Portugal: Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra hosts symposium on cannabis this week

The Center for Neurosciences and Cellular Biology of Coimbra promotes this week the symposium “Clearing the Smoke on Medical Cannabis”, organized by scientist and researcher Attila Köfalvi. O MCC – Medical Cannabis Coimbra will take place in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine, at Pólo 1 of the University of Coimbra, on the 9th and 10th of March 2023.

The event's working group is led by Attila Köfalvi, neurobiologist and researcher at the University of Coimbra which in 2017 demonstrated the benefits of cannabis in Alzheimer's, and which already has a book published on the subject, “Cannabinoids and the Brain”, published in 2008.

The MCC will provide unbiased scientific insight into recent developments in medical cannabis, with the aim of fostering scientific discussion on the topic among interested parties, including researchers, students, businesses, regulators and healthcare professionals.

The event will last for two days and will take place at the Faculty of Medicine, with the sponsorship of the International Brain Research Organization, the Portuguese Society of Neurosciences and the Doctoral Program Experimental Biology and Biomedicine.

The speakers presented for the event are Ester Aso, Nataliia Aliekperova, Vasco Bettencourt, Ruben Catarino, Sergi Ferré, Julia Florova, Tibor Harkány, István Katona, Bruno Maia, Tiago Reis Marques, Laura Ramos, Katalin Solymosi, Paulo Freitas Tavares, Sara Xapelli , Laurent Venance and Ana Rita Andrade. The complete program can be consulted here.

The first day of the symposium will focus on the botanicals of the cannabis plant and the biology of the human endocannabinoid system – with world-renowned biomedical researchers summarizing recent scientific advances in how cannabinoids interact with our bodies, with an emphasis on the brain.

The second day will be devoted to exploring the industry's legal environment as well as the pharmaceutical and therapeutic opportunities associated with medical cannabis.

The symposium will also include a poster presentation during the two-day conference, providing an excellent opportunity for participants to discuss and exchange their research and ideas.

O register it takes place through the event's website, and costs €75 for students, €125 for the rest of the academic community and €225 for industry members.