The Summer School provides junior engineers, early researchers and medical doctors with an integrative view of state-of-the-art research for in silico medicine, following a complete pipeline from basic science and clinical needs, to model application.
This year the School focuses on Integrative Medicine and brought together some of the brightest minds in biomedical science for 5 days packed with cutting-edge research and transformative insights.
The school kicked off on June, 2nd, with keynote speakers Miguel Angel del Pozo (CNIC) who explored cell mechanoadaptation, shedding light on critical mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, fibrosis, and cancer, Tue Secher Jensen (University of Southern Denmark) who tackled the complex relationship between low back pain (LBP) and diagnostic imaging, and Guillaume Mabilleau (University of Nantes) presented groundbreaking advances in bone biomechanics, introducing innovative nanoscale tools to assess bone matrix quality.
In the afternoon, 2025 VPHi Best Thesis Award winner Elena Redaelli (CSIC) captivated the audience with her research on patient-specific corneal biomechanics.
The first day showcased how interdisciplinary approaches—spanning molecular biology, clinical imaging, biomechanics, and AI—are shaping the future of healthcare.
The second day's sessions brought powerful insights at the intersection of AI, genomics, and biomechanics in medicine with Paula Petrone (BSC) who emphasised the need for explainable, fair, and accountable AI in clinical settings. Marta Melé (BSC) revealed how transcriptome regulation affects health and disease across age, sex, and ancestry—paving the way toward truly personalised medicine, and Guillermo Rus Callborg (University of Granada & IBS) introduced next-gen elastography technologies that could unlock new mechanical biomarkers for diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, and fibrosis.
As part of its commitment to supporting young researchers and promoting education in in silico medicine, the VPH Institute awarded two travel vouchers to help students attend the School: congratulations to Mrinal Patnaik from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Raipur, India) and Federica Cernuto from the University of Catania (Italy) for winning this year's award!
By enabling wider participation, the VPH aims to foster the next generation of scientists and ensure diverse voices contribute to advancing integrative and computational approaches in healthcare.
