Wrocław – the Brain Capital of Poland – September 2025

🧠 17th Congress of the Polish Society for Neuroscience Research
📍 Congress Center of Wrocław University of Science and Technology
📆 September 2–5, 2025
🌐 congress.ptbun.org.pl
🖊️ Registration

The Congress of the Polish Society for Neuroscience Research is the most important recurring event for the brain research community in Poland. This year, for the first time in its history, the Congress will be held in Wrocław. The organization involves scientists from six institutions conducting neuroscience research – all signatories of the Wrocław BioTech Hub.

The event will gather 300 scientists, clinicians, and representatives of the biotech industry from around the world, as well as leading international organizations supporting brain research (FENS, IBRO).

Among the keynote speakers are renowned scientists:

  • Prof. John F. Cryan (University College Cork, Ireland) – the pioneer of gut microbiome modulation for improving brain function and mood will present the latest findings on how gut bacteria can regulate brain activity and how this knowledge can be used in treating mental disorders
  • Prof. Nancy Bonini (University of Pennsylvania, USA) – member of the US National Academy of Sciences, will showcase her groundbreaking research using fruit flies to understand how genetic risk factors – including those linked to Parkinson’s disease – influence brain cell death
  • Prof. Andrew Holmes (National Institutes of Health, USA) – a leading expert on the biological effects of stress, will demonstrate the use of cutting-edge optical tools to monitor neural circuits controlling stress responses
  • Dr. Simona Lodato (IRCCS Humanitas, Milan, Italy) – representative of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, which gathers Europe’s most talented young neuroscientists, will talk about generating brain cells from blood and skin cells and using them to study brain diseases

The conference will also feature leading neuroscientists from Wrocław:

  • Prof. Jerzy Mozrzymas from the Medical University of Wrocław will lead a session with Dr. Grzegorz Wiera and Prof. Dariusz Rakus on the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity – the foundation of memory
  • A session led by Dr. Natalia Małek-Chudzik from Wrocław University of Science and Technology will focus on the role of immune cells in pain modulation
  • Dr. Mateusz Kucharczyk from Łukasiewicz – PORT will present his findings on the search for new drugs to alleviate cancer-related pain
  • Dr. Ali Jawaid (Łukasiewicz – PORT) will explain how research among survivors of the Balkan war led to the discovery of mechanisms behind the intergenerational transmission of trauma
  • Dr. Bartosz Zglinicki (Łukasiewicz – PORT) will discuss the use of artificial intelligence in studying the effects of antidepressants on specific brain centers

Registration is still open – check the full program on the website!

On the first day of the conference, there will be a dedicated session presenting the results of the HE Twinning SAME-NeuroID. This session will showcase key achievements of the project, highlighting international cooperation, researcher mobility, and development of standardized protocols for neuroscience research fostered through the SAME-NeuroID initiative. The project has been carried out in partnership with renowned European institutions: the Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam), and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich.