ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Basic and Translational Sciences Assembly

Abstract

In this article, early career members of the Assembly 3: Basic and Translational Sciences of the European Respiratory Society summarise the key messages discussed during six selected sessions that took place at the ERS congress 2023 in Milan, Italy. Aligned with the theme of the congress, the first topic covered is “micro- and macro-environments and respiratory health”, followed by a summary of the “Scientific year in review” session. Next, recent advances in experimental methodologies and new technologies were highlighted within the “tissue modelling and remodelling” session, as well as summary of the translational science session, “what did you always want to know about omics analyses for clinical practice?”, organised as part of the ERS Translational Science Working group's aims. Details on how the next-generation sequencing can be integrated with laboratory methods were provided in the “lost in translation: new insights into cell-to-cell crosstalk in lung disease” session and a final summary of studies presented in the “from the transcriptome landscape to innovative preclinical models in lung diseases” session linking the transcriptome landscape with innovative preclinical models was included in this review. The wide range of topics covered in the selected sessions and the high quality of the research discussed highlight the strength of the basic and translational science being presented at the international respiratory conference organised by the ERS.

The importance of translational science within the respiratory field

“…The chosen topics that fit these criteria included obesity, macrophages, omics technologies and extracellular vesicles (EVs). As such, the hot topic symposia “What did you always want to know about omics analyses for clinical practice?” (covered in the Assembly 3 congress highlights article [ 3 ]) and “Exocited: the importance of extracellular vesicles in lung diseases” combined insight into the pathogenesis of diseases such as asthma, COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) obtained from in vitro and in vivo models, as well as clinical studies. These symposia highlighted potential avenues for disease biomarkers, disease phenotyping and treatment strategies and were attended by ∼350 participants.…”

Preview of the Lung Science Conference 2024

“…It offers a unique opportunity to present cutting-edge work on novel experimental lung research and to expand your network. The conference promotes both basic and translational research [ 1 ] and is a perfect illustration of the bridge that can be built between research and clinical practice. This conference provides the opportunity to showcase the latest research findings, to forge new connections and cultivate potential collaborations that will contribute to boost one's career in the respiratory field.…”