Tumor Immunology meets Oncology XIX (TIMO XIX) Workshop & Symposium 2025
Two GLACIER grantees from Halle, Dr. Ilianet Palmero Álvarez and MSc Arturo Liñan Torres, attended the TIMO 2025 Symposium in Brandenburg, Germany.
Visit of Prof. Dr. Ludger Wessjohann to the University of Panama
On 7 February 2025, Prof. Dr. Ludger Wessjohann visited the University of Panama. During his visit, Prof. Dr. Wessjohann gave three lectures at the Vice Rectorate and the Faculty of Pharmacy on GLACIER, Drug Development and Bioactives Database and Cloud.
As part of the activities, a collection of medicinal plants for research was conducted. The team consisted of botanists, pharmacists and medicinal chemists from Panama and Germany.
A cooperation agreement was also signed between the University of Panama and The Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (Prof. Dr. Pablo Solis and Prof. Dr. Ludger Wessjohann).
GLACIER Workshop Success! One Health Sample Management and Storage
© Hugo Mendoza
Overview
The GLACIER workshop on Sample Management and Storage took place from November 4 to 6, focusing on equipping participants with the skills necessary to handle, label, store, and transport biological samples in compliance with international and German institutional standards. This workshop aimed to standardize techniques used in GLACIER-associated projects and foster a deeper understanding of ethical considerations and safety protocols in sample collection. The event included lectures, hands-on practice, and a final exercise to create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sample management. Scholarships were provided to cover essential expenses for selected participants.
Day 1: Introduction to Sample Collection and Management
Venue: ENES Mérida – Amphitheater of the Institute of Ecology
The first day commenced with Dr. Ana Escalante introducing the objectives of the GLACIER project. She highlighted the collaboration between international institutions and researchers working on wildlife studies to understand zoonotic disease transmission processes under the “One Health” framework. Participants and instructors presented their backgrounds and research interests, setting the stage for the workshop’s objectives.
Key Activities:
Roundtable Discussions
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- Dr. Carlos Ibarra emphasized Latin America’s significance in zoonotic disease research, particularly regarding bats and rodents, and outlined the documentation required for wildlife studies in Mexico, such as collection permits from the Dirección General de Vida Silvestre.
- Dr. Luisa Falcón introduced metabolomics and metagenomics techniques, which are crucial for analyzing pathogen presence in GLACIER samples.
- Dr. Andrés Moreira elaborated on the Institute of Virology’s work on emerging diseases and stressed the need for robust safety protocols during sample collection, including compliance with BIO III safety standards.
Lectures and Discussions
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- Dr. Hugo Mendoza demonstrated sampling protocols for mammals and shared techniques for reducing contamination risks in the field.
- Ethics in sample collection were discussed, emphasizing responsible practices to ensure data quality and compliance with legal and ethical standards.
Practical Assignments
Participants were grouped based on their biological group preferences to begin drafting SOPs for sample collection and management.
Day 2: Field Techniques and Laboratory Insights
Venues: Eldorado Lab, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Yucatán; Hacienda Yaxché de Peón
The second day provided participants with hands-on experience in mosquito sampling and bat specimen handling, alongside exposure to advanced laboratory techniques at Eldorado Lab.
Key Activities:
Laboratory Tour
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- Dr. Gerardo Suzán led a guided tour of Eldorado Lab, showcasing ongoing research on vector-borne diseases and zoonotic pathogens.
- Researchers demonstrated mosquito trapping techniques and explained VG trap functionality during a brief field session.
Fieldwork at Hacienda Yaxché de Peón
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- Participants set up mist nets to capture bats and performed sampling under the guidance of Drs. Luisa Falcón and Osiris Gaona.
- Techniques included collecting saliva swabs, fecal samples, and blood for virome and microbiome studies.
- Preservation methods for field conditions and health precautions were emphasized.
Reflections:
The activity highlighted the integration of ethical considerations and technical precision in field practices, ensuring data quality while prioritizing animal welfare and researcher safety.
Day 3: Botany, Antimicrobial Compounds, and Final SOP Presentation
Venues: CICY Botanical Garden and Herbarium “Roger Orellana”; ENES Mérida Laboratory
The final day concluded with a focus on plant studies and laboratory techniques for analyzing antimicrobial properties. Participants refined and presented their SOPs.
Key Activities:
Botanical Studies
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- Dr. Ludger Wessjohann guided participants through the Roger Orellana Botanical Garden, explaining plant adaptations and the potential of active compounds in antimicrobial treatments.
- His lecture linked botanical research to GLACIER’s goals of addressing zoonotic and emerging diseases.
Laboratory Practice
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- Participants performed chromatography on plant samples, isolating and analyzing compounds for antimicrobial activity.
- The practical session demonstrated the role of plants in disease research and drug development.
SOP Presentation and Closing Remarks
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- Teams presented their SOPs, receiving feedback from instructors to ensure alignment with GLACIER’s standards.
- Key takeaways emphasized collaboration, protocol adherence, and the importance of standardization in international research projects.
Workshop Outcomes
Participants gained:
- Proficiency in sample handling, labeling, and storage.
- Insights into ethical considerations and international compliance standards.
- Practical experience in field and laboratory techniques for zoonotic and vector-borne disease research.
- Skills to create SOPs tailored to their research areas.
Instructors: Dr. Ludger Wessjohann, Dr. Ana Escalante, Dr. Andrés Moreira, Dr. Gerardo Suzán, Dr. Carlos Ibarra, Dr. Luisa Falcón, Dr. Osiris Gaona, and Dr. Hugo Mendoza.
Acknowledgment: We thank all participants, instructors, and supporting staff for making this workshop a success, contributing to the development of standardized practices in wildlife and zoonotic disease research.
Workshop on the Harmonization and Standardization of Protocols for Molecular Diagnostics and Serological Analysis of Viral Hepatitis E
© PACE-UP/Dr. Velavan
From October to November 2023, a theoretical and practical eight-week workshop on the harmonization and standardization of protocols for molecular diagnostics and serological analysis of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) was organised by DAAD Global Health Centre PACE-UP with the support of GLACIER. Full scholarships were granted to one participant from each of the four DAAD global health centres (G-WAC, CAIDERA, GLACIER and PACE-UP).
The workshop was carried out at the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany, under the direction of Dr. Thirumalaisamy P. Velavan.
© PACE-UP | Dr. T. Velavan
The intensive workshop on Hepatitis E Virus genomic and phylogenetic analyses was a ground-breaking training event for the students from all four centres. Emphasizing practical, hands-on experience, the workshop provided a comprehensive understanding of HEV genetics and its evolutionary relationships within the Hepeviridae family. As a field example, students engaged in a critical task: identifying an HEV sequence from an animal sample. This process involved meticulously cleaning the sequence to ensure accuracy and reliability.
© PACE-UP | Dr. T. Velavan
Following this, students downloaded reference sequences from the Hepeviridae family to construct a detailed phylogenetic tree. This tree served as a visual representation of the evolutionary pathways and connections between various HEV strains. This exercise not only reinforced their understanding of HEV genomic structure but also highlighted the virus’s diversity and evolutionary dynamics, and gave the students the tools for the reconstruction of HEV evolutionary history in their own set of samples.
© PACE-UP | Dr. T. Velavan
© PACE-UP | Dr. T. Velavan
Ongoing collaborations between the participants have emerged from this workshop, with potential for carrying out diverse studies in the future. Our GLACIER trainee Juan Diego Oliva in collaboration with Dr. Andrés Moreira-Soto is currently working on preparing a report / update of existing studies for the four participanting countries.
We are very happy to have been part of this enriching collaboration between the DAAD Global Health Centres, and to see the trainees successfully develop and improve their skills and knowledge. We feel thankful for the opportunity to continue developing further academic and professional relations between Germany and Latin America and we look forward to all upcoming activities!
International Workshop in Guatemala within the VI WDA Latin America Conference framework
© GLACIER
On November 13, 2023, GLACIER presented the “Bases for One Health Research in the Neotropic with Emphasis in Mesoamerica” workshop in Villa Colonial – Antigua, Guatemala, within the framework of the VI Biennial WDA Latin America Conference (Guatemala, 2023).
In Latin America and specifically in Mesoamerica, changes in land use have increased the interaction between humans and their domestic animals and local fauna.
Unfortunately, there is a big information gap on the effects of environmental degradation on disease emergence. One of the proposed global strategies to face this challenge is developing multidisciplinary and multicausal approaches that allow us to understand the patterns and processes that favor the establishment and transmission of infectious agents, especially in regions with less favorable social and economic conditions.
It is necessary to determine the connections between diseases and ecological (diversity), socioeconomic (social marginalization, ownership of domestic animals) and cultural (customs and traditions) factors to understand how changes in these interactions influence the appearance, reappearance and/or restriction of infectious agents in a specific region.
This 7-hour workshop sought to carry out a general evaluation and prioritization of the biological, ecological, socioeconomic, cultural and educational variables for research in the Neotropics and especially in Mesoamerica, using the One Health approach. Participants included students (undergraduate and postgraduate) and researchers from various regions of Latin America with experience in Disease Ecology and One Health projects in Latin America. This guaranteed rich examples from geographical and social environments with conditions relatively similar to those of Mesoamerica.
© GLACIER
The workshop was divided into blocks of priority topics. Each block was composed of a 30-minute talk by an expert, with 45 minutes of group work to carry out a brainstorming session, guided by a list of questions or statements, with the intention of identifying the priority variables to take into account in the neotropics and especially in Mesoamerica.
To inaugurate the workshop, Dr. Andrea Chaves from the University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) gave a brief presentation on the One Health concept and outlined the workshop dynamics.
© GLACIER
Next, Dr. Bernal Rodríguez from the University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) gave the talk “Introduction to Mesoamerica,” in which he addressed ecological, social and cultural aspects that make Mesoamerica a region of global relevance.
Next, Dr. Amanda Fine, Director of One Health for WCS, spoke about “Lessons Learned in Other Regions Around the World,” addressing her experience of One Health initiatives in other tropical regions.
After the first coffee break, Dr. Oscar Rico Chávez from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Mexico) presented the talk “Ecological and Biological Characteristics for Disease Ecology Studies,” in which he addressed the interactions between system components in diverse landscapes, taking into account land use, fragmentation, environmental characteristics, diversity of functional groups and the dilution effect.
Afterwards, Dr. Gerardo Acosta Jamett from the Universidad Austral de Chile (Chile) presented the talk “A System’s Components: Interactions between Hosts, Vectors and Infectious Agents,” in which he discussed the risks of interaction between potential hosts and vectors; jungle cycles vs urban cycles and human-animal interface of buffer zones.
Dr. Carlos Ibarra-Cerdeña, from CINVESTAV, Mérida Unit (Mexico) presented the talk “Methodological Analysis of Risk of Infection by Zoonotic Agents,” where he addressed the analysis of components for risk calculation (vulnerability, exposure and danger analysis).
From 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. a group-work session was carried out. During this session, participants established fundamental aspects for the development of One Health initiatives in Latin America, with emphasis on the concepts developed by the panelists and on the ecological characteristics of their own countries.
© GLACIER
© GLACIER | Nikté Licona
After lunch, Valeria Morales from the University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) gave a talk on the “Degree of Social Margination,” in which she addressed the problems of sanitation, access to health systems, knowledge and education programs, as well as prevention, control and monitoring of diseases transmitted directly or indirectly.
Dr. Claudio Azat from the Andrés Bello University of Chile (Chile) gave a talk on “Education and Specialization in One Health,” in which he addressed strategies and key aspects for the learning process in formal and informal training in One Health.
From 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. a second group-work session was carried out, following the same dynamics as the first one. Then the participants headed for their last coffee break.
© GLACIER
Finally, to close the workshop, the results of the group work were presented, followed by an exchange of ideas for future work and collaborations.
Dr. Jan Felix Drexler, Charité, Berlin (Germany) and Dr. Andrea Chaves from the University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) presented the final conclusions and closed the workshop.
2-Day Workshop in Halle, Germany
© GLACIER
A GLACIER two-day workshop took place in Halle on 5-6 July 2023. Members of the GLACIER steering committee gave a talk on novel therapies for COVID/cancer/infectious diseases. The GLACIER team was also invited to the networking meeting which took place at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB).
GLACIER fellows presented their current state of research, and the workshop program also featured several talks by renowned scientists in the areas of immunology, vaccine and drug discovery, and social sciences.
During the workshop session, questions such as “How to intensify the collaboration within the GLACIER consortium in the future?” or “How can we increase the participation of the smaller Latin American countries of the project in the network?” were lively discussed in mixed groups.
During the dinner that followed, it was possible to continue exchanging ideas and making contacts in an informal atmosphere. All in all, it was a very successful event that offered the participants a lot of input and networking opportunities.