Interview with Pedro Jesús Navarrete Segado, participant in Falling Walls Lab Madrid, 2023.

This Friday, May 26, IMDEA Materials Institute researcher, Pedro J. Navarrete Segado, will present on future clinical applications in the field of cardiology at the national competition, Falling Walls Lab Madrid, 2023. Falling Walls Lab is part of the Falling Walls conference and platform, an event that celebrates advances in science. It is a competition geared towards young scientific talents, innovators and visionary minds. It is an opportunity for participants to showcase an innovative idea that provides an answer to current challenges in a presentation of just two and a half minutes.

Pedro, to start with, can you give us an idea of what you are going to be presenting at Falling Walls Lab Madrid, 2023?

With my presentation, I would like to present an innovative and promising approach for future clinical applications in the field of cardiology, with the aim of restoring the functionality of damaged hearts and bringing hope to millions of patients with heart disease.

Your current work is linked in particular with the Cardioboost-CM project, funded by the Community of Madrid. Can you talk a little about that project and your role within it?

The Cardioboost-CM project addresses the challenge of regenerating myocardium after a heart attack, which causes heart failure, a leading cause of death worldwide. The low regenerative response of the human heart, and the loss of cardiomyocytes, hinder the use of traditional approaches for myocardial regeneration. This project will evaluate the potential of redirecting masticatory muscle satellite cells into functional cardiomyocytes by combining in vitro methods and the use of novel biomaterials, with the aim of developing a new therapy for cardiac regeneration.

Have you been involved in any activities similar to Falling Walls Lab previously?

During my Ph.D. I had the opportunity to participate in a “3 Minute Thesis” competition during a congress where I was able to present my thesis project in front of the entire French 3D-printing industry. My intervention led me to win a valuable second place in the competition. The video can be seen through this link: https://youtu.be/Kdib0ABguCA?t=5901

What motivated you to participate in Falling Walls Lab this year?

Honestly, it was a last minute decision as I was not aware of the closing date for participation. When I received the news about the possibility of participating in the event, I didn’t hesitate and I quickly started to prepare my proposal. In my humble opinion, our project combines a series of ideas worthy of being conveyed to the general public. The confidence I have in the project meant I didn’t think twice.

Finally what do you think are the benefits, firstly for you, as a researcher, and secondly for the public, of these kind of events where you have the opportunity to present your work in this way?

I think that synthesizing information, disseminating it, and bringing it to the general public in this kind of events is an exercise that every researcher should do during his or her career. In this way we can learn to improve our public speaking, try creative ideas, and showcase our work in the lab to society. The “Dragon’s Den” event format is community oriented, and I think it is a brilliant and fun idea to open the door to investment for projects that truly deserve it, or simply to make themselves known.

Pedro, thank you very much for your time and good luck in your presentation!

Falling Walls Lab Madrid, 2023, will be broadcast from 10:00 (GMT +2) on Friday, May 26, via streaming from the YouTube channel of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, here.

You can view the full programme for Falling Walls Lab Madrid, 2023, here.

You can find Pedro Navarrete’s ResearchGate profile, here.