Announcements

The journal Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059) is proud to present the winner of the Biomedicines 2024 Travel Award—Dr. David Martí Aguado!

Dr. David Martí Aguado is a hepatologist at Clinic University Hospital of Valencia (Spain) and belongs to the Cardiometabolic and Renal Risk Study Group from Health Research Institute INCLIVA. Recently, he has consolidated his position as a clinical researcher with a Joan Rodés award from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Carlos III Health Institute.

Please see below an interview with Dr. David Martí Aguado:

1. Can you share your current research direction and latest progress?
My research activities aim to generate and integrate multidimensional data to model computational tools based on Artificial Intelligence that define the biological processes involved in the phenotypic variability of steatotic liver disease (SLD), and to identify a signature of the disease that predicts its risk of progression.

2. Can you share with us your feelings after winning the award?
I was really excited and delighted to receive the generous Biomedicines Travel Award. Winning this award offered a perfect opportunity for my first research steps at an international liver congress.

3. Can you briefly introduce which conference you plan to attend with this award? What is the significance of attending such conferences in expanding your international cooperation or enhancing your academic influence?
With this award, I attended the EASL SLD Summit 2025 held in Estoril, Portugal. Definitively, this meeting exceeded my expectations which were already quite high. I actively participated in the conference by presenting my latest research advances in steatotic liver disease. I also had the opportunity to work with international liver researchers from different backgrounds and with several perspectives, who helped me to improve my teamwork and fuel my knowledge with the most cutting-edge information. 

4. As a winner, how do you view the role of open access journals (such as Biomedicines) in academic communication? Will you consider reviewing or contributing to them in the future?
The exercise of “open science” promoted by open access journals will achieve success by enhancing the dissemination of scientific content, increasing article citation rates, and accelerating academic recognition as well as a deep translation to clinical impact. Additionally, most research funders encourage that the derived studies should be published as open access, with the intent of increasing the availability and reproducibility of the obtained results from the research they funded.

5. Do you have any other suggestions on how academic journals and publishers can further support young researchers and academia?
Promoting networking among young researchers by organizing masterclass events on how to be successful in navigating through an academic career. This masterclass should be in person and combine academic lectures, interactive sessions, and work presentations about how to get your research studies published in prestigious journals. This will allow early-stage investigators to network between them and with highly recognized editors-in-chief.

6. Do you have any suggestions for the Biomedicines journal?
I am truly grateful for this opportunity, thank you all!

The Biomedicines journal (ISSN 2227-9059) is proud to present the winner of the Biomedicines 2025 Outstanding Reviewer Award—Dr. Yasushige Shingu!

Dr. Yasushige Shingu has worked as a cardiovascular surgeon for about 20 years, and for the past five years, he has mainly been engaged in fundamental research related to cardiac surgery. Research in the field of cardiac surgery tends to focus heavily on device development, with most studies led by companies. However, considering the increasing aging population and the growing number of high-risk surgeries, he believes that fundamental research on myocardial protection and mechanical support for the left ventricle is of great importance, and he is actively pursuing work in these areas.

Please see below an interview with Dr. Yasushige Shingu:

1. Could you share with us your feelings about winning the award? What does this award mean to your academic career?
This is my first experience receiving such an award, and I am deeply honored. Being recognized for the voluntary peer review of academic papers is incredibly encouraging. I believe it holds significant meaning in terms of social contribution and will also positively impact my future career development.

2. What role do you think reviewers play in the process of paper publication?
Many journals allow reviewers to choose between “accept” or “reject”, but I believe it is inappropriate for reviewers to make such decisions. Reviewers should only assess whether the conclusions align with the study’s objectives and results and whether the methodology is sound. It is also inappropriate to evaluate based on personal preferences or biases. Ideally, a double-blind review process would be best to ensure impartiality.

3. How do you balance the comprehensiveness and efficiency of a review? Can you share some specific methods or principles for reviewing?
Technically, I place a self-made review template on my main computer and display the PDF of the manuscript on a large side monitor to the right. I then write major and minor comments on the draft sheet as I read through the manuscript sequentially. This process streamlines the workflow. I try to eliminate personal opinions as much as possible and keep the feedback as objective as I can.

4. In your opinion, which key qualities should an excellent manuscript have? What advice can you share that will help authors improve the quality of their papers?
It is very helpful when each figure is explained sequentially in the Results Section, followed by a summary. The Discussion Section often ends up being a repetition of the results, which can be dull. Narrowing the focus and presenting multiple viewpoints can make the discussion more educational and engaging for readers.

5. How do you hope to see journals and publishers further support reviewers’ review work?
I believe MDPI is already a well-organized publisher. As I mentioned earlier, decisions on acceptance or rejection should be made by the editors, not the reviewers. Therefore, a slightly different system, such as a rating scale, might be more appropriate.

We are thrilled to share the updated Exceptional Reviewers List 2025, a program designed to recognize and honor scholars delivering consistently exceptional review reports to our journal. Committed to fostering rigorous research and promoting knowledge exchange, Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059) recognizes the significant role our reviewers play in maintaining the quality and integrity of published articles. According to surveys conducted in 2024, 92% of our authors rate the peer review as good or excellent, thanks to our pool of excellent reviewers.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the reviewers who have generously volunteered their time and expertise to assist in Biomedicines’ peer-review process. Their dedication and attention to detail in evaluating manuscripts, offering valuable feedback, and contributing to academic rigor are truly commendable.

The Exceptional Reviewers List was introduced in January 2025. Each quarter, we will be selecting a group of outstanding reviewers and introduce them here.

Q1
Name: Dr. Tomasz W. Kaminski
Affiliation: VERSITI Blood Research Institute and Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

Name: Prof. Dr. Chen Ling
Affiliation: Fudan University, China

Name: Dr. Zhengwu Sun
Affiliation: Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, China

Name: Dr. Oliver Stiedl
Affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Name: Dr. Ae-Kyung Yi
Affiliation: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA

The First International Organoid Conference (ISFO 2025) is the first congress held by the Internation Society for Organoid (ISFO), which is dedicated to unique advantages in various interdisciplinary fields around organoids, such as disease modeling, clinical immunology, pharmacotoxicology, regenerative medicine and is poised to be one of the most promising research tools for clinic studies and drug development.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Cells;
• Organoids;
• JDB;
• Bioengineering;
• Biomedicines.

If you are planning to attend the conference mentioned above, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at booth #29 and answering any questions you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.isorganoid.org/programs/details/26/6.html.

We are honored to introduce the award committee for the 2024 Tu Youyou Award, composed of distinguished scientists from around the world whose research covers diverse areas of natural product chemistry, pharmacognosy, and drug discovery. Their broad expertise and pioneering contributions have significantly advanced medicinal and natural products research.

Through their collective insights, rigorous evaluation, the committee has carefully selected this year’s award recipients, recognizing exceptional achievements in the field.

We sincerely thank these distinguished scholars for their efforts and dedication to upholding the standards of the Tu Youyou Award.  Below is the list of committee members. For more information about the Tu Youyou Award, please visit https://tuyouyouprize.org/. 

Chair:

Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn Ohio State University, USA

Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn is a leading expert in pharmacognosy and natural products research. He is recognized for his key contributions to discovering bioactive compounds from plants, especially in anticancer, cancer chemopreventive, and substances with a sweet taste and taste-modifying agents. His prolific contributions include over 590 peer-reviewed works and book chapters and edited or co-edited 40 scientific volumes.

Prof. Angelo Fontana University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy	Angelo Fontana is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Naples “Federico II” in Italy and serves as Director of the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry at the National Research Council (CNR). His research focuses on bioactive small molecules derived from marine eukaryotes, with a particular interest on their pharmaceutical applications in immunology and oncology. He also explores their potential as molecular tools for probing and modulating complex biological systems. Prof. Fontana is a co-founder of BioSEArch SRL and has been recognized with numerous grants and honors, including the Apivita Award from the Phytochemical Society of Europe.
Prof. Binghe Wang Georgia State University, USA	Prof. Binghe Wang’s lab works on drug design, drug delivery, click chemistry, chemical biology, new diagnostics, and gaseous signaling molecules such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. His interdisciplinary research supports advances in cancer, infectious diseases, organ protection, inflammation, and other areas.
Dr. Diana Pinto University of Aveiro, Portugal	Dr. Diana Pinto, an Associate Professor at the University of Aveiro, specializes in organic synthesis of bioactive heterocyclic compounds, sustainable catalysis (organo-, heterogeneous, and biocatalysis), and natural product research, including isolation, characterization, and total synthesis.
Prof. Hideaki Kakeya Kyoto University, Japan	Prof. Hideaki Kakeya conducts cutting-edge research in chemical biology, high-throughput screening, and biosynthesis of bioactive natural products for system chemotherapy and other therapeutic applications.
Dr. RuAngelie Edrada-Ebel University of Strathclyde, UK	Prof. RuAngelie Edrada-Ebel heads the Natural Products Metabolomics Group (NPMG), specializing in marine natural products discovery and metabolomics-driven drug development. A recognized expert in bioactive metabolites, she collaborates with industry and academia to address antimicrobial resistance and sustainable bioprospecting. She serves on the Editorial Board of Marine Drugs and holds two patents in the field.
Prof. Thomas Prisinzano University of Kentucky, USA	Prof. Thomas Prisinzano combines medicinal and natural product chemistry to explore neurotransmitter systems and develop treatments for drug abuse and pain. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Innovator Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.
Prof. Wei Li University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA	A distinguished professor and Director of the Drug Discovery Center, Prof. Wei Li is also the founder of SEAK Therapeutics, and the 2025 Chair-Elect of the Drug Discovery and Development Division of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). His work focuses on medicinal chemistry and small molecule drug discovery, with over 200 publications and 15 issued US patents.

Conference: The 11th Conference of the International Coenzyme Q 10 Association
Organization: The International Coenzyme Q 10 Association
Date: 16–19 June 2025
Place: Niels K. Jerne Auditorium, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

A number of MDPI journals will be attending the 11th ICQ₁₀A CONGRESS as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 16 to 19 June 2025.

The International Coenzyme Q10 Association is a nonprofit association that aims to promote basic and applied research into the biomedical aspects of coenzyme Q10 in order to disseminate knowledge on basic biochemistry and genetics and the preventive and/or therapeutic effects of coenzyme Q10.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Antioxidants;
• Pharmaceuticals;
• Biomedicines;
• Metabolites;
• Nutraceuticals;
• Nutrients;
• Scientia Pharmaceutica;
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences;
• Current Issues in Molecular Biology.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://icq10a.com/11th-conference-of-the-international-coenzyme-q-10-association/.

The 2025 Annual Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR 2025) is a four-day congress dedicated to basic, preclinical, and translational cancer research across a wide breadth of topics. The conference will highlight the latest research and bring together members of the cancer research community to stimulate innovation and build knowledge, connections, and collaborations.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Cancers;
• IJMS;
• Marine Drugs;
• Biomedicines;
• Healthcare;
• CIMB;
• Cells;
• Current Oncology;
• JPM;
• Neurology International;
• DNA.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at booth #86 and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://2025.eacr.org.

The journal Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059) is proud to present the winner of the Biomedicines 2025 Travel Award—Dr. Ana Margarida Mota!

Dr. Ana Margarida Mota is a biomedical engineer with a deep passion for medical imaging, which allows us to see beyond what the eye can capture. She completed her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and biophysics in 2022, focusing on advanced imaging techniques for breast cancer detection and diagnosis using breast tomosynthesis (BT), artificial intelligence (AI), and computer vision methods. Over the years, she has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of medical imaging modalities, but her main focus has been on breast imaging, in particular mammography, BT, breast MRI, and positron emission mammography. She has also explored other applications such as pediatric scintigraphy and brain PET-MRI. What really drives her is conducting research that addresses real clinical challenges and makes a meaningful contribution to patient care.

The following is a short interview with Dr. Ana Margarida Mota:

1. Can you share your current research direction and latest progress?
Currently, my research is focused on applying AI to extract the biological/histological information of breast carcinoma, directly from BT or mammography images, reducing or eliminating the need for invasive procedures. This idea came from a personal experience in 2022, when a close family member faced a breast cancer misdiagnosis due to biopsy limitations and tumor heterogeneity. Her BT images told a different story than the initial biopsy, and a second procedure revealed the correct, more aggressive diagnosis. This experience showed me how valuable imaging can be, not just to detect tumors but to characterize them.

Now, I am working on AI models that can complement pathology results, providing reassurance when in agreement and encouraging reassessment when they don’t. In the future, who knows? This approach might even reduce the need for invasive, painful, and costly biopsies.

2. Can you share with us your feelings after winning the award?
I felt genuinely happy and proud to see my effort and work being recognized, especially by such a respected and competitive journal. As a mother of two very young children, it is not always easy to balance personal and professional life; both are incredibly demanding. On top of that, I also teach as an invited assistant professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. It is a wonderful experience to connect with younger students, share knowledge, and hopefully spark their curiosity, 

but it does take a lot of time away from research, which I also deeply love. So this award felt like a breath of fresh air, a meaningful encouragement to keep doing what I love with the same passion and dedication.

3. Can you briefly introduce which conference you plan to attend with this award? What is the significance of attending such conferences in expanding your international cooperation or enhancing your academic influence?
With this award, I will be attending the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July 2025. EMBC is a key event in the field, bringing together engineers, scientists, and healthcare professionals from around the world who are working at the intersection of technology and medicine, including medical image computing.

It is a great opportunity to present my research to a truly interdisciplinary audience, get valuable feedback, and connect with peers exploring similar challenges, especially in the area of AI for cancer diagnostics. I am particularly excited to share my latest work on predicting the molecular profiles of breast cancer lesions using tomosynthesis imaging and AI, which was accepted as a full contributed paper, a real honor.

Attending this conference will not only help me improve my methodology and accelerate its clinical relevance but also expand my international network and open doors to potential collaborations that can strengthen and enrich my research moving forward.

4. As a winner, how do you view the role of open access journals (such as Biomedicines) in academic communication? Will you consider reviewing or contributing to them in the future?
I believe open access journals like Biomedicines play a crucial role in making scientific knowledge accessible to everyone, regardless of financial resources. They help disseminate the latest research more widely and give greater visibility to important studies that might otherwise remain behind paywalls.

At the same time, I do have some concerns about the sustainability of the current model. While open access removes barriers for readers, the financial burden often shifts to authors, who already face challenges in securing funding and dedicating time to produce publishable work. In striving for a more equitable system where access to knowledge isn’t dictated by economic status, we also need to ensure that researchers aren't excluded from publishing due to high article processing charges.

I have already contributed as a reviewer for several journals, including open access ones, and I plan to continue doing so whenever I have the time and the topic aligns with my expertise. I genuinely enjoy supporting this kind of scientific exchange and contributing to the growth of transparent, accessible research.

5. Do you have any other suggestions on how academic journals and publishers can further support young researchers and academia?
Yes, definitely. I think one of the most impactful things journals and publishers could do is offer more support to early career researchers, not just through travel awards or reduced publication fees but also by creating structured mentorship programs that connect early career researchers with experienced scientists in their field, offering guidance on publishing and career development. Moreover, this would allow journals to serve not only as platforms for dissemination but also as hubs for scientific connection by taking advantage of their global reach to bring together researchers working on similar topics who already read and cite each other’s work and creating real opportunities for networking and collaboration. Also, recognizing the work of reviewers (especially young ones) more visibly and promoting diversity among authors, reviewers, and Editorial Boards can help create a more inclusive and encouraging academic environment for all of us.

6. Do you have any suggestions for the Biomedicines journal?
At the moment, I don’t have any specific suggestions; my experience with Biomedicines has been excellent. I have published a paper with the journal and was also honored to receive the travel award, and in both cases, the process was extremely smooth. The editorial team has always been very clear and responsive, with fast decisions and transparent communication. I truly appreciate that efficiency, and I look forward to continuing to engage with the journal in the future.

MDPI is pleased to announce our participation in the 62nd ERA Congress, which will be held from 4 to 7 June 2025 in Vienna, Austria.

The 62nd ERA Congress will revolve around the theme of “Game Changers in Nephrology”. The seven main tracks can be explored via the following link: https://www.era-online.org/events/vienna-2025/scientific-programme/.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Kidney and Dialysis;
• Journal of Personalized Medicine;
• Biomedicines;
• Cancers;
• Cells;
• Journal of Clinical Medicine;
• DNA;
• Journal of Molecular Pathology.

If you are attending the 62nd ERA Congress, we invite you to visit us at booth X3.380. Our representatives, Mr. Peter Roth and Dr. Jennie Xu, look forward to meeting you in person at the booth and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit its official website: https://www.era-online.org/events/vienna-2025/.