
DECIPHERING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS
23 – 26 May 2017 Edinburgh
Please use the programme below to view each day of the conference.
Please note that this is the provisional programme and may be subject to change.
For a short biography on each speaker, please click on the speaker’s name.
Opening Plenary
13:30 | Introduction to Meeting | Chair: Professor Jean Manson | ||
13:30 | Opening Address | Professor Andrew Morris | Chief Scientist, Scottish Government Health Directorates | United Kingdom |
13:45 | Public Health Challenges in Prion Disease: past, present and future | Professor Bob Will Consultant Neurologist who established CJD surveillance within the UK in 1990. Prof Will was also involved in the identification of vCJD in 1996 |
National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
14:15 | Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Prion Disease Pathogenesis | Professor Bruce Chesebro Prof Chesebro is the Chief of the laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana. He was elected a Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology in 2011 |
Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health, USA | United States of America |
14:45 | Personal reflections on the effect of dementia | Sally Magnusson | United Kingdom | |
15:15 | Coffee & Tea Break | |||
15:45 | Junior Research Forum | Chair: Dr Alison Green | ||
15:45 | Reversible unfolding of infectious prion assemblies reveals the existence of an oligomeric elementary brick | Dr Angélique Igel-Egalon | INRA | France |
16:00 | Molecular Mechanisms of PrPSc Synaptotoxicity | Dr Cheng Fang | Boston University | United States of America |
16:15 | Risk modifiers tangled in rapid progression of Alzheimer’s disease | Dr Saima Zafar | Clinical Dementia Center and DZNE, University Medical Center Goettingen (UMG), Goettingen | Germany |
16:30 | MiniBrain for Prion-like diseases: A novel platform to engineer and study 3D human neuroectodermic organoids derived from iPSCs | Mr Ferid Nassor | CEA | France |
16:45 | Pathways of prion spread during early chronic wasting disease in deer | Dr Clare Hoover | Colorado State University | United States of America |
17:00 | Amyloid-β accumulation in human growth hormone related iatrogenic CJD patients in the UK | Dr Diane Ritchie | University Of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
17:15 | Stem cell transplantation in the investigation and treatment of genetic Prion Diseases | Miss Kati Frid | Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem | Israel |
17:30 | Genetic Susceptibility of Free-ranging Cervids to Chronic Wasting Disease in a Recently Infected Region of the United States | Mr William Miller | The Pennsylvania State University | United States of America |
17:45 | Welcome Reception |
Mechanisms of Protein mis-folding
09:00 | Mechanisms of Protein mis-folding | Chair: Dr Andrew Gill | ||
09:00 | Single molecule studies of prion aggregation and replication | Professor David Klenerman Physical Scientist involved in research into protein aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease |
University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
09:30 | The cell membrane and amyloid-β oligomers: a key to understanding Alzheimer’s disease | Dr Natalia Carulla Research Chemist with an interest in amyloid-beta oligomers |
Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie (IECB), Pessac, France, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcalona), Barcelona, Spain | Spain |
10:00 | Prion protein misfolding: beyond a protein-centric view | Professor Ilia Baskakov Professor, Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Prof Baskakov has an interest in protein mis-folding |
Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine | United States of America |
10:30 | Coffee & Tea Break | |||
11:15 | Abstract Presentations “Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration I” | Chair: Prof. Neil Mabbott | ||
11:15 | Prion protein does not protect neuroblastoma cells from stress, but may affect key cellular properties by modulating growth factor signalling | Dr Andrew Gill | University Of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
11:30 | Key asparagine and glutamine residues promote cross-species prion conversion | Dr Christina Sigurdson | UC San Diego | United States of America |
11:45 | ADAM10-mediated shedding of the prion protein: Investigating its mechanism & regulation | Ms Luise Linsenmeier | Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center HH-Eppendorf, Hamburg | Germany |
12:00 | Muskelin regulates PrPC vesicle transport and membrane levels and influences prion disease incubation time | Dr Susanne Krasemann | Institute For Neuropathology | Germany |
12:15 | α-Synuclein Amyloids Bind To Prion Protein to Facilitate Cell Entry, Cell-To-Cell Spreading And Inhibit Prion Replication | Dr Guiseppe Legname | SISSA | Italy |
12:35 | Lunch and Poster Viewing |
Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration
14:00 | Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration | Chair: Dr. Tara Spires-Jones | ||
14:00 | Neurodegeneration in the enteric nervous system-and Prion and Parkinson’s Disease Perspective | Associate Professor Victoria Lawson Neuropathologist with an interest in prion diseases |
University of Melbourne, Australia | Australia |
14:30 | Targeting the UPR for treatment of neurodegeneration | Professor Giovanna Mallucci Professor of Clinical Neuroscience with an interest in understanding mechanisms of neurodegeneration |
University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
15:00 | Microglia, protein misfolding and neurodegeneration | Professor Jean Manson Research Scientist studying brain changes in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the role of synaptic changes. |
University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
15:30 | Coffee -Tea Break | |||
16:10 | Abstract Presentations “Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration II” | Chair: Prof. Colin Smith | ||
16:10 | Comparison of the neuronal lysosomal response in human neurodegenerative diseases | Prof Gabor Kovacs | Institute of Neurology/Medical University Vienna | Austria |
16:30 | Rescuing TACE alpha-secretase activity upon inhibition of PDK1 kinase mitigates prion and Alzheimer’s diseases | Dr Benoit Schneider | Inserm UMR-S 1124 – Université Paris Descartes | France |
16:45 | Expanding roles for PrPCin Alzheimer Disease: an ancient conserved interaction | Dr Ted Allison | Centre For Prions & Protein Folding Diseases, University Of Alberta | Canada |
17:00 | Induction of transmissible tau pathology by traumatic brain Injury | Dr Roberto Chiesa | Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri | Italy |
17:15 | Identification of a highly reactive α-synuclein species in primary neurons exposed to fibrillar α-synuclein. | Prof Corinne Lasmezas | Scripps Florida | United States of America |
17:35 | End of Sessions |
Current Concerns in Prion Disease: Chronic Wasting Disease
09:00 | Current concerns in prion disease: Chronic wasting disease | Chair: Dr Fiona Houston | ||
09:00 | Chronic wasting disease: An agent of global change? | Dr Alastair Ward Senior Lecturer in Zoology with an interest in Ecology and the environment |
University of Hull | United Kingdom |
09:30 | Chronic wasting disease: Unveiling modes of transmission | Dr Candace Mathiason Research Scientist with an interest in the mechanisms of CWD prion transmission and in vitro prion detection |
Colorado State University | United States of America |
10:00 | CWD in Norway | Dr Sylvie L. Benestad Senior Researcher, specializing in the identification and characterization of animal prion diseases . |
National Veterinary Institute, Norway | Norway |
10:30 | First evidence of intracranial and peroral transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) into Cynomolgus macaques: a work in progress | Dr Stefanie Czub Director of International & OIE Reference Laboratory for BSE |
University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine/Canadian Food Inspection Agency | Canada |
10:45 | Coffee & Tea Break | |||
11:15 | Abstract Presentations “Disease Transmission and Pathogenesis” | Chair: Dr Natalia Carulla | ||
11:15 | α-Synuclein prions from MSA patients exhibit similar transmission properties as PrPSc prions | Dr Amanda Woerman | University Of California, San Francisco | United States of America |
11:30 | Prion replication without host adaptation during interspecies transmissions | Dr Jifeng Bian | Colorado State University | United States of America |
11:45 | Incongruity between prion conversion and incubation period following co-infection | Prof Jason Bartz | Creighton University | United States of America |
12:00 | Increased Abundance of M cells in the Gut Epithelium Dramatically Enhances Oral Prion Disease Susceptibility | Dr David Donaldson | The Roslin Institute | United Kingdom |
12:15 | Epitope identification of toxic propagating strains of Aβ oligomers | Prof Neil Cashman | University Of British Columbia | Canada |
12:30 | Lunch and Poster Viewing | |||
14:00 | Current clinical concerns of prion disease | Chair: Prof.Simon Mead | ||
14:00 | Funding opportunities for CJD research | CJD Foundation The mission of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation is to support families affected by Prion Disease, raise awareness, and support medical education and research. |
Debbie Yobs | United States of America |
14:05 | A global collaboration supporting patients, their families and those at increased risk of developing prion diseases. | CJD International Support Alliance The CJD International Support Alliance is a group of international nonprofit organisations whose aim is to support individuals affected/at-risk of prion disease |
Suzanne Solvyns / Deana Simpson | United States of America |
14:35 | The prevalance of abnormal prion protein in a UK sample largely unexposed to BSE: The Appendix-3 Survey Results | Professor Noel Gill | Public Health, England | United Kingdom |
15:05 | What are the Appendix Studies telling us? | Professor Richard Knight Professorial Fellow in Clinical Neurology, with an interest in the clinical presentation, diagnosis and epidemiology of human prion diseases |
National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
15:35 | Coffee & Tea Break | |||
16:15 | Abstract Presentations on “Clinical Aspects of Prion Disease” | Chair: Prof. Masahito Yamada | ||
16:15 | Iatrogenic CJD after human cadaver-sourced growth hormone treatment in France: identifying risk factors associated with susceptibility | Ms Laurene Peckeu | Institut Du Cerveau Et De La Moelle Épinière (ICM) – Team “alzheimer’s And Prion Diseases “inserm Umr-1127/cnrs Umr 7225 | France |
16:30 | Lessons learned from the systematic public health follow-up of all diagnoses of CJD for surgical risk, in England | Dr Katy Sinka | Public Health England | United Kingdom |
16:45 | Widening the phenotypic spectrum of sporadic fatal insomnia: clinical findings, results of diagnostic investigations and neuropathological features of new cases. | Dr Samir Abu Rumeileh | University of Bologna | Italy |
17:00 | Transmissible prions in the skin of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients | Dr Wenquan Zou | Case Western Reserve University | United States of America |
17:15 | End Session | |||
19:00 | Conference Ceilidh |
Diagnostics/Therapeutics
09:00 | Diagnostics/Therapeutics | Chair: Prof Victoria Lawson | ||
09:00 | A new sensitive diagnostic-assay for vCJD in preclinical and clinical blood samples | Dr Chantal Fournier-Wirth Scientific Director |
Univ.Montpellier-Inserm-EFS | France |
09:30 | Genomic and Epigenomic Associations in Sporadic and Variant CJD | Professor Simon Mead Simon Mead is now a consultant neurologist and Clinical Lead of the UK National Prion Clinic based at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. His clinical interests include cognitive disorders, particularly the prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease |
National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London | United Kingdom |
10:00 | Latrogenic CJD related to Dura mater grafts | Professor Masahito Yamada Consultant Neurologist with an interest in prion diseases, particularly iatrogenic CJD |
Kanazawa University, Japan | Japan |
10:30 | Coffee &Tea Break | |||
11:00 | Promotional Presentation for Prion 2018 | Dr Jesus Requena | CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS | Spain |
11:15 | Abstract Presentations on “Treatment and diagnosis of prion diseases” | Chair: Prof. Richard Knight | ||
11:15 | Treatment with a Non-toxic, Self-replicating Anti-prion Delays or Prevents Prion Disease In vivo | Dr Charles Mays | The University of Texas – Health Science Center at Houston | United States of America |
11:30 | Rational design of anti-PrP antibodies to block prion induced neurodegeneration | Dr Assunta Senatore | University of Zurich | Switzerland |
11:45 | Detection of mammalian prions by PrP transgenic Drosophila | Dr Raymond Bujdoso | Cambridge University | United Kingdom |
12:00 | Type-dependant diverse extension patterns of hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted MR images in dura mater graft-associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease | Dr Kenji Sakai | Kanazawa University | Japan |
12:15 | Early preclinical detection of prions in blood of macaques peripherally infected with the variant CJD agent | Dr Luis Concha | University Of Texas; Universidad De Los Andes | United States of America |
12:35 | Lunch |
Closing Session
14:00 | Closing Session | Chair: Prof. Jean Manson | ||
14:00 | Mechanisms of synapse degeneration in neurodegenerative diseases | Dr Tara Spires-Jones Research Scientist studying brain changes in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the role of synaptic changes. |
University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
14:45 | Modelling of neurodegeneration | Professor Siddharthan Chandran Professor Siddharthan Chandran is Director of CCBS. His work spans clinical and laboratory activity in the area of Regenerative Neurology. |
University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
15:30 | Close of Meeting |