can accelerate research in tropical medicine.
Ana Paula Arez, coordinator of BIOTROP Biobank & Biological Resources Center, presented the potential of the Lusophone Biobank Network to strengthen international collaboration. Isabel Araújo shared her analysis of the status, challenges, and opportunities of biobanking in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP), based on recent input from professionals in Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. She highlighted Mozambique’s advanced efforts in establishing a biobank and the shared regional challenges related to regulation, infrastructure, and training.
Araújo also presented the case of Cabo Verde’s RESPIRA-CV project, which is laying foundational work for future biological collections at Uni-CV, with the support from GHTM, reinforcing how strategic partnerships and institutional commitment are essential for developing biobanks in the region.
Engagement Across Key Areas of Public Health
Beyond their roundtable contributions, GHTM members attended sessions on antimicrobial resistance, One Health, infectious disease surveillance, COVID-19 and influenza epidemiology, AI in epidemiological monitoring, and advances in clinical research regulation, gaining valuable insights into current global health priorities.
Strengthening International Collaboration
For GHTM, participation in MEDTROP 2025 represented not only a platform for scientific dissemination but also a strategic opportunity to expand collaboration networks and reinforce the role of Portuguese-speaking institutions in global health research.
Updated on 11 December 2025.