Every year, hundreds of research projects from around the world are showcased at the International Symposium, reflecting the shire amount of research going on in ALS/MND. With so much research underway, not everyone can have a platform presentation, and so posters are an ideal way for researchers to present, share and discuss their work. Each symposium also features poster prizes for outstanding submissions from early career researchers. The winning posters are decided by a judging panel who view the posters, a written summary of the research, and a short presentation by the poster presenter followed by a Q&A session. At this year meeting in San Diego, three of last year’s poster prize candidates returned as members of the judging panel for this year’s poster prize. You can read about the winners of this year and the judging process in our recent blog.
We caught up with the three previous candidates to see how their research and careers have developed over the last 12 months and what they thought of being one of the judges.
Stella Taso, PhD
Stella has recently completed her PhD from the University of Edinburgh, looking into genetic drivers of MND. Her work focused on the C9or72 gene change as the most common genetic cause of familial MND. She now works as a post-doctoral fellow at the University College London looking to identify new genetic signals that shape the development of C9-related MND. Her research may help to answer questions like why the disease appears at different times and progresses differently between individuals. By understanding the development, it could allow for more personalised approaches to diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.
How did you find your experience of going from a poster prize candidate to being on the judging panel?
“This year, the Symposium looked very different from my side of the poster boards. Instead of presenting my own work as a prize candidate, I was on the judging panel. Stepping into that role was both demanding and energising; it meant carefully dissecting other researchers’ data while also appreciating the creativity and persistence behind each project. The experience underlined just how crucial clear, accessible communication is if complex MND genetics is to make sense not only to scientists but also to the people living with the disease and their families.”
Why do you think the Symposium is important?
“Events like the Symposium matter for early-career researchers because they provide recognition, confidence, and a space to stress-test ideas and spark new collaborations. For people living with MND, they offer a visible sign that a growing international community of young scientists is committing their careers to understanding, and ultimately treating, this disease. Being part of that next generation is both a responsibility and a privilege, and gatherings like this help turn individual projects into shared progress for the wider MND community.”
Laura Tzeplaeff, PhD
Laura is a post-doc from the Technical University of Munich and last year a winner of the biomedical poster prize for her work on identifying protein changes that are present in people with MND. This year she gave a talk on a new technique used to search for biomarkers of MND. She compared different fluids from people: those with a gene linked to MND but have not developed symptoms, people with MND and control groups, to identify proteins that could act as disease markers before symptoms begin and may lead to earlier diagnoses.
How did you find your experience of going from a poster prize candidate to being on the judging panel?
“Last year, I was honoured to be shortlisted for the Best Biomedical Poster award at the International Symposium on ALS/MND. Being a candidate was exciting but also intimidating, as I focused on clearly communicating my data, justifying my experimental choices, and responding to questions from senior experts. This year, I had the pleasure of serving on the jury, evaluating five early-career researchers. It was a very different experience. Instead of defending my own work, I was responsible for assessing others’ projects fairly and constructively. I am grateful to the organizers for giving visibility to young researchers and involving them in the selection process.”
Why do you think the Symposium is important?
“Attending the Symposium and engaging with experts strengthened our connections across fields, inspired new directions for our projects, and encouraged us to rethink our work from different angles, all with the goal of better understanding ALS and moving closer to a cure. Most importantly, it reminded me why our research matters. Meetings like this create opportunities for direct communication between researchers and people with MND, giving people with MND early insight into potential treatments and hope for the future, while reinforcing for researchers that behind every dataset are real individuals and families whose lives we aim to improve.”
Tania Atienzar
Tania Atienzar is a PhD student at the University of Exeter and was previously shortlisted for her work on building a new model to study a key disease related protein called TDP-43 in specific brain cells. This year, she has evolved to now apply these models to better understand why specific brain cells are damaged in MND and why these cells struggle to cope when the levels of TDP-43 are altered. This work could lead to identifying new pathways that protect these specific brain cells from TDP-43 changes.
How did you find your experience of going from a poster prize candidate to being on the judging panel?
“Coming back to the 36th Symposium as a judge rather than a poster prize candidate offered a unique way of engaging with the meeting. In 2024, standing by my poster and being questioned by senior people in the field felt quite daunting, so it was strange to realise that this year, simply being part of a panel might have felt intimidating to some presenters. That awareness made me much more conscious of how important it is to make people feel comfortable and supported when they’re presenting their work, especially early in their careers. Being involved in the judging process also gave me a broader view of the range of ideas and approaches represented at the meeting and highlighted how much creativity and commitment Early Career Researchers (ECRs) bring to the field. Discussing posters with other judges was particularly valuable too, as different people naturally focus on different aspects of the same project, often raising points or interpretations I hadn’t considered or would have thought about in a different way. Seeing research through those multiple perspectives has already influenced how I reflect on my own work and how I think about communicating it to others.”
Why do you think the Symposium is important?
“Recognition opportunities linked to meetings like the Symposium can be especially meaningful for ECRs. In my case, the work that was awarded came largely from my first year of PhD research, as I had only just begun my second year at the time of the conference. Having that early work acknowledged was incredibly encouraging and reinforced the sense that research is valued as an ongoing process, not only as a finished product. I think experiences like this can make a real difference at an early stage, helping researchers stay motivated and confident as they continue to develop their ideas. The Symposium itself is equally important. It brings scientists from all around the world into the same space, creating opportunities for collaboration that simply don’t happen in isolation. It also offers a chance to hear about the most recent discoveries in the field, often long before they appear in journals, which informs how research moves forward. For people living with MND, I hope it’s reassuring to see a global community of researchers committed to advancing our understanding of this disease and working together towards better treatments for the future.”
We would like to thank Stella, Laura and Tania for being on the judging panel for the poster prize, and for their contributions to this blog.
