The Center for Research in Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages (CEPID B3) had a prominent presence at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SBBq), with integrated contributions in teaching, research, and science communication. Held from May 16 to 19 in Águas de Lindóia (SP), the event featured active participation from the center’s team across multiple fronts of the program, including the delivery of a course, participation in a roundtable, contributions to academic sessions, and the promotion of interactive activities that engaged more than 250 participants.

At the very beginning of the meeting, researcher Gabriel Guarany (USP and CEPID B3) co-led a roundtable on the challenges and possibilities of academic life. Alongside Amanda da Anunciação Farhat (USP), Letícia Silva Ferraz (Unifesp), and organizer Filipe Nogueira Franco (Unifesp), he moderated a discussion with early-career researchers about uncertainties, career paths, and the many possible routes to building a scientific career.

In the area of training, Germán Sgro (USP-RP) and Leonardo Talachia Rosa (Unicamp), research leaders in laboratories affiliated with CEPID B3, taught the course “The molecular revolution: an introduction to single-particle analysis by cryo-EM.” With two-hour sessions held on May 17, 18, and 19, the activity combined theoretical and practical content, covering everything from sample preparation to data and image acquisition and processing.

CEPID B3 also stood out in the scientific program with one of its researchers receiving an award among the best posters at the event. Josué Manuel Lopez Sisley, from the Laboratory of Biochemistry of Bacterial Complexes (Unicamp), supervised by Leonardo Talachia Rosa and Germán Sgro, was recognized for his work on the structure of bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—and their interactions with each other and with their hosts. “We used cryo-EM to analyze these structures at high resolution, contributing to the understanding of the biology and molecular architecture of bacteriophages,” the researcher explained. This recognition reinforces the excellence of the research conducted at the center and its engagement in cutting-edge discussions in the field.

Alongside the scientific program, CEPID B3’s communication team promoted interactive activities at its booth, such as challenges and a raffle, bringing together more than 250 participants. In addition to increasing the center’s visibility among the SBBq audience, these initiatives also boosted traffic to its social media, website, and newsletter, which recorded new visits and subscribers. The raffle of a DNA-shaped lamp engaged participants through registration and interaction on the center’s Instagram (@cepidb3), while the challenges proposed practical and playful tasks inspired by everyday laboratory work, such as estimating the number of pipette tips in a container and competing to fill a tip box in the shortest possible time.

CEPID B3’s participation in the 2026 SBBq Annual Meeting reaffirms its commitment to producing high-quality knowledge, training new researchers, and strengthening the connection between science and society, consolidating its role as a leading center in the field of the biology of bacteria and bacteriophages.