A conference addresses antibiotic resistance

Javier Martínez Tubío

This initiative, organized by the BIOTECO-CG research group of the Institute for Global Change Research (IICG-URJC) in collaboration with professors and researchers from ESCET, will bring together leading experts in the field. Furthermore, the event forms part of the closing activities of MicroMundo-URJC, now in its third edition, consolidating the work developed within this citizen science initiative.

The event has a clear objective: to focus on antibiotic resistance, an increasingly relevant problem globally that still doesn't receive the attention it deserves outside of scientific circles. To this end, a program combining outreach, science, and debate has been designed for secondary and university students, as well as anyone interested in better understanding this challenge.

Throughout the morning, experts from various institutions will participate, offering complementary perspectives on the issue: Jessica Gil Serna, a researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid and one of the driving forces behind MicroMundo in Spain; Jerónimo Rodríguez Beltrán, a researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research; Belén Aracil García, from the Carlos III Health Institute; Eva María Sánchez Robles, a professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), who will address the responsible use of antibiotics; and Alejandro Couce Iglesias, a researcher at the National Center for Biotechnology of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). In addition, a team of experts from the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance, coordinated by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, will conduct an interactive session.

As a closing activity, attendees will be able to visit the Technological Support Center (CAT) to learn about the facilities where scientific research is carried out at URJC.

With this first edition, BIOTECO-CG and the involved faculty of URJC seek to create a meeting space around microbiology and public health, and contribute to making antibiotic resistance cease to be a "silent pandemic" and become an increasingly known and understood topic by society.

Registration for the event is free and open to the public, and URJC students can earn 0,2 credits for attending. According to Emma Barahona, the event organizer and a professor in the microbiology department, “this type of initiative has a significant impact on student training, sparks research interest, and opens up new academic possibilities such as the development of final degree projects in this field.”

According to the organizer, hosting the 1st SILENMA Conference "brings visibility to the URJC, positions it within the scientific community and shows high school students that this university has strong professionals and researchers and multiple lines of research."

The sessions begin at 9:30 in the main lecture hall of building III on May 8th and will last approximately four and a half hours.