Two Portuguese scientists at the frontiers of science in “science”

Henrique Veiga-Fernandes studies the intricacies of the relationship between the immune system and the nervous system and the doors this can open in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. Ana Pêgo is researching nanomaterials that can be used in regenerative medicine treatments, also linked to neuroscience, for the rehabilitation of degenerative diseases and strokes. He is a principal researcher at the Champalimaud Foundation, which is at i3S – Institute for Health Research and Innovation of the University of Porto, in addition to other positions inside and outside the gates, you will be now the first Portuguese to join the Board of Editors of the journal Science, a committee of around 200 scientists specializing in various fields who help assess and suggest new reviews for papers submitted for publication in one of the Most influential scholarly journals in the world – only 7% of submitted articles are published. The two-year date is official today, and although they don’t know each other, the reaction to the invitation that arrived a month ago via email was similar. “At first I thought it was phishing,” admits Veiga Fernandes. Ana Pêgo laughs when we share the reaction of the new colleague: _ “I also thought it was spam, and the first reaction was to delete it, but then I saw that it was a very personal invitation. “

The choice, which he explains both to i, will relate mainly to the conduct of research in border regions, and it is the point of view that science also asks of its advisers, who qualify them as “ambassadors”, explains Vega Fernandez. “Scientists who work in regions at the frontiers of knowledge are chosen and where it is believed that answers will be found to the great questions of humanity and future civilization, how to treat cancer, how to solve the problem of cancer. climate change, and how we will discover life outside the world. The planet ”, explains the researcher, who affirms that the selection of two Portuguese is“ a clear example of the power of patriotic science ”. Anna Pigou points out that it is with pleasure that this helps “put the Portuguese flag on the map”, but also recognizes areas that started several years ago and are now bearing fruit. And does it take a lot of science to become an ambassador? The magazine did not seem to be guided there. Among the dozens of articles published, Veiga-Fernandes once appeared in Science and Ana Pêgo is the first time, in these posts, that her name sees in the magazine.