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Q: As Head of Assembly 3, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?
Learning about the current state of the art in basic science. In fact, the poster sessions often turn out to be an excellent platform to learn about the latest unpublished developments and to facilitate discussions. Especially those between basic scientists and clinicians, which may offer opportunities to bring the findings closer to the patient.
Q: What in your opinion will be the hot topics for basic and translational sciences?
Due to the development of novel technologies such as snRNA-seq and spatial multimodal omics in combination with more advanced in vitro models, our insight into lung tissue damage and repair is rapidly increasing. I look forward to Assembly 3’s sessions on “Lung Science Conference 2025: Repairing the Lung – from single cells and tissue organisation to regenerative therapy” and “From wounds to wrinkles: early life injuries as predictors of lung aging” as well as the Scientific Year-in-Review to learn more about this.
Q: Tell us your top three picks from the congress programme?
1. Hot topics – Big changes on a small scale: microbiome-targeted therapies for prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases
Monday 29 September, 15:30–17:00 CEST
This session discusses a novel strategy, namely targeting the microbiome to treat and prevent lung disease.
2. Symposium – Importance of the exposome in prevention and treatment of chronic lung diseases
Sunday 28 September, 08:30–10:00 CEST
This session will explain how the exposome is involved in the prevention and slowing down of the progression of chronic lung diseases, which is still a huge challenge.
3. Year in review – Scientific
Sunday 28 September, 13:45–15:15 CEST
This session will provide an overview on novel insights on interactions of structural lung cells and immune cells within their environment, including innovative technologies such as spatial transcriptomics and proteomics.
Q: As Secretary of Assembly 3, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?
Scientifically, I look forward to the sessions we organised together with the other assemblies as part of the ERS Translational Science Initiative. The showcase of young researchers in the Science Slam, organised by the early career members is always marked in my agenda. The meeting with Assembly 3 members in a laid-back atmosphere with drinks and food during our networking event on Tuesday evening is the social highlight I am excited about.
Q: What in your opinion will be the hot topics for basic and translational sciences?
An area of strong scientific focus at this year’s Congress centres on the molecular mechanisms governing lung injury and repair. Numerous sessions provide detailed insights into how exogenous factors such as infections and environmental pollutants, along with endogenous mediators including the immune system and the microbiome, contribute to both tissue damage and recovery processes. This expanding knowledge base is increasingly being harnessed to inform the development of novel regenerative and reparative therapeutic strategies.
Q: Tell us your top three picks from the congress programme?
1. Year in review – Scientific
Sunday 28 September, 13:45–15:15 CEST
This session will provide an overview of recently obtained exciting insights into mechanisms of lung injury and repair in a spatial and cell specific context. It will discuss the influence of mechanical forces and guidance on selection of cell-based therapy for repair.
2. Hot topics – Big changes on a small scale: microbiome-targeted therapies for prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases
Monday 29 September, 15:30–17:00 CEST
This session illustrates various ways in which the microbiome can represent an attractive pharmacological target in respiratory diseases.
3. Oral presentation – Messaging through extracellular vesicles
Tuesday 30 September, 14:15–15:30 CEST
A session based on abstracts submitted across various assemblies, showcasing translational research on extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of various lung diseases, but also providing insight into mechanisms through which they contribute to disease pathogenesis and progression.