International Congress on Neurodegenerative Diseases

Hospital Clínic Barcelona — Barcelona, España

I completed my training as a neurologist at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (2000) and my PhD degree on Biopathology in Medicine at the University of Barcelona (2003). After my PhD, I obtained a Rio Hortega fellowship (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Health) in Behavioural neurology at the Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer, Barcelona. During my fellowship, I accomplished a short-term postdoctoral scholarship at the Memory and Aging Center- University of California San Francisco, directed by Dr. Bruce Miller (2006). Back in Barcelona, I was hired as neurologist at the Alzheimer’s Disease and other Cognitive Disorders (ADCD) unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (2006-).

In 2018, I became the Group Leader of the Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders group at the IDIBAPS (https://www.clinicbarcelona.org/en/idibaps/research-areas/clinical-and-experimental-neuroscience/alzheimers-disease-and-other-cognitive-disorders) and Associate professor at the University of Barcelona. Currently, I am the Head of the Neurology Service at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. My research focuses on the use of different type of biomarkers (neuroimaging techniques, biochemical and genetic biomarkers) for the early and accurate diagnosis and prognosis/monitoring of neurodegenerative dementia, especially in early-onset and rare forms of dementia, as autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and prion diseases

Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – CIEN — Madrid, Spain

Neuropathologist and basic neuroscientist, working since 2009 at the CIEN Foundation as Head of Neuropathology and Scientific Director of the CIEN Tissue Bank. Previously, extensive work as Head of Pathology and Research Director of a University Hospital in Madrid (Fundación Hospital Alcorcón), taking part during this period (1997-2009) and thereafter in the development of several brain banks in Spain. During the “mad cow” crisis (2000-2009) he was in charge of the neuropathological diagnosis of prion diseases in several regions of Spain, including Madrid, and was a member of several governmental committees dealing with prion disease surveillance and biosafety issues. Past member of several research ethical committees including the Ethical Advisory Board of the Human Brain Project (2014 – 2018) and of the Steering Committee of the Spanish National Biobank Network (2014 – 2020), and past President of the Spanish Neuropathology Club (2017 – 2021).

He has received several media and scientific awards for the promotion of brain donation and for research in Alzheimer’s disease (Spanish Society of Neurology Award, 2017). His research interests are focused on diagnostic and molecular neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases, biospecimen science and biobanking, and ethical issues related to tissue donation for research. Since 2014 he is principal investigator of the core research program at the Alzheimer’s Center Queen Sofía Foundation (Vallecas Alzheimer’s Reina Sofía Study), in Madrid, based on a cohort of over 550 institutionalized patients with moderate to advanced dementia with periodic follow-up, biochemistry, MR and brain donation. In recent years, he took an active part in studies that lead to the discovery of brain fungal colonization in several neurodegenerative diseases and in breakthrough research in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. He organized the Ist and 2nd Symposia on Brain Banks in Spain (2018, 2023). He is author or co-author of 181 original scientific papers, h-index 59, and 7 book chapters.

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry (1983), did his post-doctoral research in the USA (NIMH and Georgetown University) and France (IGBMC, Strasbourg) and was appointed as Staff Scientist at C.S.I.C. in 1986. EMBO Member since 2000, he was Director of the National Center for Biotechnology-C.S.I.C (2003-2007) and Deputy Vice President for Scientific Programming at C.S.I.C (2013-2014).

His research is focused on the early mechanisms of neuroprotection, in part controlled by the DREAM protein, which are common to different neurodegenerative diseases and which could be novel targets for therapy. His group has filed patents for small molecules able to bind DREAM and protect from neurodegeneration in disease mouse models for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He is serving as Receiving Editor for JBC and is a member of several International Advisory Committees and Reviewing Panels. He has published more than 110 pier-reviewed papers. He is PI in CIBERNED.

Leiden University

Academic biography

Arko is at the Institute of Psychology at Leiden University, The Netherlands, and holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Trinity College, USA, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. His research program is to build innovative science to explain complex real world behavioral structures. His focus on the real world has a growing imprint – from capturing how we age to discovering fundamental patterns like multi-day behavioral rhythms. He also plays a foundational role in launching spin-offs that focus on solving real-world problems using the science and technology developed in the laboratory.

Research and career

BS, Trinity College (CT), USA

PhD, Swiss Federal Technological Institute (ETH Zurich), Switzerland

Post-doctoral researcher at University College London, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich

Spin-offs: QuantActions (co-founder), AXITE (scientific advisor)

Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research. University of Cologne

The main objective of Dr. Ramirez's laboratory is the identification of the genetic and epigenetic causes of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. His group has created the basis for research on the genetics and epigenetics of prodromal Alzheimer's disease and its progression through the creation of international collaborations. In this context, Dr. Ramirez has collected large genetic and epigenetic data sets in the context of international consortia dedicated to the genetics of neurodegeneration. He is an active member of the largest European consortium in Alzheimer's disease genetics, the "European DNA Bank for deciphering the missing heritability of Alzheimer's disease" (EADB consortium).

In 2016, he started the Neurogenetics and Molecular Psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cologne, expanding his research area to the molecular biology of aging as a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. His division has been specifically interested in cellular senescence as one of the fundamental processes occurring during aging. In this regard, Dr. Ramirez's team has explored whether the levels of specific proteins in cerebrospinal fluid belonging to the so-called senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) are associated with accelerated biological aging and whether this acceleration influences the progression to Alzheimer's type dementia.

Federación Española de Parkinson

Academic biography

Alicia Campos, director of the Spanish Parkinson's Federation (FEP) since 2016. She has a law degree from the King Juan Carlos University in Madrid and a degree in geography and history from the Autonoma University of Madrid.

During these years of management at the head of the FEP, she has promoted, among other projects, the Parkinson Observatory, a project for the scientific dissemination of parkinson and to connect the scientific community with de affected people.

The FEP represents people with Parkinson,s disease in Spain . Join more than 70 local Parkinson’s associations and member organizations.

MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab.

Academic biography

Katabi received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Damascus in 1995, then an M.S in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications from MIT in 1998 and 2003, respectively. In 2003, Katabi joined MIT, where she holds the title of Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She is the co-director of the MIT Center for Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing and a principal investigator at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Katabi was selected as a MacArthur Fellow in 2013. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and National Academy of Sciences in 2017, 2022, and 2023 respectively.

Research and career

Katabi's research focused on signals, machine learning and health. Her work started in networks (especially the congestion control challenge), where she found solutions for a better reliability of networks. Then, with her team, she used machine learning and signals to analyze the human body. Based on how RF signals bounce off our bodies, the researchers could measure human breathing, heart rates, emotion and sleep stages, without having the "patient" wear any sensor. Her most recent research combined medicine with AI, where she developed with her team a system capable of diagnosing Parkinson's Disease.

ACE Foundation

Dr. Agustín Ruiz is the current research director of ACE Alzheimer Center Barcelona in Spain and has an accepted position as Director of the Glenn Biggs Institute Biological Core at the University of Texas Health San Antonio (Texas, United States). Born on August 10, 1969, in Utrera, Seville, Spain, he pursued an academic journey, obtaining a degree in Medicine and Surgery, and later a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Seville. During the early years of his career, Dr. Ruiz conducted research at the Department of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis at the Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío in Seville from 1993 to 2001. His work during this period earned him the Extraordinary Doctoral Award at the University of Seville in 2000 for his Ph.D. thesis. A true entrepreneur, Dr. Ruiz co-promoted and co-founded several biotech companies. His endeavors in the field of biotechnology garnered recognition, including the Best 50K Business Idea and Best Business Plan awards from the Instituto Internacional San Telmo in Spain, and the 2008 Innovation Award for Business Excellence from the Government of Andalusia in Spain.

Throughout the past 28 years, Dr. Ruiz has made significant contributions to medical research and holds credit as a co-inventor of patents related to genetic testing, neurodegenerative biomarkers, and bioinformatics devices. His diverse expertise spans various domains, including clinical research, molecular genetics, high-performance computing, bioinformatics, and software development.

Dr. Ruiz's prolific academic career includes the publication of 252 articles and 180 preprints/abstracts in indexed journals such as JAMA, The American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Nature series, and Genome Medicine, among others. With a strong commitment to advancing scientific knowledge, Dr. Ruiz has successfully secured funding for 39 projects from regional, national, and European competitive agencies. He is also actively engaged in contributing to scientific literature, having written chapters for scientific books and reviews in national magazines.

His expertise is widely recognized in the scientific community, evident through his roles as a reviewer for projects of the European Commission and his participation on scientific review panels for projects in several European countries and high-impact journals. Dr. Ruiz's primary scientific interest centers around the application of genomic technologies in medicine, and he has been instrumental in identifying numerous genetic factors associated with various rare and common diseases.

Allen Institute for Brain Science

Ed Lein is a Senior Investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and an Affiliate Professor in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at the University of Washington. He received a B.S. in biochemistry from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from UC Berkeley, and performed postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Ed joined the Allen Institute in 2004 and has provided scientific leadership for the creation of large-scale anatomical, cellular and gene expression atlases of the adult and developing mammalian brain as catalytic community resources, including the inaugural Allen Mouse Brain Atlas and a range of developmental and adult human and non-human primate brain atlases. Current research interests involve the use of single cell genomics as a core phenotype to understand brain cellular organization, mammalian conservation and human specificity, define cellular vulnerability in disease, and identify regulatory elements that allow cell type-specific targeting and manipulation.

He leads the Human Cell Types Department, which aims to create comprehensive cell atlases of the human and non-human primate brain, understand what is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease, and create tools for precision genetic targeting of brain cell types as transformative tools for basic neuroscience and gene therapy. He is also a member of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN), a member of the Organizing Committee of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), and a CIFAR fellow.

Ed’s areas of expertise include developmental neurobiology, structural and cellular neuroanatomy, transcriptomics and epigenomics, comparative neurobiology, and Alzheimer’s disease. His research program work encompasses brain cell atlasing, comparative neurobiology, Alzheimer’s disease, and gene therapy.

Unitat de Memòria Hospital Sant Pau / CIBERNED — Barcelona, Spain

Dr. Lleó is currently the Chair of the Neurology Department. He completed his residency in Neurology in 2000 at the Hospital Sant Pau and his PhD thesis in genetics of Alzheimer’s disease at Hospital Clínic (Barcelona).

From 2002-2004 he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Memory and Movement Disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston). In 2005, he joined the Memory Unit at Hospital Sant Pau and in 2009 he became the director of the Unit until 2022. Dr. Lleó has more than 400 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals, such as Lancet Neurology, Nature Medicine, and Neuron among others.

His main lines of research are the investigation of the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases and novel therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Lleó is co-author of two patents on fluid markers for synaptopathies and novel monoclonal antibodies. Dr. Lleó also serves in the editorial board of Brain Communications and the steering board of CIBERNED.

Lund University

Gemma Salvadó, PhD, is an associate researcher at Lund University, Sweden. She was awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship for her exceptional research contributions. Gemma earned her PhD at the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Spain, focusing on the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease using neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers. Her current research investigates plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers to understand disease progression.

Gemma has authored 48 peer-reviewed articles, with 18 as the first author, published in high-impact journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Aging, Molecular Neurodegeneration, and EMBO Molecular Imaging. Her work has garnered significant recognition, reflected in a substantial increase in citations in recent years (1,558 citations on Scopus and 1,955 on Google Scholar, h-index = 23/24).

Professor of Neurology, Chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology, Director of the National Institute of Aging funded Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Co-Director of the Penn Institute on Aging, and Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center

Dr. Wolk’s primary clinical interest has been in the diagnosis and care of individuals with a variety of neurodegenerative conditions. His research has focused on the cognitive neuroscience of memory decline associated with aging and Alzheimer’s Disease using techniques including behavioral testing, structural and functional MRI, and FDG and molecular PET imaging. Much of this work is also directed at examining biomarkers, including behavioral and neuroimaging, that differentiate healthy aging from the earliest transition to AD and their potential role in understanding disease mechanisms and incorporation into treatment trials. Another related thread of his work has been to better understand, classify and predict sources of heterogeneity in AD. Dr. Wolk has had sustained NIH support since 2003 and has been the principal or co-investigator on numerous local, national and international studies, including therapeutic trials.

Dr. Wolk completed his medical training at Johns Hopkins University, a Neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and clinical Fellowship training in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School; where he also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship studying memory in Alzheimer’s Disease. Amongst a number of honors, he is the recipient of the American Academy of Neurology’s Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology.

University Medical Center Gottingen

Prof. Tiago Outeiro graduated in Biochemistry at the University of Porto and was an Erasmus student at the University of Leeds in the UK. Prof. Outeiro did his PhD thesis at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical research – MIT and worked at FoldRx Pharmaceuticals as a Research Scientist and Consultant. Prof. Outeiro was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Neurology of the Massachusetts General Hospital – Harvard Medical School where he focused on the study of Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Prof. Outeiro directed the Cell and Molecular Neuroscience Unit at IMM, Lisbon, from 2007 to 2014, and is currently Full Professor and the Director of the Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration at the University Medical Center Goettingen, in Germany. Prof. Outeiro holds a joint Professor position at Newcastle University in the UK, and is an invited Professor at the University of the Algarve. Prof. Outeiro has authored >350 research articles in international journals and participates in various international boards and in collaborative projects with the aim of identifying the molecular basis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

He has been awarded multiple awards and grants in Portugal, Germany, from the European Union, and from other international funding agencies.

Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – CIEN — Madrid, Spai

Dr. Grothe is an R3-certified senior research scientist who leads the Neuroimaging Unit at the CIEN Foundation, Reina Sofia Alzheimer Center, in Madrid. He obtained his PhD from Rostock University Medical School, Germany, and conducted post-doctoral work at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBIS), Spain. His research focuses on the use of multimodal neuroimaging techniques for studying neurodegenerative disease pathology in-vivo, and he has published over 150 peer-reviewed research articles in this field. With a current H-index of 51 he ranks among the top 3% of most highly cited researchers in Spain, and he has received several international research awards for his work, including the ‘AAIC de Leon Neuroimaging Award’ (Amsterdam, 2023). While most of his work has been focused on neuroimaging and biomarker research in Alzheimer’s disease, over the last years he has expanded his research to the in-vivo study of other common neurodegenerative pathologies of advanced age, including primary age-related tauopathy (PART), limbic age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE), and Lewy body disorders.

Universidad de Lisboa

Joaquim Ferreira completed his medical degree and PhD in neurology at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He is Professor of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon and Head of the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Portugal. He is also Group Leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (Lisbon) and head of the Neurorehabilitation Institute CNS-Campus Neurológico in Torres Vedras. He became interested in movement disorders during his medical degree and later undertook a clinical pharmacology fellowship with Professor Olivier Rascol in Toulouse, France. He has been Principal Investigator of multiple clinical trials in the field of Parkinson’s disease. His major research interests are neuropharmacology, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders.

President of Parkinson’s Europe

Dr. Josefa Domingos is the president of Parkinson’s Europe, a physiotherapist specializing in Parkinson’s disease (PD) with two decades of experience working exclusively with people with PD. Since 2005, she has played a pivotal role in creating and developing specialized health services for people with Parkinson’s in Portugal, Sweden, and the US. Currently, Dr. Domingos serves as the National Health Coordinator at the Portuguese Parkinson Patient Association (APDPk) and co-founder of Young Parkies Portugal (YPP). She also contributes to the Davis Phinney Foundation’s scientific committee and is a member of the International Movement Disorder Society's Wellness Group. Dr. Domingos is an educator, clinician, and researcher; in 2023, she completed her PhD on the practicalities of implementing community-based exercise in Parkinson’s at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Bas Bloem and Prof. Dr. Joaquim Ferreira. Her dedication to advancing Parkinson's research, advocacy, and support extends both nationally and internationally.

Amsterdam UMC

Henne Holstege majored in biochemistry at the University of Leiden. She spent a year at Harvard University in Boston, where she investigated the molecular mechanisms of satiety, and the influence of genetics on this. She went on to do her PhD at the Netherlands Cancer Institute where she studied the somatic genetic aberrations associated with the development of breast cancer. During her PhD, Dr. Henne Holstege was intrigued by how it is possible that some people manage to reach extreme ages in good health and without cognitive decline. To identify protective genetic and biomolecular factors that associate with the escape of cognitive decline, Holstege set up the 100-plus Study, a cohort study of cognitively healthy centenarians. Currently the cohort includes more than almost 500 centenarians from whom Holstege collects brain tissues, blood samples and faeces samples, in order to investigate genetics, neuropathology, neuropsychology, immunology associated with escaping cognitive decline.

While on one hand Holstege’s research focus lies on identifying protective molecular constellations that make the centenarians stand out, she realizes that this is tightly linked with the genetics of (early onset) Alzheimer’s Disease; both extremes on the same cognitive spectrum. Therefore, her lab is involved in large international collaborative joint analysis of sequencing data thousands of Alzheimer Disease cases and cognitively healthy controls the collected by European ADES and American ADSP consortia. Holstege and collaborators are currently identifying novel genes associated with the increased or decreased risk of AD. For more information see: www.holstegelab.eu

Panel de Expertos de Personas con Alzheimer (PEPA)

A Joaquina García del Moral (Kina) con tan solo 59 años le diagnosticaron Alzheimer. Kina es una de los 12 pacientes de Córdoba, 100 en España y 3.500 pacientes de todo el mundo que han participado en el ensayo clínico del nuevo y controvertido fármaco contra el Alzheimer: aducanumab. El medicamento, de la biotecnológica Biogen, fue autorizado por las Agencia del Medicamento estadounidense (FDA) y se espera que lo haga también la Agencia Europea del Medicamento (EMA).

Aducanumab, Aduhelm en su nombre comercial, busca frenar el deterioro cognitivo provocado por la enfermedad de Alzheimer y es un anticuerpo que reduce las placas de amiloide que se acumulan en estos pacientes y que se relacionan con este deterioro. Kina tiene mucho que decir. Ella lleva años inyectándose este medicamento.

Hace poco le confirmaron que lo que a ella le administraban no era placebo, era la medicación en dosis alta. Pero ella afirma que lo notaba, que su vida ha vuelto a ser como antes del diagnóstico y cree que eso solo podía ser por el aducanumab.

Fundación CIEN

After completing my formal university training in Physics, in 2012 I started a research career focused on the technical aspects of PET imaging. In 2017, I obtained my PhD (‘Cum Laude' distinction) in Medicine from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). During my PhD I developed SimPET, a novel tool for Monte Carlo simulation currently used by research groups around the world to test the robustness of neuroimaging biomarkers (https://github.com/txusser/simpet). To date, I continue leading the SimPET project as an active national multicenter consortium. As of the time of writing, 2 Ph.D. students are developing their thesis projects using SimPET.

Since the start of my career, I have also been active in the field of clinical and preclinical neuroimaging, as evidenced by my significant scientific publications in the field. These publications showcase my expertise in processing various imaging modalities, including PET, MRI, and SPECT. In 2015 I co-founded Qubiotech Health Intelligence SL (www.qubiotech.com), a startup commercializing neuroimaging quantification software. Serving as the company's CTO from 2017 to 2020, I led a team of 5 developers and successfully brought to market our most successful product, Neurocloud (www.neurocloud.es/en). Neurocloud, which incorporates automated pipelines for analyzing FDG and amyloid PET, MRI T1 and T2/FLAIR images (volumetry and white matter lesion detection), and dopaminergic SPECT, among others, is an approved medical device in the EU and is currently utilized by over 60 client hospitals in Europe. In 2020, I chose to further pursue my passion for research by joining the Molecular Imaging Group at the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) as a postdoctoral researcher, where I led neuroimaging processing tasks in the NeuroAtlantic project (https://www.neuroatlantic.eu/). In January 2022, after being awarded the prestigious "Sara Borrell Fellowship" by the Spanish Ministry of Health, I initiated a promising research line at the Movement Disorders Group in the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBIS), examining the role of Lewy Body (co-)pathology in neurodegeneration patterns and clinical presentations in clinical Alzheimer’s Disease. As of January 2024, I have joined the CIEN Foundation, Reina Sofia Alzheimer Centre, in Madrid as a postdoctoral researcher.

Throughout recent years, I have published several studies on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Lewy body disorders, primary age-related tauopathy (PART), and limbic age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). I have authored 39 research articles in international peer-reviewed journals, with 10 articles as the first author and 6 as a corresponding or senior author, in some of the leading journals in the field, such as JAMA Neurology, Brain, Movement Disorders, and Alzheimer’s & Dementia. My current H-index is 18, with more than 800 citations. During my career, I have been honored with several awards for my outstanding trajectory in technology transfer, including the “Best Technology Transfer” by the Royal Galician Sciences Academy and the “Barrié de la Maza Award” by the Royal Galician Medicine Academy, among others. I have also supervised and mentored numerous trainees and doctoral students, contributing to the next generation of researchers in the field.

MD PhD is Professor of Neuropathology and Neurology at the University of Toronto

He is Consultant Neuropathologist and Neurologist at the University Health Network (UHN) and a Principal Investigator at the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease. Dr. Kovacs is the Co-Director of the Rossy Program for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Research.

Dr. Kovacs completed his medical training at the Semmelweis University (Budapest, Hungary) where he specialized in Neurology and Neuropathology and obtained a PhD in Neuroscience. From 2004 to 2007, he was the Head of the Department of Neuropathology at the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Budapest, Hungary. From 2007 to 2019, he was an Associate Professor at the Institute of Neurology at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. He was the leader of the Hungarian (2004-2019) and Austrian (2011-2019) Reference Center for Human Prion Diseases. Dr. Kovacs has also trained at Indiana University (2007) and University of Pennsylvania (2016 and 2017) as a visiting professor/scholar.

His major research interest is the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases to identify early biomarkers and therapy targets. His achievements include first descriptions, characterization and pathogenic elucidation of several poorly recognized neurological diseases, including frontotemporal dementia with globular glial inclusions and ageing-related tau-astrogliopathy (ARTAG). He coordinated a study and described the sequential distribution of tau pathology in progressive supranuclear palsy, which allows staging of disease. In addition, Dr. Kovacs has made fundamental descriptions and advances in the pathogenic, genetic, neuropathologic and epidemiologic studies on human tau, alpha-synuclein and prion protein- diseases. He has published more than 380 peer-reviewed papers and edited three books on Neuropathology.

KU-Leuven

I am a postdoctoral researcher investigating neuropathology of dementia, at KU Leuven, Belgium. My main research focus is TDP-43 pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease, LATE and frontotemporal dementia, using human post-mortem brain tissue and combining histology, multiomics and biophysics. I am also interested in investigating pathological synergies between TDP-43 and different co-pathologies in the context of dementia and how they contribute to neurodegeneration. Ultimately, I aim to improve the neuropathological assessment of age-related pathologies, which may contribute to the development of disease-specific therapeutic strategies.

Consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Professor Cath Mummery is a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She is chair of the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration, building a national unified trials network for early phase clinical trials and working with the Mission to accelerate and enhance dementia translational research in novel treatments.

She is Head of Clinical Trials at the Dementia Research Centre at University College London, and Deputy Director for the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre. She has been chief investigator on over 20 early phase drug trials of potential disease modifying agents in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and genetic forms of AD and frontotemporal dementia.

As clinical lead for the UCL Neurogenetic Therapies Programme, she leads a programme of innovative collaboration between industry and academia to accelerate progress in genetic therapies in dementia.

Her driving ambition is to ensure we not only have treatments that can alter the course of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, but that we can deliver them promptly, safely and equitably.

Assistant Professor, Anatomy and neurosciences - Amsterdam UMC

Specialization: MRI, pathology, neurodegeneration

My main research aim is to translate post mortem MRI signatures of neuropathology and neurodegeneration to the clinical setting, in order to facilitate a better interpretation of MRI datasets, and contribute to a better diagnosis, prognosis and patient stratification.

For this, we set up a standardized pipeline including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other dementia’s as well as non-neurological control donors, all undergoing the same 3T in-situ MRI and autopsy protocol with subsequent pathological assessment.

With this approach, my research line is threefold: studying the influence of pathological and neuronal markers on (i) cortical alterations, (ii) specific nuclei and their projections, and (ii) the integrating and segregating brain network.

University of Ferrara
Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS Rome, Italy

Professor Giacomo Koch trained in London at the University College of London. For more than ten years he has been involved in the acute treatment of stroke in the Stroke Unit of the Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome.

He has directed the noninvasive brain stimulation laboratory at the Fondazione S. Lucia IRCCS in Rome since 2006. He has decades of experience in the field of clinical neurophysiology of the motor system and cognitive functions, with a translational approach to the study and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, movement disorders and Alzheimer's disease.

He has held the position of Full Professor of Physiology at the University of Ferrara since 2020.

His main expertise is based on the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Continuous Current Stimulation (TDCS). Used in conjunction with clinical neuroimaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), they allow the identification of the neuro-anatomical basis of neurophysiological modulations of cortical activity induced by noninvasive brain stimulation.

In that field, Professor Giacomo Koch has won numerous international awards, appearing among the top ten top experts in the world by number of publications. He is the author of about 330 international publications with an H-index of 70, is on the list of Top Italian Scientists (TIS), and is a Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Physiology.

The translational approach of his research is evidenced by the design and conduct of clinical trials for which he has been Principal Investigator (PI) in the field of cerebrovascular pathology and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease

MD, PhD
Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.

Servei de Neurologia, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.

Marc Suárez-Calvet MD PhD is a clinical neurologist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. He is the Group Leader of the Fluid Biomarkers and Translational Neurology Research Group at Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center and at the Neurology Department of Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain).

Recipient of the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant, Dr. Suárez-Calvet directs his efforts towards the investigation of blood proteins associated with neurodegeneration and brain aging. His studies on blood biomarkers have been featured in journals such as Nature Medicine, JAMA Neurology, and Neurology.

After earning his medical degree at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2004), he completed his Neurology residency at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (2009), followed by a research fellowship at Harvard University. Between 2012 and 2017, he served as a researcher at Prof Christian Haass Lab at Ludwig-Maximilians Universität and the Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen in Munich, Germany. During this period, he led groundbreaking translational projects, uncovering the first post-translational modification specifically associated with FTLD-FUS, namely monomethylated arginine (MMA) FUS, and initiating a biomarker project centered on sTREM2, a microglial biomarker.

In 2017, Dr Suárez-Calvet held an honorary clinical assistant position at the Dementia Research Center in the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (UCLH), London, UK, under the guidance of Prof Nick Fox. He completed a fellowship at the University of Gothenburg under the mentorship of Prof. Blennow.

In 2018, he joined the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) and combines his research activity with a clinical appointment in Hospital del Mar. Recognizing his outstanding contributions, he was honored with the "Alzheimer Prize 2021" from the Spanish Society for Neurology.

Nova Medical School & Brain Aging and Dementia Study Group (GEECD)

Areas of Interest

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, mild cognitive impairment

Academic Background

• Degree in Medicine (2001, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon - FMUL).
• Specialty in Neurology (2009, Portuguese Medical Association)
• PhD in Medicine (2021, Nova Medical School)

Professional Career and Functions

• Graduate Assistant in Neurology at Hospital de Egas Moniz – Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental.
• Coordinator of the Cognition Diseases Outpatient Clinic at Hospital de Egas Moniz-Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental.
• Responsible for the Training of Neurology Residents at the Neurology Service of Hospital de Egas Moniz- Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental.
• Assistant Lecturer in the Curricular Unit of Medical-Surgical Specialties I, Neurology Module, of the Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine at Nova Medical School.
• Researcher at Centro Clínico Académico de Lisboa (CCAL).
• President of the Brain Aging and Dementia Study GEECD - Group Grupo de Estudos de Envelhecimento Cerebral e Demência).

Scientific activity

• Participation in clinical trials in the field of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
• Author of more than 15 articles published in peer-reviewed international journals.

Alzheimer Europe and Associação Alzheimer Portugal

Maria do Rosário has been practicing law in Portugal since 1987, with a focus on family law and the legal rights of people with diminished capacity. She is also a trainer on these same issues.

She is the Chairperson of Alzheimer Portugal.

On behalf of Alzheimer Portugal she is the General Meeting Chairperson of "Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo" , an umbrella organisation of 70 organisations, mostly of patients organisations of people living with chronic diseases.

She is a former member of CEIC - National Ethics Committee for Clinical Research. Maria do Rosário has been a member of the Alzheimer Europe Board since 2008, was the Honorary Treasurer from 2010-2020, after that started to serve as Chairperson.

Center for Transaltional research in Neurodegenerative disease. University of Florida

Malú Gámez Tansey, Ph.D. is the Norman and Susan Fixel Chair in Neuroscience and Neurology and former Director of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Florida. Her lab focuses on the role of inflammation and immune system responses in brain health and neurodegenerative disease, with particular focus on central-peripheral neuroimmune crosstalk and the gut-brain axis, with the long-term goal of developing better therapies to prevent and/or delay these diseases.

Dr. Tansey obtained her B.S/M.S in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Cell Regulation from UT Southwestern followed by post-doctoral work in neuroscience at Washington University. As head of Chemical Genetics at Xencor, she co-invented novel soluble TNF inhibitors that have now advanced to clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease. She returned to academia as an Assistant Professor of Physiology at UT Southwestern in 2002 and was recruited to Emory University School of Medicine as a tenured Associate Professor in 2009. After 10 years at Emory and rising to the rank of Full Professor where she earned several mentoring awards from students and faculty for her efforts in championing early-stage investigators, women and other under-represented groups in STEM, she was recruited to the Department of Neuroscience in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, where she served on the executive committees for the McKnight Brain Institute and the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases. She will be moving to the Stark Neuroscience Research Institute at Indiana University in Indianapolis in January of 2025 as the first Director of Neuroimmunology Research and Executive Associate Director of Education at the Stark.

DZNE. University of Bonn

Degrees

• 2011 Venia legendi, University of Göttingen
• 2011 Board certification Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
• 2003 MD thesis, University of Hamburg

Major previous appointments

• since 2016 Head, Dept. Neurodegenerative Diseases and Gerontopsychiatry, Univ Clinic Bonn
• since 2016 Group Leader, DZNE Bonn (W3, clinical dementia research)
• 2014-2016 Group Leader, DZNE Göttingen (W2, translational dementia research)
• 2011-2016 Deputy head, Clinical Dementia Center, University Medical Center Göttingen.
• 2012-2014 Heisenberg Fellowship (German Research Foundation), Guest Group, MPI Experimental Medicine, Göttingen

Activities in the Scientific Community / Professional Memberships

• Since 2017 Research Committee, Medical Faculty, University Bonn, Bonn
• Since 2017 Scientific Advisory Board, German PSP Society.
• 2015-2017 Associated member, European Neuroscience Institute, Göttingen
• Honors and Awards
• 2015 Research Award, German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
• 2012 Heisenberg Fellowship, German Research Foundation
• 2008 Steinberg Krupp Award for Alzheimer research

PhD Candidate, Exercise PRO-MS Study and Post-doctoral Researcher, HersenFIT Study

Organization:

• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, MS Centrum Amsterdam
• Research Institutes: Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Neurosciences

Education Background:

• Bachelor's Degree: Physiotherapy

Master's Degree:

• Human Movement Sciences Specialization/Focus of research: Exercise Physiology, Neurodegeneration, Multiple Sclerosis.

CNS Portugal

Daniela Pimenta Silva graduated in Medicine at the University of Coimbra and completed her Neurology residency at Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Hospital Santa Maria.

During residency, she developed a special interest in movement disorders and pursued a clinical fellowship at Hôpitaux Universitaires Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris, France, where she had the opportunity to learn and practice with Professor Marie Vidailhet.

Currently, Daniela is a PhD student at the University of Lisbon. Her research is focused on the use of Virtual Reality in the non-pharmacological management of Parkinson’s disease, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Miguel Coelho and Prof. Dr. Joaquim Ferreira.

Institute of Neuropathology
UKE Research. Hamburg

Dr. Sepulveda-Falla studied medicine at the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, and obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He followed with a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Neuropathology of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in the same city, focusing on neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease.

In the same institution he became a research group leader, and he is currently the head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropathology of Alzheimer’s Disease in this center. Dr. Sepulveda-Falla started his interest in Alzheimer’s disease as a brain donation assistant, which motivated him to follow a career researching the pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Sepulveda-Falla conducted the identification of the underlying cause of cerebellar symptoms in familial Alzheimer’s disease, spotting Ca2+ homeostasis in the mitochondria as a key factor in Purkinje Cells neurodegeneration. Following this clue, he developed cellular and animal models for the exploration of the role for gamma secretase in mitochondria. His group focuses on the characterization of disease heterogeneity in more than 100 brains donated by members of the PSEN1 E280A population, identifying the association between the degree of severity of tau pathology and age of disease onset.

His lab is currently using high throughput molecular, and machine learning-assisted neuropathological techniques to perform deep phenotyping of Alzheimer’s brains. Recently, Dr. Sepulveda-Falla described the neuropathological findings in two outstanding cases protected against the disease for more than three decades.

Presidenta de CEAFA

Mariló empezó su labor como voluntaria en el mundo Alzheimer cuando su madre fue diagnosticada de esta enfermedad en Motril. Ante la falta de recursos en esa ciudad, en el año 2010 fundó la Asociación Afacontigo Alzheimer de Motril. Desde entonces entró a formar parte en la Federación Granadina de Alzheimer, de la que es presidenta desde 2014. Actualmente también es Tesorera de la Confederación Andaluza de Alzheimer y Otras Demencias.

En el año 2016 entró a formar parte de la Junta de Gobierno de CEAFA como vocal, y ya en 2019 ocupó el cargo de vicepresidenta. Desde 2022 ocupa la presidencia de CEAFA.

Durante su mandato, la Junta de Gobierno tiene como meta continuar trabajando para poner el Alzheimer en la agenda política, buscando el necesario compromiso social para llevar a cabo acciones que ayuden a cambiar el estigma asociado a la enfermedad.

Neurólogo. Director Científico
Fundación CITA-Alzheimer Fundazioa
Donostia-San Sebastián

Degree in Medicine (1989), Specialist in Neurology (1992) and PhD in Medicine (1994) at the University of Navarra. I have devoted my whole professional life to clinical assistance, research and teaching in the field of cognitive impairment and dementia in various institutions such as the Virgen del Camino Hospital in Pamplona, the Landazabal Psychogeriatric Center in Burlada, the Memory Disorders Unit of the University Hospital of Navarra, Fundació ACE in Barcelona and now at the Center for Research and Advanced Therapies of the CITA-Alzheimer Foundation in San Sebastián.

Our research is focused on the pre-clinical and prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease, biomarkers, neuroimaging and risk factors with a special interest in early detection and diagnosis, early treatment and primary/secondary prevention.

Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – CIEN — Madrid, Spai

Dr Teodoro del Ser Quijano is currently the Coordinator of the Department of Neurology at the CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Research Center, Madrid. Spain. He is neurologist and neuropsychologist and has worked in the research on neurodegenerative diseases, clinicopathological studies of dementing illnesses, epidemiology of vascular dementia, post-stroke dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer’s Disease and mild cognitive impairment, has collaborated in the design and performance of clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, and has headed the development of a GSK-3 inhibitor compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

MRC Prion Unit at UCL
National Prion Clinic, UCLH

After medical training at Cambridge and Oxford Universities and a PhD in the genetics of prion diseases at Imperial College London, Simon Mead is a consultant neurologist and Clinical Lead of the UK National Prion Clinic based at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH.

Also working at the UK Medical Research Council’s Prion Unit where he is Deputy Director, his research interests include treatments and preparations for clinical trials in CJD and other human prion diseases, the discovery of genetic and epigenetic factors that cause or modify prion disease. He was made a Professor at UCL in 2014, NIHR Senior Investigator in 2018.

Yale School of Medicine — Connecticut, USA

Prof. Jorge Sepulcre is a leading expert in dementia neuroimaging and multiomic research. After completing his medical degree, neurology residency, and PhD in Spain, he joined the Martinos Center and the Harvard University Center for Brain Science as a Research Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Randy Buckner. In 2011, Dr. Sepulcre was appointed as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. In 2024, he transitioned to Yale University, where he now serves as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and the Yale PET Center.

At Yale, the Sepulcre Lab focuses on the intersection of brain connectomics, neuroscience, and multiomics, with a strong emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Over the past decade, his lab has been at the forefront of developing advanced graph theory metrics to investigate the network architecture (connectomics) of the aging and Alzheimer's-affected brain using PET and MRI. Currently, the Sepulcre Lab integrates neuroimaging-connectomics and multiomic datasets to uncover novel molecular targets and to design small molecules for PET tracers and therapeutic interventions in dementia.

Unitat de Memòria Hospital Sant Pau / CIBERNED — Barcelona, Spain

Dr. Juan Fortea is a behavioral neurologist and dementia expert, serving as Director of the Memory Unit at Hospital de Sant Pau (HSP) and founding Director of the Alzheimer Down Unit at the Catalan Foundation for Down Syndrome in Barcelona, Spain. The HSP Memory Unit is a leading European center in clinical, biomarker, and translational research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. The Alzheimer Down Unit pioneered a population-based health plan for screening AD in adults with Down syndrome (DSAD), including the Down Alzheimer Barcelona Neuroimaging Initiative (DABNI), the largest single-center cohort with multimodal biomarker studies.

Dr. Fortea's research focuses on biomarker discovery for early neurodegenerative diagnosis and the natural history of AD. His work was the first to demonstrate the parallels between autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) and DSAD, establishing DSAD as a genetically determined AD form and contributing to the reconceptualization of APOE4 homozygotes in this framework. He has also proposed a novel biphasic model of amyloid-related inflammation in preclinical AD.

He leads multiple national and international research projects in Europe and the US and has co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications. He is an active member of several scientific committees and societies, including the International Scientific Committee of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation and the Clinical Research Committee of the Trisomy 21 Research Society. He is the past Chair of the Down Syndrome Professional Interest Area (Alzheimer’s Association, USA) and is the past Chair of the Behavioral Neurology and Dementia Study Group of the Spanish Neurological Society.

Unitat de Memòria Hospital Sant Pau / CIBERNED — Barcelona, Spain

I’m a neurologist specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, with over 15 years of clinical experience at the Memory Unit of Hospital Sant Pau. My research focuses on fluid biomarkers, contributing to over 180 high-impact publications with more than 14,000 citations. These studies have had a strong translational impact, enabling biomarker implementation in clinical practice. I am also actively involved in teaching, mentoring, and supervising doctoral and master’s theses.

Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience. Leioa, Spain

I graduated in Biology at the University of Basque Country (UPV-EHU) and obtained my PhD in Neurosciences with Summa Cum Laude working in Carlos Matute´s lab at the UPV-EHU, where I studied the role of glutamatergic and purinergic systems in Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis (J Neurosci 2007; Glia 2008; Neurobiol Dis 2006; 2010). For my postdoctoral training, I first joined Yamaguchi´s lab at Sanford-Burnham MD Institute, US, where I identified the role of extracellular matrix components in neuronal activity and epileptogenesis (J Neurosci 2014; Rev Neurosci 2017). Afterwards, I became interested in identifying basic mechanisms causing Alzheimer´s disease (AD) and Parkinson´s disease (PD), and joined Bart De Strooper’s lab at the University of Leuven & VIB Institute (KUL-VIB), Belgium. There, I pioneered an innovative line of research focused on the generation and characterization of humanized chimeric models of AD, which allowed the analyses of human neurons and glial cells in vivo and revealed specific transcriptional changes and a selective vulnerability of these human cells to the amyloid pathology (Neuron 2017; Nat Neurosci 2019; Molec Neurodegener 2021; Science 2023). I worked on additional studies deciphering the role of genes associated to AD or PD, such as PLD3, LRRK2, PARL and TSPAN6, that were published in top journals (Nature, Lancet Neurol, PNAS, etc). I got funding through competitive calls i.e. the Alzheimer’s Association US, Alzheimer’s Foundation Belgium and Flanders Research Foundation.

Since 2019, I am Ikerbasque Researcher and the head of the Humanized Models of Disease Lab at Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience. The major research goal of the lab is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie AD by using humanized models. These models are generated using a combined approach that includes in vitro and in vivo tools of neurobiology and the pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) technology. Human PSCs are differentiated to neurons and glial cells and then exposed to amyloid-β, Tau and other disease-related factors, in in vitro models or in vivo in chimeric models of disease. This technology allows studying the responses of human glia and neurons exposed to disease-associated factors, and unraveling human-specific pathways and mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AD. My team has generated a novel chimeric model of AD with human astrocytes that revealed specific morphological alterations in human astrocytes exposed to the amyloid pathology in an in vivo context, and we have recently published various papers at Molec Neurodegener, Cell Reports, Ann NY Acad Sci and Cells.

The lab is currently funded by the MICINN, the Alzheimer’s Association US, Ikerbasque and the Basque Government. I have been awarded a Ramon y Cajal fellowship and recently got an ERC Consolidator grant from the European Research Council. My lab is currently composed by 4 predoctoral researchers and 1 technician. I have also been visiting professor at KUL-VIB until 2023, and supervised a predoctoral researcher who has recently defended his thesis and is working as scientist at GSK Pharmaceutical Company. I also participated in the training of 4 master students, 2 undergraduates and 8 technicians. My lab has international collaborations with known researchers in Belgium (Bart de Strooper, Dietmar Thal), US (Alison Goate, Julia TCW), UK (Andras Lakatos, Alex Verhkratsky) and Poland (Aleksandra Pekowska), as well as national collaborations (Elena Alberdi at UPV/EHU, Maite Solas at UN, Amanda Sierra at Achucarro). I have been invited to present my work in the next EMBO workshop on astrocytes in April 2025, and was invited speaker at prestigious institutions (Universities of Kyoto, Pennsylvania, Porto, NY Stem Cell Foundation, Nencki Institute) and international conferences (FENS Forum, Alzheimer´s Association International Conference, Japan Neuroscience Society, Brain Prize Meeting, AD/PD International Conference). I am grant reviewer for the Spanish National Agency, Research Foundation Flanders, UK Research & Innovation, Israel Science Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, Alzheimer´s Association US and Alzheimer Forschung Initiative. I am editor of a special issue at Biomolecules, as well as journal reviewer of scientific journals i.e. Nat Neurosci, Molec Psychiatry, EMBO Molec Medicine, J Clin Invest, Molec Neurodegener, CMLS, Cell Reports, J Neuroinflammat, etc. I was session organizer, chair and speaker at the Spanish Society for Neuroscience Meeting 2023 and the Japan Neuroscience Society Meeting 2018; and part of the organization committees of the Science Festival Day 2017 and 2018 at KUL-VIB and the Neuroscience Day 2021 and 2022 at Achucarro & UPV/EHU. I have participated in various outreach activities i.e. interviews at radio, TV, journals, and webinars and science dissemination journals.

Universidad de Navarra — Pamplona, Spain

Emeritus Professor of Endocrinology. Faculty of Medicine of the University of Navarra. Member of CIBER OBN (Obesity & Nutrition). Institute Carlos III, Madrid. Former Head of Department of Endocrinology & Nutrition. University Clinic of Navarra (2000-2018). Past president of the Spanish Endocrine & Nutrition Society (2011-2014) and the Foundation of the Spanish Endocrine & Nutrition Society (2014-2017). Recipient of the Annual Medal for Excellent Professional Career from the Spanish Endocrine & Nutrition Society (2018). Basilio Moreno Award for professional trajectory in obesity from the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (2023). Mentorship of professors. Faculty of Medicine. University of Navarra (2023-2025).

Reina Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center-CIEN

Dr. Aitana Sogorb Esteve holds a degree in Biology from the University of Alicante (2013), a Master’s in Neuroscience from Miguel Hernández University of Elche (2014), and a PhD in Neuroscience with International Mention from the same university (2018). Throughout her career in Spain and the United Kingdom, Aitana has focused her research on the development of biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of therapies in dementias. She carried out her doctoral studies at the Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease at the Institute of Neurosciences in Alicante. During her PhD, Aitana completed an international research stay at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

After completing her PhD, Aitana began a postdoctoral position at University College London in the United Kingdom. She joined the UK Dementia Research Institute, where she focused her project on markers of microglial activation in Alzheimer’s disease. This work was conducted across London, Leuven (Belgium), and Gothenburg (Sweden). In 2022, Aitana was awarded the prestigious Race Against Dementia Fellowship, sponsored by three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Dr. Sogorb Esteve has now joined– Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Center- CIEN , where she serves as Head of the Biomarker Platform and Principal Investigator of the research group.

Hospital Universitario de Navarra/Centro de investigación biomédica Navarrabiomed

Dr. Maite Mendioroz is a neurologist and researcher with over fourteen years of experience in clinical practice and epigenetic research, specializing in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease and stroke. After completing a PhD in June 2010 at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Dr. [Last Name] pursued postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Benjamin Tycko at Columbia University's Institute for Cancer Genetics, where he/she developed specialized expertise in epigenetics.

Returning to Spain, Dr. Mendioroz joined the Hospital Universitario de Navarra as a clinical neurologist while maintaining an active research program. In 2013, she established and currently leads the Neuroepigenetics Research Unit at Navarrabiomed, holding a principal investigator position. Between 2022 and 2024, Dr. Mendioroz served as Director of Navarrabiomed, where she was responsible for overseeing research strategy and institutional development.

Dr. Mendioroz's research program focuses on two key areas: the identification of epigenetic biomarkers for early neurological disease diagnosis and the exploration of novel therapeutic targets for neurological disorders. Her work emphasizes translational approaches that bridge fundamental research with clinical applications. This research has been recognized through competitive funding awards and has fostered collaborations with leading international researchers in the field of neuroscience.

Universidad de Alicante, Madrid, Spain

Francisco J. M. Mojica is Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is a Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology, the Academia Europaea, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and a Corresponding Member of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences. Dr. Mojica earned his PhD in Biology from the University of Alicante in 1993, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Utah (USA) and the University of Oxford (UK). On returning to Alicante in 1997, he was appointed Associate Professor and founded the Molecular Microbiology Research Group. A pioneer of CRISPR research, he has received more than 70 awards, including the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, the PLuS Alliance Prize for Global Innovation, the Jaime I Prize for Basic Research, and the Albany Medical Center Prize. He holds six honorary doctorates and is ranked among the top 2% of most cited scientists worldwide.

Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche / CIBERNED. Alicante, Spain

Dr. Sáez-Valero obtained the PhD at the Murcia University (Spain), with Postdoctoral stays at the Pathology Department, Melbourne University (Australia), where he start to study the Alzheimer's disease; and a shorten postdoctoral at the Mario Negri Institute. Milan (Italy). Since 2001 he directed his research group at the Neuroscience Institute of the Miguel Hernández University (Spain), where he is Professor. The group is part of CIBERNED, a Network Research Institute that bring together basic and clinical research groups interested in Alzheimer's disease, and of ISABIAL, a health research institute linked to the Alicante Hospital. Sáez-Valero group aims to clarify the pathological mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease, but also to define potential diagnostic tools and/or processes with therapeutic relevance.

The expertise comprises characterization of brain proteins post-translational modifications, including glycosylation, phosphorylation and proteolytic processing; and ligand-receptor interaction associated to signaling pathways; assessment of sustained inhibition of key enzymes such as secretases and cholinesterases inhibitors. Recently, the group initiated a new research line in COVID-19 focusing in the host coronavirus receptor ACE2. General indicators of the scientific production of Javier Sáez-Valero available in google scholar.

Instituto Cajal CSIC- Madrid, Spain

Graduated in Biology (UCM) in 1989, José Mª Frade obtained his PhD in Biological Sciences (UAM) in 1994. He has carried out stays at the University of Liverpool and the Max-Plank Institute of Neurobiology. In 1998, he joined the Cajal Institute, where he held consecutive positions of Contracted Researcher, Senior Researcher, and Scientific Researcher, where he set up the "Neuronal Generation and Degeneration in Vertebrates" group focused on the integration of cell proliferation versus cycle exit that results in neurogenesis, as well as in the maintenance of the postmitotic state and homeostasis of neurons, and its deregulation in neurodegenerative pathologies and aging.

He has been vice director of the Cajal Institute and currently vice director of the Ci2A, coordinator of the PTI+ NeuroAging, and Scientific Director of Tetraneuron, a biotech company spin-off from his laboratory. With more than 30 years of expertise, he has made relevant discoveries, including the demonstration of the proapoptotic role of NGF through the p75NTR receptor, and the finding that TrkA and TrkC are dependence-receptors causing apoptosis in the absence of their cognate neurotrophin ligands, both studies published in Nature. In addition, he has shown the existence of tetraploid neurons in the normal vertebrate brain, and the mechanism involved in their generation, which has allowed the development of a therapeutic strategy to treat both neurodegenerative diseases and aging that is currently finishing its regulatory preclinical phase. In addition, he has also demonstrated that the three-dimensional structure of the neuroepithelium is crucial for neurogenesis to take place correctly. He has published fifty-five articles in ISI Journals with 5,636 citations (Google Scholar, GS) in total, plus two books and several book chapters. This has allowed him to have an h-index of 35 (GS). He has directed 8 PhD theses (3 more under process), 6 master theses and 4 degree theses. He has been able to continuously fund his laboratory with public and private research grants, and two R&D contracts. He is author of 3 patents that are licensed by Tetraneuron.

ONESTIX Olavide Neuron STX SL – Sevilla, Spain

Education/Training:

• University of Seville, Spain: BSc in Pharmacy (07/1988)
• University of Seville, Spain: PhD in Molecular Microbiology (05/1993)
• National Center for Biotechnology (CSIC): Post-Doc in Molecular Microbiology (08/1996)
• Institute of Plant Sciences (CNRS): Post-Doc in Plant Biotechnology (09/1998)
• University of Seville, Spain: Post-Doc in Biotechnology (12/2000)
• San Telmo Business School: AD-1 Executive Course (07/2021)
• Personal Statement: Ángel Cebolla is a scientist turned biotech entrepreneur with 25 years of experience. His scientific interests have been broad, ranging from basic to applied science. He has combined curiosity, a practical mindset, creativity, and ambition to bring something innovative to the community from novel scientific knowledge.

Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors:

• Co-founding partner and CEO of the biotechnology company Biomedal (2000-2022).
• Co-founding partner and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the technology-based company (microfluidics) Ingeniatrics Tecnologías S.L. (2001).
• Co-founding partner and CSO of Glutenostics (USA), which launched the first domestic urine gluten detection test in the USA to assess adherence to a gluten-free diet (2017-2022).
• Successful experience during the 25 years as CEO of Biomedal in management, forming multiple R&D teams, and coordinating public-private research projects. Out-licensing and In-licensing different technologies.
• Successful business plan design for Biomedal SL and Ingeniatrics SL to be invested by venture capital, and to divest his partners with capital gains made so far.
• In charge of the development and commercialization of products that have become world leaders in their category (Glutentox®) or (GlutenDetect).
• Co-founder and president of the Association of Biotechnological Companies of Andalusia, Bioandalucía (2008). President of the Association from 2010-2018.
• Author of more than 100 international scientific publications in the field of microbial and plant molecular biology, biopharmaceutical applications of microfluidics, food safety, and human diagnostics.
• Co-inventor of sixteen patent applications and international patents, seven of them are or have been utilized by technology-based companies such as Active Motif (Carlsbad, USA), Ingeniatrics, Biomedal, (Spain), etc.
• Coordinator and responsible for more than twenty applied and industrial research projects competitively co-financed by regional and national public bodies, the European Commission, and private bodies.
• Professor in several masters, university courses, and speaker to aspiring research entrepreneurs from research in the south of Spain.
• Business plan awards in 2000, 2002 (Biomedal), 2003 (Ingeniatrics Tech.), 2022 (Olavide Neuron STX).
• Award for the research project of the Association of Celiac and Gluten Sensitive of the Community of Madrid (2012).
• Biomedal Award for the best Andalusian small-medium enterprise in Biotechnology (2011).
• Cartuja Award for Scientific Development (2012) to Biomedal.

Achucarro-Basque Center for Neuroscience /CIBERNED. Leioa, Spain

Ignacio Torres Alemán coordinates a research group of international reference in the neurobiology of insulin-like factors. Various results stemming from his lab have led to clinical studies with positive outcomes, reflecting a particular interest in translating research findings to society. His most significant achievements include:

• Directed 39 R&D&I projects funded through competitive calls from public and private administrations or entities, and 12 non-competitive R&D&I contracts with private entities.
• Intellectual and industrial property: 8 patents (some of them licensed to Serono, Noscira, and Igefercia); one awarded by Madri+d in 2007 for best patent.
• Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals: 161
• More than 70 invited presentations at national and international congresses
• Outreach activities: 14, including publications and participations (articles, lectures).
• Advisory scientific committees, scientific societies: member of 8 scientific committees
• Invited to give over 30 lectures at prestigious institutions abroad (USA, Japan, Sweden, England, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, etc.) and around 100 in various Spanish institutions.
• R&D&I management experience: representative, member, and founding partner of several scientific entities and two technology-based enterprises (EBTs); deputy director (1996–2000) and director of the Cajal Institute (2009–2017), and director of the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience (2021–present).
• Integrated into 5 thematic networks, most of them international.
• Recipient of one biomedical research award (Pfizer, 2003).
• Participated in European and international projects and programs, and in European and international mobility at Yale University School of Medicine, Collège de France, CNRS, Tulane University School of Medicine, Università di Milano, and Japan Society, among others.
• Supervised a total of 19 doctoral theses and participated in 7 subjects or courses as a teaching activity in various national universities. The laboratory continuously hosts students from countries such as Japan, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, England, France, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, etc.
• Adjunct Professor of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine (USA), since 2010.

MD, PhD, Prof. Directora Médica de Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona

Neurologist, Doctor of Medicine from the University of Barcelona. She is co-founder with Lluís Tàrraga of Fundaciò ACE, (currently, Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona) and medical director.

Mercè Boada is a distinguished professor at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and a member of the Executive Committee of the EADC (European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium) and principal investigator of the Ace Group of CIBERNED (Biomedical Research Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Network, Carlos III Institute, Madrid).

She completed her professional training at the Vall d'Hebrón University Hospital Neurology Service in Barcelona. She held the position of Clinical Chief, being responsible for the dementia research area of the Vall d'Hebrón Research Institute. She was secretary of the Generalitat de Catalunya, technician of the Consell Assessor in Psychogeriatrics of the Servei Català de la Salut that elaborated the “Pla de Demències: polítiques específiques per a la detecció i l’atenció de trastorns cognitius i de la conducta” (1998 ).

At European level, she led the MOPEAD project (Models of Patient Engagement for Alzheimer's Disease), co-led the ADAPTED project (Alzheimer's Disease Apolipoprotein Pathology for Treatment Elucidation and Development) with Dr. Agustín Ruíz, both funded by the European Community through IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) and EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations).

She has also participated as a researcher in the projects EPAD (European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia Consortium), AMYPAD (Amyloid Imaging to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease), PreDADQoL (Ethical and legal framework for Predictive Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease: Quality of Life of individuals at risk and their close others) and PreTAD (The Predictive Turn in Alzheimer's Disease: Ethical, Clinical, Linguistic, and Legal Aspects).

She is the principal investigator and co-investigator of various genetic projects, GR@ACE (Genomic Research at ACE), of the FACEHBI cohort (Fundaciò ACE Healthy Brain Initiative), and NORFACE (Neuro-ophthalmology Research at Fundaciò ACE), and TARTAGLIA.

At the institutional level, he has directed more than 135 international clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. She has served as a consultant and collaborator with the pharmaceutical industry in different studies on Alzheimer's disease.

She has published 557 scientific articles (Research Gate; h-index: 67), 37 book chapters and 12 popular medical books.

At the ethical-social research level, she is the co-editor of the SITGES Document 2005 and 2009 of the Spanish Society of Neurology.

Member of the Board of Trustees of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera and promoter of its REMS program (Reforçar i Estimular la Memòria i la Salut).

She has been awarded the Professional Excellence Award by the Consell de Col-legi de Metges de Catalunya (2008), ACRA Award (Catalan Association of Care Resources) for professional career 2015, Josep Trueta Medal for health merit (2012) and received the Alzheimer Award from the Spanish Society of Neurology in 2021.

She was awarded in 2022 with the Fenin Award for Healthcare Technological Innovation And in 2023, she also received the Premi Muncunill award or Honor. The Generalitat de Catalunya awarded her the Creu de Sant Jordi in 2016, for her trajectory in Alzheimer's disease, one of the highest recognitions of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Dr. Boada has been awarded the prestigious honorary award at the Muncunill Awards for Innovation on May 2023.

Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla – Santander, Spain

Dr. Marta Fernández Matarrubia is a neurologist specialized in cognitive and behavioral disorders. She earned her medical degree from the University of Cantabria (Extraordinary Award) and completed her neurology residency at the Clínico San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid, including a clinical rotation at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. In 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. Cum Laude from the Complutense University of Madrid with a thesis on functional neuroimaging in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Marta Fernández Matarrubia has developed her career in both clinical and academic settings. She previously worked as a neurologist at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and as an Associate Professor at the University of Navarra. She currently practices at the Cognitive Impairment Unit of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (HUMV, Santander), while conducting research at the IDIVAL Institute. She has led and participated in several competitive research projects focused on fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases. Since October 2022, she has been leading a funded research project on glial and neuroinflammatory markers in the preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease (ref. NVAL22/07).

She is an active member of DEGESCO and CIBERNED and is involved in multiple clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease. She also coordinates the CPMS platform of the European Reference Network on Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), as well as the GENetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (GENFI) at HUMV.

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre — Madrid, Spain

Dr Estrella Morenas Rodríguez is a neurologist and translational neuroscientist focused on cognitive disorders and neurodegeneration. She earned her MD at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and completed her Neurology residency at Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona, where she also trained in cognitive-behavioural neurology and obtained her PhD, focused on the clinical and biological heterogeneity of dementia with Lewy bodies. As a post-doctoral fellow in Prof. Christian Haass’s laboratory at the DZNE-Munich, she started her biomarker-driven investigations into the role of TREM2-dependent microglial activation in Alzheimer’s disease. Returning to Spain, Dr Morenas established her own research line as a Juan Rodés Group Leader within the Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid). Her current work focus on whether TREM2-mediated microglial responses intersect with multiple pathogenic pathways to shape neuropathology and clinical trajectories across different neurodegenerative disorders.

Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Sul — Porto Alegre, Brazil

Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at UFRGS and Adjunct Professor at McGill University (Canada), Associate Researcher at the Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, CNPq productivity fellow (level B), and grantee of the Serrapilheira Institute and Ciência Pioneira. Eduardo received the One-to-Watch Award (2021) and the Blas Frangione Early Career Achievement Award (2024), both from the Alzheimer’s Association. Author of over 130 articles published in international journals, including Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, and The Lancet Global Health. He has extensive experience in experimental and clinical studies on Alzheimer’s disease, with a special focus on astrocytes.

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – CIEN — Madrid, Spain

Emiliano Bruner has a PhD in Animal Biology from the University La Sapienza of Rome, Italy. He is a senior researcher at the National Museum of Natural History in Madrid (Spain), and an affiliated researcher at the Reina Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Centre, CIEN Foundation, ISCIII, Madrid (Spain). His research lines deal with human brain evolution, comparative primate neuroanatomy, paleoneurology, and endocranial vascular morphology, employing methods including geometric morphometrics, biomedical imaging, and network analysis. In anatomy, his main research topic concerns the morphology and evolution of the parietal lobes, especially the precuneus.

In cognitive science, his main interests deal with the evolution of visuospatial integration, body perception, and attention. He has published more than 170 scientific papers in evolutionary anthropology and neuroscience, three academic books (on human paleoneurology, digital anatomy, and cognitive archaeology), and four dissemination books (on brain evolution, extended cognition, anthropology and neuroscience, and mental development). He collaborates with several dissemination magazines like Jot Down, The Conversation, and Hyperbole. Many of his articles are aimed at bridging evolutionary anthropology with medicine, social development, and mindfulness meditation.

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – CIEN — Madrid, Spain

My research interest focuses on understanding the specific molecular and cellular events that govern synaptic failure during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) with the ultimate goal of developing mechanism-based therapeutics.

During my predoctoral studies in Dr. Balschun’s lab I develop a synaptic depotentiation electrophysiology protocol using ‘plasticity-neutral’ theta frequency of 5 Hz to detect synaptopathies in AD. This experience galvanized my interest in electrophysiology. During my PhD in Dr. Balschun’s and D’Hooge’s lab, in collaboration with the group of Dr. Bart de Strooper, (KU Leuven) and Takashi Saito (Riken Institute), I characterized electrophysiology and brain synchronicity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of the new APP knock-in (KI) mouse lines to demonstrate their validity as clinically valid models of AD model.

I sought postdoctoral training in molecular biology, drug target validation/manipulation and genetics to understand transcriptome-based signaling pathways during neurodegeneration. The Longo lab was an ideal fit for my translational research training, where I coordinated collaborations with Wyss-Coray lab at Stanford to identify activity-dependent gene expression and translate preclinical findings into insights derived from clinical human data (Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2024); and with Andreasson lab at Stanford to demonstrate that lipid messenger prostaglandin E2 contributes to ageassociated inflammation and synapse dysfunction (Nature, 2021), and that the transcription of glycolytic genes and astrocytic lactate transfer in mouse brain and human induced pluripotent stem cells (Science, 2024). My research has led to 11 publications and 13 oral presentations at international conferences, and several academic awards, demonstrating my contributions to the field of ADRD.

After 3 years of productive research, training achievements, and collaborative work as a postdoctoral researcher, I was nominated for Instructor, which constituted a reliable criterion our senior faculty envision me as a successful candidate for independent faculty position. My proposal for the recently awarded BrightFocus Standard Award in ADRD research aims to identify novel activity-dependent mechanisms of neuron/glia communication that are selectively impaired in ADRD and that are essential for supporting synaptic function and plasticity in response to neuronal activity. By characterizing their disruption, my work will identify novel, synaptic stimulationdependent targets capable of restoring functional plasticity and cognitive outcomes, and mitigate disease progression. Building on this work, I was recently appointed as an incoming tenure-track Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, where I will establish an independent research program investigating synaptic resilience, glial/neuronal communication and translational therapeutic development in ADRD.

Centro de investigaciones biológicas-CSIC Columbia University, NYC, USA

I am a basic scientist with more than 8 years of experience in experimental research the field of cell metabolism and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Specifically, my main research interest is to understand the regulation of mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs) in the neuron, and its role as a signaling domain orchestrating lipid regulation, mitochondrial functionality, calcium homeostasis and autophagy. To understand how this ER domain is capable of regulating specific metabolic functions in the neurons, I am actively researching its role in age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Thus, my short-term goals are to identify the specific aspects of MAM deregulation in AD pathogenesis, and its relationship to the symptoms, progression and tissue specificity of the disease. My long-term aims are to explore in depth the functional role and regulation of MAMs in the overall metabolism in specific neuronal populations, such as dopaminergic, hippocampal and motor neuron in the context of neurodegenerative disease, with the final goal of applying this knowledge translationally.

Besides my work in research, I have gained extensive experience mentoring and teaching medical and graduate students throughout my career. During graduate school, and later as a postdoctoral research scientist, I closely mentored junior graduate students through their projects. As an Assistant Professor, I am one of the lecturers in the neurology department program at Columbia University and I am responsible for the training of several postdoctoral scientists.

Imperial College London, UK

Chris Butler MA PhD FRCP is Clinical Reader in Complex and Chronic Diseases at The George Institute for Global Health (School of Public Health) and in Clinical Reader in Global Brain Health in the Department of Brain Sciences. He leads the Global Programme on Multiple Long-Term Conditions at The George Institute.

His research aims to improve the diagnosis and clinical outcomes of people with multimorbidity and cognitive disorders, particularly those living in disadvantaged communities in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries.

He is Principal Investigator of the NIHR-funded IMPACT Dementia project, which is developing innovative approaches to dementia and its co-morbidities for health systems in Latin America. In the UK, his research group employs cognitive testing, mobile health technologies, non-invasive brain stimulation and advanced neuroimaging to explore novel diagnostic, support and treatment strategies for people with cognitive disorders and their families. His work lies at the interface between neuroscience and public policy, promoting cognitive capital as a key driver towards healthier and wealthier societies.

Dr Butler is a practising neurologist in the Imperial Memory Service at Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. His area of expertise is in cognitive disorders and he has particular interests in the diagnosis and management of neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy and transient amnesic syndromes.

He is Visiting Professor of Neurology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago, Chile; Associate Researcher at the Instituto de Neurociencias Cognitivas, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Honorary Senior Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health. He is Past President of the British Neuropsychiatry Association, the leading academic and professional body for professionals in the UK working at the interface of the clinical and cognitive neurosciences and psychiatry.

VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium
University College London & UK Dementia Research Insitute, UK

Bart De Strooper is professor in dementia research at the University College London, UK. He has been the founding director of the UK Dementia Research Institute (2016-2023) and is now a group leader in the same institute. He is also parttime Professor of molecular medicine at the KU Leuven and VIB, Belgium.

De Strooper’s scientific work focuses on the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie Alzheimer’s disease. His major findings are the role of ADAM10 and presenilin/gamma-secretase in the proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein and Notch, and he has worked on microRNA, mitochondria, and more recently on the role of the different brain cell types in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease. He developed a novel theory for Alzheimer’s Disease which he called the cellular phase, to explain the long prodromal phase of the disorder. He received his M.D. in 1985 and Ph.D. in 1991 from KU Leuven. He worked as postdoctoral researcher in the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, in the laboratory of Carlos Dotti.

In 2018, Bart De Strooper, together with John Hardy, Christian Haas, and Michel Goedert, was awarded the Brain Prize for their ground-breaking research on the genetic and molecular basis of Alzheimer disease. Other awards include the Potamkin Award of the American Academy of Neurology in 2002 (USA). the 2003 Alois Alzheimer Award of the Deutscher Gesellschaft für Gerontopsychiatrie und psychotherapie (Germany), the Joseph Maisin Prize in 2005 for fundamental biomedical sciences, (FWO Flanders, Belgium), the 2008 Metlife Foundation Award for medical research (USA) and the 2018 European Grand Prix for Research (France).

HM CINAC, Madrid
Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Toledo

Guglielmo Foffani (Italy, 1977) holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano (Italy, 2001) and a PhD in Bioengineering from Drexel University (Philadelphia, 2004). He received the Young Researcher Award from the Spanish Society of Neurosciences (2009), published more than 100 scientific articles, and is the co-founder of two startups related to his research. Foffani also has an extensive career as a pianist and experimental musician, collaborating with various artistic groups and initiatives.

Ludwig-Maximiliarns Universität München, Germany

Johannes Levin is professor for Clinical Neurodegeneration at the Department of Neurology at LMU Munich and deputy site leader of clinical research at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), site Munich.

He has been working in the field of neurodegeneration for 20 years focusing clinically on movement disorders and genetic forms of dementia. The principal research focus is the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases with emphasis on protein aggregation, biomarker development and therapy development targeting protein aggregation. His work has contributed to the definition of the natural history, environmental factors, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Based on this background he joined MODAG GmbH as part-time CMO where he continues his academic work on the oligomer modulator anle138b/emrusolmin in an industry setting, where the compound is currently at early stages of clinical development.

Moreover, Johannes is principal investigator in several national and international cohort studies including the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN) and the Genetic Fronto-temporal dementia Initiative (GENFI).

Johannes Levin is Spokesperson of the CAS Research Group Tools for Transnational Neuropsychiatric Research.

Ludwig-Maximiliarns Universität München, Germany

Alvaro Pascual-Leone is a Professor of Neurology and Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, where he also serves as Program Director of the Harvard-Thorndike Clinical Research Center. His research aims at understanding the mechanisms that control brain plasticity across the lifespan to be able to modify them for the subject’s optimal behavioral outcome. Pascual-Leone combines various brain imaging and brain stimulation methodologies to establish a causal relationship and a precise chronometry between regional brain activation and behavior, and uses noninvasive brain stimulation techniques to modulate brain plasticity, suppressing some changes and enhancing others, to gain a clinical benefit and behavioral advantage for a given individual. Such non-invasive approaches can lead to clinically relevant therapeutic effects in neuropsychiatry and neurorehabilitation, and serve as proof-of-principle prior to more invasive neuromodulatory interventions. A major interest of current work aims at translating insights from cognitive neuroscience into clinical interventions.