Watch the recording of the keynote lectures here.

9:00 - Welcome

By prof. Hans Nauwynck, Research Director Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

9:10 – Keynote lecture: Animal welfare – finding solutions that work for animals, farmers and the public

Moderator: prof. Christel Moons, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Guest speaker: Prof. Marina von Keyserlingk (University of British Columbia, Canada) - Honorary doctorate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Prof. Marina von Keyserlingk is a professor in Applied Biology and the director of the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Animal Welfare. Her research aims at unraveling how behavior, housing, and management contribute to animal health and welfare of dairy cattle. The current challenges of animal welfare in the context of sustainability are complex and issues will even get harder. A global discussion on how to preserve animal health is urgently needed, sparking a debate on what constitutes the ideal dairy system that balances productivity with the human element of animal welfare. In shaping such systems, all stakeholders must be taken into account, from farmers and scientists to policymakers and consumers, as the industry strives for a sustainable model that is environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially acceptable. Listening to society and translating these insights into action ensures the industry's evolution aligns with ethical and ecological goals, fostering a future where all aspects of animal welfare are prioritized. In recognition of her pioneering contributions to animal welfare, Ghent University will honor Prof. Marina von Keyserlingk for her exceptional commitment to the field.

09:40 – Keynote lecture: Impact of arterial stiffness on ageing trajectories

Moderator: prof. Mirko Petrovic, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Guest speaker: Prof. Athanase (Athanasios) Benetos (Université de Lorraine, France)

Prof. Athanase Beneto is a Senior Researcher at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and former president of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS). His research focuses on age-related changes in large arteries and their impact on cognitive decline, the role of telomeres in arterial and cardiovascular aging, and the management of hypertension and its influence on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in very old, frail individuals. Arterial stiffness, the main manifestation of arterial ageing, induces multiple changes in the circulatory system: increase in systolic and decreased diastolic blood pressure, excessive blood pressure variability, impaired tissue perfusion. These alterations play a key role not only in the development of cardiovascular complications, but also in several other age-related degenerative diseases such as dementia and sarcopenia. Preventive actions from the youngest age aimed at slowing the development of arterial stiffness could play a major role in ageing trajectories, thereby increasing the likelihood of healthy ageing.

10:10 – Keynote lecture: How virus research in fish generates insights in veterinary diseases, virus evolution and (human) biology

Moderator: prof. Hans Nauwynck, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Guest speaker: Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen (Université de Liège, Belgium)

Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, Director of the Immunology and Vaccinology Laboratory at the University of Liège and former Director of Research at the Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS), focuses his research on host-pathogen relationships in animals. His groundbreaking research on the carp herpesvirus has not only led to the development of innovative veterinary vaccines addressing significant challenges but also provided important general insights into disease mechanisms and cell biology. In his talk, he will highlight studies on the carp virus that underline the crucial role of environmental factors in disease expression, the protective effects of fever, and the discovery of unique cellular protein properties through viral homologues, such as the Zalpha story. His group's work on this unconventional model species has yielded new understandings of disease and cell biology that are relevant not only to other animals but also to humans.

14:30 – Keynote lecture: Benign by Design, a Corner Stone of Green and Sustainbale Pharmacy?

Moderator: prof. Evelien Wynendaele, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Guest speaker: Prof. Klaus Kümmerer (Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany) - Honorary doctorate of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Prof. Klaus Kümmerer is a globally recognized expert in sustainable chemistry and Professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Material Resources at the Institute for Sustainable Chemistry (INSC). Prof. Kümmerer and his team are renowned for developing innovative methods to reduce environmental pollution caused by excreted antibiotics. Their research has led to the creation of environmentally friendly molecules that mitigate the risk of antibiotic contamination in wastewater and the environment, which can contribute to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A hallmark of this work is the patented Benign by Design approach, which has been widely published in internationally acclaimed scientific journals and successfully applied in industry. In recognition of his pioneering contributions to sustainable chemistry, Ghent University will honor Prof. Kümmerer for his exceptional commitment to advancing this critical field.

16:30 – Keynote lecture: Transforming and personalizing healthcare to support healthy aging: The Health Monitor

Moderator: drs. Morgane Van Belle, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Guest speakers: Prof. Marthe De Boevre and prof. Lies Lahousse (Ghent University, Belgium)

Prof. Marthe De Boevre is principal investigator at the Centre of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health. Her colleague prof. Lies Lahousse is principal investigator precision medicine for chronic complex diseases. Both professors are important drivers of the initiative ‘The Health Monitor’.

Age-related chronic complex diseases present one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, requiring a shift in healthcare towards more predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine (P4 model). In this keynote, we will introduce the GEZONDHEIDSMONITOR, Belgium’s first large-scale cohort tracking 20,000 citizens over 20 years to explore the relationship between genetics and the environment over time. This research aims to provide insights to foster precision medicine and care to improving outcomes of age-related diseases. We will discuss how P4-medicine can transform reactive healthcare into a proactive system, with data infrastructure, biobanking, and community engagement playing crucial roles in building a healthier, sustainable future for all.