Impact Research Communications

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ABOUT THE EVENT

Bio.Natural Conference Report

IV Bio.Natural 2025 Bioactive Natural Products Research Conference Lisbon, Portugal | July 14–15, 2025 | Hybrid Event

The Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies (CBIOS) at Universidade Lusófona successfully hosted the IV Bio.Natural Conference, a global forum spotlighting the future of bioactive natural products. Held in Lisbon and streamed worldwide, the two-day hybrid event gathered leading scientists, clinicians, and industry innovators to explore how nature's compounds are shaping tomorrow's medicine, nutrition, and technology.

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KEY MOMENTS

Highlights

Keynotes from global leaders

Thomas Efferth (Germany) on AI in natural product research.
Michael Heinrich (UK) on climate impacts on bioactive compounds.
Alvaro Viljoen (South Africa) on African traditional medicine.
Salvador Cañigueral (Spain) on European Pharmacopoeia advances.

Cutting-edge sessions showcased

Novel plant-derived therapies for cancer, infectious diseases, neurodegeneration.
Sustainable crop by-products for cosmetics and medical devices.
Functional foods and supplements for human nutrition innovation.
Regulatory frameworks for herbal medicines and cosmetics.

Flash & Poster Presentations

Over 90 contributions presenting breakthroughs in phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, nanocosmetics, antimicrobial resistance, and functional foods.

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OUTCOMES

Impact

The conference reinforced Lisbon's role as a hub for scientific collaboration, bridging traditional knowledge with modern biomedical innovation. With participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, IV Bio.Natural 2025 highlighted the global momentum behind natural product research and its promise for healthcare, sustainability, and industry transformation.

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SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP

Scientific Committee

01 Patrícia Rijo U. Lusófona, Portugal

02 Michael Heinrich UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, United Kingdom

03 Thomas Efferth Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany

04 Douglas Siqueira Chaves Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

05 Ilkay Erdogan Orhan Lokman Hekim University, Ankara, Turkey

06 Fábio Boylin Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

07 Lillian Barros Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Portugal

08 Maria M. M. Santos Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

09 Paula Castilho Universidade da Madeira, Portugal

10 Vânia Moreira Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

11 Funda Nuray Yalçın Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

12 Nazim Sekeroglu Gaziantep, Turkey

13 Vânia André Instituto Superior Técnico, U. Lisbon, Portugal

14 M. José Umbelino Ferreira Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

15 Célia Cabral Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

16 Ana Cristina Figueiredo Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

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EVENT ORGANIZATION

Organizing Committee

Patrícia Rijo U. Lusófona, Portugal

Andreia Rosatella U. Lusófona, Portugal

Daniel J.V.A. dos Santos U. Lusófona, Portugal

Vera M. S. Isca U. Lusófona, Portugal

Rebeca André U. Lusófona, Portugal

Leandro Oliveira U. Lusófona, Portugal

Epole Ntungwe Universidade Ramon Llull, Spain

Ricardo João Freitas Ferreira Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Tomás Ramalho Finest Monteiro Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Eva María Domínguez-Martín U. Alcalá de Henares, Spain

Henoc del Rosario García U. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

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GLOBAL REACH

Countries Participated

Algeria Angola Argentina Australia Austria Brazil Burkina Faso Cameroon China Czech Republic France Germany Ghana Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy Japan Kazakhstan Lebanon Morocco Palestine Poland Portugal Republic of the Congo Romania Russia South Africa Spain Taiwan Thailand Tunisia Turkey Türkiye United Kingdom USA