The biennial scientific congress of the GFRA (Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Alliance) was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from October 21^st to 23^rd. This major event for the scientific community working on the Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus provided an opportunity to present research conducted by the BIOPIC team, as well as to share information on the recent FMD outbreaks in Europe earlier this year.

Sandra Blaise-Boisseau (Head of the BIOPIC team) gave an oral presentation on her research into the effect of Ruxolitinib on persistent Foot-and–Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) infection in multilayered cells derived from bovine dorsal soft palate. She also chaired a session dedicated to immunology, virology, and pathogenesis, and presented two posters in collaboration with the SAP Institute (Türkiye), Sciensano (Belgium), and FLI (Germany).

Guillaume Girault (Head of the EURL) gave a joint presentation with Michael Eschbaumer (FLI, Germany) on the FMD outbreaks that occurred in Europe in 2025, and also chaired a session focused on epidemiology.

The congress was followed by the annual meeting of the WOAH/FAO Foot-and-Mouth Disease Laboratory Network, held from October 23 to 24. Sandra and Guillaume participated, and the BIOPIC team’s activities for 2025 were presented by Guillaume.

This week was rich in exchanges and knowledge sharing, helping to strengthen existing collaborations and initiate new ones.