Congress Highlights from Ankara

At the recent Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress in Ankara, medicinal plants in animal health were in the spotlight, with MedPlants4Vet contributions ranging from antimicrobial resistance to historical textbook analyses.

Left to right: Begum Yurdakok Dikmen, Romel Velev, Muhammad Adnan Arif, Serra Berin Candir at the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress, September 2025 in Ankara. (Photo: Rana Mollamahmutoglu)

Left to right: Begum Yurdakok Dikmen, Romel Velev, Serra Berin Candir, Muhammad Adnan Arif at the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress, September 2025 in Ankara. (Photo: Rana Mollamahmutoglu)

Prof.Dr. Romel Velev during his presentation with MedPlants4Vet slide at the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress, September 2025 in Ankara. (Photo: Begum Yurdakok Dikmen)

Poster at the at the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress, September 2025 in Ankara. (Photo: Begum Yurdakok Dikmen)

The “III International, VIII National Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Congress” was successfully held between 11th and 13th September 2025 at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Assembly Hall in Ankara, Türkiye. The event was organized under the leadership of the Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology Association, in collaboration with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University. The congress gathered around 185 scientists and guests, including international participants, academics from various universities, representatives of veterinary pharmaceutical companies, and veterinary professionals.

The congress provided a platform to promote MedPlants4Vet, through presentations supported by conference grants:

Romel Velev (University St. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, North Macedonia) delivered an oral presentation on “Combating AMR in Animals in Macedonia: The Role of Vaccines and Herbal Veterinary Medicines” and received an Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grant.

Muhammad Adnan Arif (University of Turin, Italy) presented a poster titled “Olive Bioactive Compounds in Circular Feed Systems: In Vitro Evaluation within the OLIWA Project”, supported by a Young Researcher and Innovator (YRIG) Conference Grant.

Serra Berin Candır (Ankara University, Turkey) presented a poster on “Searching for Future Solutions in the Past: Analysis of Medicinal Plants in the Veterinary Pharmacology Textbook of Prof. Nurettin Mazhar Öktel”, supported by a Virtual Mobility Grant within the Historical Textbook Analysis Subgroup of MedPlants4Vet WG3.

In addition, Prof. Dr. Begüm Yurdakök Dikmen, a member of the Organizing Committee of the congress, actively promoted the projects through her joint works with both Muhammad and Serra, as well as in various sessions during the congress.

Beyond the supported presentations, numerous plant-related studies were featured throughout the congress, underscoring the importance of building a strong scientific foundation that will guide and enrich future actions within the MedPlants4Vet project.