Phage Therapy and the Medicine of Tomorrow: Scientists Meet in Valencia to Define the Path to Clinical Integration

Valencia, Spain. June 9–10, 2026

Researchers, clinicians, and biotechnology innovators from around the world will gather in Valencia, Spain, for Targeting Phage Therapy 2026, an international scientific meeting dedicated to advancing bacteriophage based strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance and difficult to treat bacterial infections.

GLP-1 drugs have come to be thought of as “wonder drugs,” yet the mechanisms behind their many new health benefits have remained unclear. New research from the Salk Institute reveals the mechanism behind one of these benefits: promoting pancreatic beta cells’ health and stress tolerance, long-term. The findings show how GLP-1 drugs can trigger broad genomic responses.

Researchers will explore how the immune receptor IL-1R1 in neurons affects brain function and behavior. Beyond its role in inflammation, IL-1R1 shapes neuronal activity, synapses, and circuits, particularly in areas controlling social behavior. The research maps where and when IL-1R1 acts and how it influences connected neurons. Findings could transform understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism, and point to therapies that target neural circuits directly rather than just symptoms.

Researchers from Japan have uncovered direct evidence showing how ketamine exerts its rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, using a novel brain imaging technique to visualize molecular changes in the living human brain. Using positron emission tomography imaging with the newly developed tracer [¹¹C]K-2, the study shows that ketamine’s antidepressant effects are mediated by region-specific changes in AMPA receptor density that correlate with symptom improvement, bridging findings from animal models to human patients.