The MND Association’s 36th International Symposium on ALS/MND, will take place from 5-7 December in San Diego, USA. It’s the largest medical and scientific conference on the disease, attracting world-leaders in MND research. And for the first time ever, we will be reporting LIVE from the event – bringing you the latest Symposium news and updates to wherever you are in the world. Follow along here.
The blogs below provide more information on just some of the research presented at this year’s Symposium.
That’s a wrap on the 36th International Symposium on ALS/MND!
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe International Symposium on ALS/MND has closed its doors after three insightful, inspiring and hopeful days! This year’s event in San Diego really has showcased the breadth of research happening around the world and reminded us all how many amazing scientists are dedicating themselves to adding more pieces to the puzzle and finding effective treatments. We’ve heard more than 100 talks and seen over 290 posters presented by…
Developing a new gene therapy
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn the session on therapeutic strategies and treatment approaches, we’ve heard seven talks about new therapies being developed and new ways to find possible treatments. One talk was given by Dr Irina Antonijevic from biotech company Trace Neuroscience. Trace Neuroscience aims to develop new gene therapies by focusing on a protein called UNC13A which becomes faulty in people…
Searching for early signs of MND
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Preclinical and Prodromal ALS session focused on early diagnosis of MND and the use of biomarkers to reveal early signs of the disease. A key approach to this type of research is to use a lot of data, with information collected from people over time. Crucially, this includes information gathered from people before symptoms appeared. This can be a powerful tool when looking for…
From blood and spinal fluid to skin – insights into different biomarkers for MND
Reading Time: 2 minutesFollowing the mid-morning break, which was filled with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, we attended a session on biomarkers. Biomarkers are measurable indicators of biological changes that can confirm the presence of disease and be used to monitor disease progression or response to drug treatments. Read more about biomarkers here. Seven talks in this session each focused on different MND biomarkers. Dr Rachael Dunlop,…
Thinking and behaviour changes in MND
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe’ve just heard some really interesting talks in the Cognitive and Psychological Assessment and Support session. Professor Sharon Abrahams opened, and explained that around half of people with MND experience changes in thinking and behaviour. Prof Abrahams highlighted the importance of testing for thinking and behaviour changes in MND, and described the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural…
Exploring new treatments through clinical trials
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe clinical trials session is always the most anticipated and well attended session of the Symposium. This year was no different! Professor Merit Cudkowicz shared updates on a drug called Prime C. Prime C is a combination of two existing medications; an antibiotic called Ciprofloxacin and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent called Celecoxib. Research has suggested Prime C may reduce inflammation and…
Estimating disease risk in families carrying changes in C9orf72 gene
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis morning kicked off with a session about genes and phenotypes. The six talks focused on trends in the development of MND in different groups of people and involved an international panel of researchers from the UK, China, Taiwan, Chile and Brazil. In his talk, Dr Andrew Douglas, based at the University of Oxford, UK, discussed his research to understand how often…
Mini Brains and Space: Unlocking the Secrets of Brain Development and Aging
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this year’s opening session of the International Symposium on ALS/MND, we’ve just heard the Stephen Hawking Memorial Lecture. The lecture brings expertise from outside the field of MND to spark new ideas and out of the box thinking. The Lecture was given by Professor Alysson Muotri who specialises in how our…