Book "The breakdowns in the Energy Factory" is launched next Monday at the UC Science Museum

Next Monday, 8 May, at 11 am, the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra will host the launch of the book "Breakdowns in the Energy Factory" ("As avarias na Fábrica de Energia”), written by professor and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC) and the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC), Manuela Grazina.

The new science communication work aims to take readers on an adventure through the world of mitochondria, the energy factories of the human body, presenting scientific concepts in an accessible and captivating way about rare diseases that particularly affect these "energy plants" of human cells, such as Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON).

The book was developed under the science communication project "Mit.OnOff", funded by the EEA Grants Portugal Fund, which brought together the University of Coimbra (UC) and the University of Bergen (Norway) with the aim of disseminating and promoting scientific knowledge about mitochondria, highlighting their importance for health and well-being, and fostering scientific literacy in society.

"We are very excited about the presentation of this book, which results from a multidisciplinary and transnational collaborative work. It is a unique opportunity to disseminate scientific knowledge in an accessible and attractive way for all ages, awakening interest in science from an early age. The publication of this book fulfils a 10-year dream of mine to make a science communication tool available for free, which is of great importance for educators, health professionals, patients and their families, as a tool for science and health literacy in the area of mitochondrial diseases, which are rare but of great impact. We intend to give a voice to patients through Science", says the author of the book and leader of the "Mit.OnOff" project, Manuela Grazina.

The book launch will be attended by Manuela Grazina; Laurence Bindoff, neurologist and professor at the University of Bergen and partner of the project in Norway; Delfim Leão, Vice-Rector of the UC for Culture, Communication and Open Science; Paulo Trincão, director of the UC Science Museum; Carlos Santos, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coimbra Hospital and University Centre (CHUC); Manuel Teixeira Veríssimo, president of the Centre Regional Section of the Portuguese Medical Association; Luís Pereira de Almeida, president of the CNC-UC; Luísa Diogo, coordinator of the Reference Centre of Hereditary Metabolism Diseases of the CHUC; Carlos Robalo Cordeiro, director of the FMUC; and Inês Prazeres, the book's illustrator.

During the session, free copies of the book will be distributed, which will in the future be distributed throughout the country.

Participation in the event is free of charge, but subject to prior registration through the form https://bit.ly/3LvJxBC.

More information about the project "Mit.OnOff" in https://bit.ly/3HaXSkv.