António Zambujo and D.A.M.A. are some of the artists who will take part in the gala that the Portuguese Oncology Institute (IPO) of Porto has scheduled for October 14, an initiative whose proceeds will go entirely to cancer research.
The 5th IPO Porto Solidarity Gala – From People to People is scheduled for October 14 at 9pm at the Coliseu do Porto. Tickets can be purchased at IPO do Porto, the Coliseu, Ticketline and participating stores, starting at 10 euros.
“It’s important that society is increasingly mobilized around worthy causes and, in this case, this gala encourages us to look with hope at the treatment of cancer, particularly with regard to therapeutic innovation. Promoting scientific research so that we can gain more time and quality of life for patients is very important,” said the president of IPO do Porto.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, Júlio Oliveira pointed out that all the proceeds from the gala will go towards research projects developed by the IPO do Porto, including those that the institute organizes in partnership with other institutions, both national and international.
“To combat cancer, it is increasingly important to find innovative, more effective and safer therapies for patients,” he added.
With the cause “investment in cancer research” as its “headliner”, the 5th IPO do Porto gala will feature artists António Zambujo, D.A.M.A., Tiago Nacarato, Tatanka and Rita Rocha, as well as magician Daniel Guedes.
With this gala, IPO do Porto aims to provide a generational meeting “from people to people” between the institute and the community, focusing on music in Portuguese, the institution said in a statement.
“Research, it should be noted, is one of the foundations of the mission of the IPO do Porto, an institution that favors a patient-centered vision, so that the patient has the best health care, with a focus on innovation and quality of services,” he adds.
Júlio Oliveira, on the other hand, considered it “absolutely essential for there to be greater coordination between the different sectors of government in order to make a real commitment to clinical research and investigation”, without forgetting “the importance of making Portugal internationally competitive in attracting clinical trials”.
“Portugal is still at the tail end of Europe when it comes to attracting clinical trials and it has to be able to convince both industry and academic promoters. It is absolutely essential that there is greater coordination between the ministries of Health, Economy, Finance and Science and Technology so that these conditions of competitiveness are created, otherwise we won’t have a consistent strategy for attracting this type of investment to the country,” said Júlio Oliveira.
Currently active, IPO do Porto – described by its president as “the largest cancer diagnosis and treatment center in Portugal and the only comprehensive cancer center in Portugal” – has more than 140 clinical trials, more than a dozen of which are early stage.
The IPO do Porto gala had musician Zé Pedro as its godfather, a fact that Júlio Oliveira highlighted, pointing out that the former Xutos e Pontapés guitarist, “an inescapable figure on the national music scene” will “always be remembered for his human dimension and generosity to this cause”.
