Pre-congress events

Pre-Congress Events program

Pre-Congress events (Young Researchers’ Workshop, African Research Symposium, and Botanical Safety Consortium’s Workshop) will be held in a hydrid format.

Podium Discussion to Commemorate the Legacy of Prof. Otto Sticher: "Past, Present, and Future of Pharmacognosy and Natural Product Research"

(Sunday, August 28 | 16:00–18:00; Eastern European Summer Time, GMT+ 03:00)

Οrganized by Profs. Guido Pauli (University of Illinois Chicago, USA), Michael Heinrich (UCL London, UK), and Jürg Gertsch (University of Bern, Switzerland).

Pre-registration is not required. Participation at the event is free of charge.

You can virtually attend the event through this link.

Young Researchers' Workshop (YRW) *

* Hybrid format *

(Sunday, August 28 | 10:00–15:30; Eastern European Summer Time, GMT+ 03:00)

YRW will be held as pre-symposium of the annual GA conference on Sunday, August 28^th, 2022, from 10:00 to 15:30.
– On-site and virtual participation is possible (Please note that people can listen to the talks and participate in the discussion from remote. However, all speakers need to be on-site in Thessaloniki)
– Abstract submission deadline: April 30^th, 2022 (see general abstract submission!)
– Registration fee: 25€ for on-site participants / 10€ for remote participants

What is the aim of the workshop?
The YRW offers the unique opportunity to present own data as a short talk (10+5 min) in a free and relaxed atmosphere. Special emphasis is laid on an intense discussion between all participants.

When does the YRW take place?
The workshop is held on Sunday, August 28, 2022 as a pre-symposium of the Annual GA Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. It will start at 10:00 and end at 15:30.

Who can submit an abstract?
PhD students and early stage post-docs (only within their first year) are invited to submit an abstract for a short talk. Only high-quality abstracts can be considered. The YRW jury consisting of the Professors Alessandra Braca, Robert Fürst, Jürg Gertsch and Anastasia Karioti will review the abstracts and take the decision on whether a short talk will be granted or not.

What happens during the YRW?
After a welcome note, the YRW will start with an impulse lecture by a young but established scientist who will give insights into his/her area of research. He or she will also highlight who to step into and advance a scientific career. The main part of the workshop will be dedicated to short lectures. The YRW jury will select the two best presentations and will bestow the prizes to the two awardees in the YRW closing session. Lunch snacks and coffee are provided for on-site participants.

What do the prizes include?
The two best presentations will be awarded with two categories of prizes: The Discovery Award (1,000 EUR sponsored by Professor Jürg Gertsch) and the Bionorica YRW Award (600 EUR sponsored by the company Bionorica SE). In the addition to the prizes, the two awardees will get the great opportunity to give their presentation also in a special slot of the main congress.

What else do I need to know?
All submitted abstracts that will not be selected for a talk at the YRW will automatically be checked for a poster contribution at the main conference.

African Research Pre-Congress Symposium (ARS): "Traditional Nature-based African Medicine" *

(Sunday, August 28 | 15:30–18:30; Eastern European Summer Time, GMT+ 03:00)

* Hybrid format *

ARS will be held as pre-symposium of the annual GA conference on Sunday, August 28^th, 2022, from 15:45 to 18:15.
– On-site and virtual participation is possible
– Abstract submission deadline: April 30^th, 2022 (see general abstract submission!)
– Registration fee: 15€

The African Research Symposium on “Traditional Nature-based African Medicine” is a unique opportunity to exchange scientific findings about natural products research conducted on Traditional African Medicine. The event will be organized in a hybrid format (on-site and virtual participation is possible).

African researchers can present their research findings in short talks (12 min) during the on-site event or as virtual contribution and discuss the findings with colleagues and peers.

How to submit an abstract:
Please submit your abstract on the following topics via the general abstract submission portal.
All contributions on natural products research on Traditional African Medicine are welcome, specific topics include:

– Ethnopharmacology
– Clinical research
– Pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms
– Phytochemistry

Contributions reporting clinical research conducted on African natural products are especially welcome!

The event is organized as a pre-congress symposium during the “70^th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA)”, which will take place August 28-31, 2022 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Workshop of the Botanical Safety Consortium (BSC): "Development of a Toolkit to Evaluate Botanical Safety" *

(Sunday, August 28 | 11:30–16:30; Eastern European Summer Time, GMT+ 03:00)

* Hybrid format *

Natural products, such as botanical dietary supplements, are used globally and are growing in popularity. Ensuring the safety of these products is an important public health priority. These products are naturally complex, with varying phytochemical compositions due to factors such as differences in growing conditions, extraction processes, and/or changes to the finished product. Because of this variability, traditional animal toxicity testing is not practical due to high cost and labor, in addition to lack of human relevance and increasing ethical concerns. New approach methodologies need to be adapted for botanicals to screen for toxicity to ensure consumer safety. This workshop will highlight work from the ongoing Botanical Safety Consortium, in addition to highlighting safety assessment of botanicals from over the globe.

Main topics
– Regulation of botanicals (focus on Europe)
– Chemical analyses of botanicals for safety assessment
– New approach methodologies for botanical toxicity screening
– Global perspectives

Workshop objectives
– Included networking lunch
– Obtain insights into the challenges with botanical toxicity testing
– Hear the views and plans of regulators and risk asessors
– Identify new approach methodologies for assessment
– Learn through case studies about toxicity and chemical analyses
– Participate in a panel discussion with experts