Two weeks ago, on February 12th, Pedro Canhão Costa stepped onto the stage at WORD+ 2025, launching his TED-style talk with this opener:
“Let’s start with a simple question—perhaps one of the oldest we ask: Why? Why should we pay attention to the colon? Did you know that about 1 in 5 people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime? Most of us know someone—a friend, family member, or loved one—who has bravely faced this battle. Colorectal cancer deserves our attention; it’s not just a statistic—it’s the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.”
This introduction set the tone for Pedro’s presentation at WORD+ 2025, held from February 11th to 13th, at the Hinxton Hall Conference Centre near Cambridge, UK. Speaking in the beautiful Francis Crick Auditorium, he had the privilege of representing Johnson & Johnson before an audience of +250 attendees. The event served as a dynamic hub for exploring cutting-edge research in organoids and organs-on-a-chip, bringing together experts from around the globe.
As one of 60 featured speakers, Pedro showcased his soon-to-be-published research on using human colonoid-derived monolayers (CDMs) to evaluate drug safety and gain deeper insights into the pharmacodynamics of small molecules.
Curious to learn more? Jump into the conversation on LinkedIn, where Pedro takes us along for the ride through his WORD+ 2025 experience!
