LATEST NEWS

Posters on circadian biology and metabolic health presented on the International Congress of the Portuguese Physiological Society

26 October 2026

Maria Guarino and Marlene Lages, researchers at ciTechCare, took part in the 4th International Congress of the Portuguese Physiological Society (SPF), held at Lusófona University, in Lisbon, on 8 and 9 October 2026, where both co-authored and presented two posters, focusing on the interplay between circadian biology and metabolic health. The first poster entitled ‘Relation between circadian clock gene expression, metabolic biomarkers, chronotype, and sleep quality in adults with and without overweight or obesity’, also co-authored by Sara Carmo-Silva e Renata Barros explored how the molecular clock relates to the metabolic and behavioural profile of adults. In this exploratory study,

Univates University visits ciTechCare

20 October 2026

On 28 and 29 September, the University of Leiria and Oeste (ULO) welcomed a delegation from Univates University, based in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, strengthening institutional ties with this partner institution, which has maintained a partnership with the former Polytechnic Institute of Leiria since 2002. The second day of the visit focused on two research units: ciTechCare and CDRSP – Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development. Both bring together areas of growing interest in international scientific cooperation, namely healthcare technologies and sustainable product development. On the morning of 29 September, the delegation had the opportunity to learn about

Córtex School Bag among the top 8 initiatives shortlisted for the Alzheimer Europe Anti-stigma Award 2026

13 October 2026

The Córtex School Bag project, developed by researchers at ciTechCare – Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, has been shortlisted for the Alzheimer Europe Anti-Stigma Award 2026, selected from more than 80 applications submitted across Europe. This year’s edition focuses on the theme “Music and Dementia” and recognises initiatives that use music to promote a more positive and inclusive understanding of dementia. Córtex School Bag combines stories, music, games and experiential activities to help children understand ageing and dementia in an accessible, sensitive and scientifically informed way, thereby contributing to the fight against dementia-related stigma from an early age.

SeedCare internal initiative funds two projects

6 October 2026

The first edition of the SeedCare internal funding programme, an initiative aimed at promoting and supporting the development of research projects with translational potential, received eight applications, two of which were selected as winning projects. In the scientific area of Health Promotion and Care, the winning project was “CAREP@ll-CONNECT”, led by Carlos Laranjeira, principal investigator. The project aims to complement the care provided by healthcare professionals in the field of palliative care through the participation of specially trained volunteers who support people with advanced illness and their families. This approach seeks to reduce social isolation, alleviate the burden on family

ciTechCare researchers on health promotion in COPD presented their work at the ERS Congress, in Spain

27 September 2026

From 5th to 9th September, Barcelona received the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2026, and ciTechCare was represented by 5 PhD research fellows and a PhD researcher. Joana Cruz, PhD, and principal investigator in several projects on COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation participated as part of the faculty of the Skills Workshop entitled “Physical activity assessment & enhancement strategies”, together with Elena Gimeno-Santos, Fábio Pitta and Thierry Troosters, integrated in the “Academy of Pulmonary rehabilitation – Advanced” course of the ERS. Also, several PhD students had the opportunity to share the most recent results from their research on

ciTechCare researchers present two posters at ESPEN Congress 2026, in Berlin

26 September 2026

Maria Guarino and Marlene Lages, researchers at ciTechCare presented two scientific posters at the 2026 ESPEN Congress, organised by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. The congress took place from 5 to 8 September in Berlin, Germany. The first poster presented results from the NutriClock project, identifying two distinct chrononutritional phenotypes in a sample of Portuguese adults. Late eaters trended toward a higher body mass index, an extended eating window, and changes in circadian clock gene expression, findings that support the value of integrating meal timing with molecular circadian markers in future nutritional assessments. The study was co-authored