Peptidomics for Biomedical Therapies: From Molecule to Medicine
The congress will be held in a hybrid format (on-site and online), allowing both live attendance and the remote presentation of scientific communications.
IMBRAIN & ISBAP 2026 – Málaga (España) · April 16th–18th, 2026
Thursday, April 16th
08:30h
Registration (open all day)
09:00 – 09:30h
Opening Ceremony & Welcome
Local Authorities & ISBAP SC
09:30 – 10:30h
S1 Symposium: Bioactive Peptides in the CNS: Circuits, Plasticity & Neurogenesis (Part I)
Chairs: Erika Pinter / Miguel Pérez de la Mora
- 09:30 – 10:00h | Amygdaloid Interactions Between Catecholaminergic and Oxytocin Receptors on the Modulation of Anxiety. Speaker: Miguel Pérez de la Mora
- 10:00 – 10:30h | Selected Oral Communications
- 10:00h | Sex differences in the effect of ghrelin administration into the rat amygdala on the modulation of anxiety and food intake. Speaker: Aldo Guerrero López
- 10:15h | Anti-depressant treatment through receptor-receptor interaction. New insights into de NPY1-R heteroreceptor complexes roles. Speaker: Isabel Moreno Madrid
10:30 – 11:30h
Coffee Break & Poster Session
11:30 – 12:30h
S1 Symposium: Bioactive Peptides in the CNS: Circuits, Plasticity & Neurogenesis (Part II)
Chairs: Erika Pinter / Miguel Pérez de la Mora
- Selected Oral Communications
- 11:30h | Methamphetamine-induced disruption of developmentally regulated neuropeptide expression in mice. Speaker: Zsofia Hevesi
- 11:45h | PACAP as a guardian of cerebellar granule neurons: transcriptional control of HOXD9 and NR4A1 in apoptosis. Speaker: Velia Maria D’Agata
- 12:00h | Development of the obligatory peptidergic neurons of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. Speaker: Balázs Gaszner
- 12:15h | Amyloid-dependent loss of neuropeptide somatostatin interneurons in Alzheimer’s disease is rescued by statins. Speaker: MA Arredondo-Alcalá
13:00 – 14:00h
Networking Cocktail (Lunch)
14:00 – 16:00h
S2 Symposium: Bioactive Peptides in Health & Diseases: Physiological Functions and Therapeutic Perspectives (Part I)
Chairs: David Vaudry / Elena González-Rey
- 14:00h | Cortistatin: A key neuroimmune mediator in health and disease. Speaker: Elena Gonzalez-Rey (IPBLN, CSIC)
- 14:30h | PACAP and Brain Tumors. Speaker: Agata Grazia D’Amico (University of Catania)
- 15:00 – 16:00h | Selected Oral Communications
- 15:00h | Contribution of urocortin 1 expressing neurons to neurobiology of migraine. Speaker: Viktória Kormos
- 15:15h | The CRH neuropeptide family in the rotenone model of Parkinson’s disease. Speaker: Bence Pytel
- 15:30h | Critical role of the neuropeptide cortistatin in the regulation of fibrosis- and bacterial infection-induced lung injury. Speaker: Mario Delgado
- 15:45h | Protective and regenerative role of PACAP in diabetic cornea. Speaker: Grazia Maugeri
16:00 – 16:45h
Coffee Break and Poster Session
16:45 – 17:30h
S2 Symposium: Bioactive Peptides in Health & Diseases: Physiological Functions and Therapeutic Perspectives (Part II)
Chairs: David Vaudry / Agata Grazia D’Amico
- Selected Oral Communications
- 16:45h | Mechanisms of PACAP-Mediated Neuroprotection Against Environmental Pollutants Toxicity: Impacts on Neural Differentiation, Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress, Epigenetic Regulation, and Gut Microbiota Homeostasis. Speaker: Olfa Masmoudi-Kouki
- 17:00h | Anti-tumoral effect of PACAP in glioblastoma: in vitro characterization and in silico investigation of a potential regulatory role on glioblastoma-dysregulated microRNAs. Speaker: Ibtihel Chatti
- 17:15h | N-terminal fragment of Galanin as an Adjunctive Therapy to Potentiate SSRI Effects in Models of Depression and Treatment Resistant Depression. Speaker: Antonio Flores-Burgess
19:00h
Welcome Reception – Rectorate of the University of MálagaA special evening to welcome participants to Málaga.
Friday, April 17th
09:00 – 10:30h
S3 Symposium: Neuroendocrine & Metabolic Peptides
Chairs: Olfa Masmoudi-Kouki / Timo Müller
- 09:00h | Beyond Weight Loss: Multi-agonists and Oral GLP-1s Linking Metabolism to Organ Health (Liver, CV, CNS). Speaker: Timo Müller (Helmholtz Munich)
- 09:30h | Obesity–Hypogonadism Axis: Neuroendocrine Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities. Speaker: Manuel Tena-Sempere (University of Córdoba)
- 10:00 – 10:30h | Selected Oral Communications
- 10:00h | Oxytocin neurons regulate melanocortin circuit development during a neonatal critical period. Speaker: Sebastien G. Bouret
- 10:15h | Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor 1a isoform-specific interaction interface dynamics with Dopamine D2 Receptor isoforms. Speaker: Álvaro Cáceres-Quezada
10:30 – 11:30h
Coffee Break and Poster Session with Oral Defense (Exhibition Hall)
11:30 – 13:00h
S4 Symposium: Intranasal & Other Non-Invasive Peptide Delivery
Chairs: Karl Heinz / Barbara Kofler
- 11:30 – 12:00h | Intranasal application of Galanin peptides. Speaker: Prof. Barbara Kofler (University of Salzburg)
- 12:00 – 13:00h | Selected Oral Communications
- 12:00h | Intranasal NPY Modulates Reward Sensitivity via Y2 Receptors in Obese Mice. Speaker: Ahmed Hassan
- 12:15h | Intranasal administration of Galanin (1–15): effects on alcohol self-administration and mood-related behavior in rats. Speaker: Noelia Cantero García
- 12:30h | Investigation of the effects of a short PACAP fragment in ischemic retinopathy. Speaker: Inez Bosnyak Arimura Travel Award
13:00 – 14:00h
Networking Cocktail (Lunch)
14:00 – 16:00h
S5 Symposium: Bioactive Peptides as Biomarkers
Chairs: Mario Delgado / Serguei Fetissov
- 14:00 – 14:30h | Peptide biomarkers in anorexia nervosa. Speaker: Serguei Fetissov (University of Rouen Normandy)
- 14:30 – 15:00h | VIP-Receptor axis as biomarker in Rheumatic Diseases. Speaker: Yasmina Juarranz (Complutense University of Madrid)
- 15:00 – 16:00h | Selected Oral Communications
- 15:00h | VIP rs688136 genotype identifies patients with reduced radiographic progression in osteoarthritis. Speaker: David Castro-Vázquez Arimura Travel Award
- 15:15h | Examination of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation. Speaker: Kata Anna Toller Arimura Travel Award
- 15:30h | Analysis of PACAP and Other Bioactive Factors in the Blood Plasma of Women Following Miscarriage. Speaker: Andrea Tamás
- 15:45h | Promising therapeutic approach with PACAP in diabetic complications. Speaker: Dóra Reglődi
16:00 – 17:00h
Coffee Break and Poster Session (Exhibition Hall)
17:30 – 19:00h
Guided Tour of Historic Málaga
21:00h
Gala Dinner – La Pérgola Restaurant
Saturday, April 18th
09:00 – 11:00h
S6 Symposium VIP/PACAP (Arimura Travel Award) (Part I)
Chairs: Illana Gozes / Dóra Reglődi
- From VIP/PACAP to ADNP/davunetide: the route to sex-dependent clinical efficacy in tauopathies. Speaker: Illana Gozes (Tel Aviv University) (max 30 min)
- Presentation of Arimura Travel Awards (Illana Gozes)
- Selected Oral Communications (5 × 15 min)
- Mast cell receptors: novel receptors for PACAP/VIP signalling? Speaker: Zoe Tasma
- Molecular insights into VPAC signalling in human lymphocytes. Speaker: Alicia Cabrera-Martín
- VIP as a modulator of osteoarthritis: a study in an Osteochondral Tissue-on-a-Chip model. Speaker: Cristina Rodríguez-Hernández
- VIP axis expression and function in human mesenchymal stem cells: a proteomic approach. Speaker: Paula Arribas-Castaño
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide promotes in vitro chondrogenesis and modulates catabolic responses in osteoarthritis. Speaker: Karolina Tecza
11:00 – 11:30h
Coffee Break (Exhibition Hall)
11:30 – 12:30h
Viktor Mutt Award Lectureship. Presentation by Karl-Heinz Herzig
- Neuropeptide Y Receptors: Structure, Signalling and Innovative Ligands. Speaker: Annette G. Beck-Sickinger
12:30 – 13:00h
Closing Remarks & Awards Ceremony
13:00 – 14:00h
Networking Cocktail (Lunch)
13:00 – 14:00h
ISBAP General Assembly
Poster Presentation List
Poster setup: Thursday, April 16th, 10:30–11:30
Poster presentations and defense: Friday, April 17th, 10:30–11:30
Poster removal: Saturday, April 18th, 11:00–12:00
Poster presentations and defense: Friday, April 17th, 10:30–11:30
Poster removal: Saturday, April 18th, 11:00–12:00
- PO 01 Estimation of target-ligand binding affinity by in silico approach. Presenter: Dora Biskup.
- PO 02 Pharmacological inhibition of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) ion channel may modulate the function of brainstem urocortinergic neurons in the mouse model of acute stress. Presenter: János Konkoly.
- PO 03 Stress and alcohol exposure during adolescence are associated with anxiety-like behavior and endocrine-cardiac alterations linked to the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in adult mice. Presenter: María Díaz Ottaviano.
- PO 04 The role of TRPA1 in response to acute stress in mice. Presenter: Laura Szegner.
- PO 05 Unravelling the role of hemokinin-1 in thermoregulation. Presenter: Éva Borbély.
- PO 06 The role of hemokinin-1 in stress-induced pain mouse model. Presenter: Rebeka Petrák. Arimura Travel Award
- PO 07 Exploring how Hericium polysaccharide fractions modulate neuropeptide GPCR signaling, trafficking, and receptor–receptor organization in human neuronal cells: focus on OXTR–5-HT2A and NTSR1–D2R. Presenter: Catalina Muena Navarrete.
- PO 08 Preclinical comparison of small molecule somatostatin 4 receptor agonists: in silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches. Presenter: Erika Pintér.
- PO 09 NPY1R-TrkB Heteroreceptor Complexes formation suggests a mediated effect on the enhanced neurogenesis and spatial memory performance in a physiological model of neurodegenerative diseases. Presenter: Javier López-Ventura Luque.
- PO 10 Peripheral NPY1R-Based Heteroreceptor Complexes in Leukocytes: A Novel Biomarker for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and Depression. Presenter: Lidia Fernández-Díaz.
- PO 11 Role of NPY1R-GALR2 heteroreceptor complexes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. New paths for the treatment of Alzheimer disease. Presenter: Miriam Betsabé Arreola Peña.
- PO 12 Secretagogin governs the vesicular release of hormones via direct interactions with the SNARE-complex. Presenter: Robert Schnell.
- PO 13 Sustained nutrient release system (e.g., THCPSi particles) reduced food intake in diet induced obese mice by endogenous GLP-1 secretion. Presenter: Nalini Sodum.
- PO 14 BDNF as a potential marker of familial vulnerability in affective disorders. Presenter: Jonathan Joseph Dawood Hristova.
- PO 15 GPCR-HetNet: A Network-Based Platform to Explore GPCR–GPCR Interactions. Presenter: Marina Mirchandani Duque.
- PO 16 Optimization of in situ Proximity Ligation Assay for Detecting GHSR–D2R and MOR-D2R Heteroreceptor Complexes in brain and heart samples. Presenter: Juan Vicente Bayolo-Guanche.