2025/06/20

Diet, exercise and science in service to society at the 2nd “Let’s Talk About Cancer” Meeting at CIC bioGUNE

The event brought the advances in cancer research closer to the public through a participatory and multidisciplinary forum addressing the impact of nutrition, physical activity, and emotional well-being on cancer development and treatment.

CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, hosted the 2nd “Let’s Talk About Cancer” Meeting, an outreach and engagement initiative that provided a platform for dialogue between the scientific community and the public on the challenges and progress in cancer research. 

The event attracted nearly 80 attendees to the center’s facilities, underscoring society’s interest in open, accessible science with tangible social impact. Organized by the Cancer Cell Signaling and Metabolism Laboratory, led by Dr. Arkaitz Carracedo, the meeting fostered an inclusive space for discussing cancer from an integrative, accessible, and participatory perspective.

The program commenced with an educational presentation by the organizing team, outlining the group’s primary research focus on cellular metabolism and its role in cancer, particularly concerning therapy resistance and tumor progression. This presentation contextualized the laboratory’s work within current oncological challenges and emphasized the importance of fundamental research as a cornerstone for biomedical knowledge and therapeutic innovation.

Subsequently, the event featured a series of expert talks on the role of nutrition and physical activity, with contributions from distinguished professionals including Dr. Itziar Tueros, Director of the Department of Food and Health at AZTI; Dr. Iñigo San Millán, Performance Director at Athletic Club Bilbao and an international authority in exercise physiology; and Dr. Bittor Rodríguez, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy and Food Science at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and researcher at the Nutrition and Obesity Group of CIBERobn.

The agenda continued with a roundtable discussion focused on the interplay between nutrition, emotional health, and cancer. This session featured diverse professional and personal perspectives, highlighting the psychological and social challenges associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment, and underscoring the importance of comprehensive support for affected individuals.

Following this, a group workshop encouraged active engagement among participants from healthcare, research, and the broader community, facilitating the exchange of ideas, questions, and experiences. This interactive format promoted empathy, mutual learning, and collaboration among those living with, studying, or supporting cancer care from multiple viewpoints.

The meeting concluded with a guided tour of CIC bioGUNE’s research facilities, providing attendees with direct insight into the technologies and spaces employed in cutting-edge projects. This visit reinforced the center’s commitment to transparency and public engagement by bringing ongoing scientific work closer to society.

This event is part of CIC bioGUNE’s broader strategy for science communication and open research and forms part of the PreMetaCan project, funded by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). The project seeks to elucidate how tumor metabolism influences cancer progression and treatment response, with the ultimate goal of advancing more precise and personalized therapies.

The 2nd “Let’s Talk About Cancer” Meeting reaffirmed CIC bioGUNE’s dedication to promoting scientific literacy, critical thinking, and social responsibility. The center highly values this experience, which once again demonstrated the benefits of constructive dialogue between science and society, and the necessity of maintaining open channels for exchange, listening, and collaborative knowledge-building.

About CIC bioGUNE

The Centre for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organization conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, chemical, molecular and cell biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge on the molecular bases of disease, for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About BRTA

BRTA is an alliance of 4 collaborative research centres (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE y CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technology centres (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker y Vicomtech) with the main objective of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque corporate fabric.

With the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group and the Provincial Councils of the three territories, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between the research centres, strengthen the conditions to generate and transfer knowledge to companies, contributing to their competitiveness and outspreading the Basque scientific-technological capacity abroad.

BRTA has a workforce of over 4,000 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country's R&D investment, registers an annual turnover of more than 300 million euros and generates 100 European and international patents per year.

Spanish version