Motor Neuron Diseases: understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms to develop therapies

under the patronage of  SINS - Italian Society for Neuroscience

The virtual meeting registered more than 170 participants from Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Brazil, Peru and Canada. The event has been a great occasion for keeping up-to-date with the latest advances in ALS and SMA field, and a good opportunity for networking and laying the foundations for future collaborations.

The virtual conference will focus on motor neuron diseases which consist in a group of neurological pathologies affecting motor neurons and causing their progressive degeneration. In the proposed meeting we will focus on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

The conference aims to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of these diseases: of note, several of such altered mechanisms are also shared by other neurodegenerative pathologies.
Finally we will also give an overview of the currently available therapies and of the other developing therapeutic strategies.

Organizers: M. Boido & S. Stanga

For info, contact: marina.boido@unito.it | serena.stanga@unito.it 

Registration and abstract submission are closed. 

NO FEE REGISTRATION

Credits (CFU): 2 for attendance + 0.5 for poster presentation

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

DAY 1 - 6^th November 2020

9.00-9.15  Welcome by the Organizers
Greeting address by Prof. A. Vercelli, Deputy Rector for Biomedical Research, Univ. Turin

9.15-9.45  Lecture
D. Rossi, ICS Maugeri, Pavia - Motor neuron diseases: an overview of ALS and SMA

9.45-10.45  Session I - ALS disease mechanisms

9.45-10.00  V. Crippa, Univ. Milan - Proteostasis in ALS
10.00-10.15  G. Nardo, Mario Negri Institute, Milan - Immune response in the peripheral nervous system and skeletal muscles is pivotal to counteract ALS
10.15-10.30  M. Milanese, Univ. Genoa - Modulating the reactive phenotype of astrocytes as a therapeutic approach in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
10.30-10.45  C. Rouaux, Inserm, Strasbourg - Evaluation of the corticofugal hypothesis of ALS

10.45-11.15  Q&A Session I - Meet the speakers

11.15-11.30  Break

11.30-11.45  F. Biancardi (Zeiss) - Beyond CLEM: Multiscale and Multidimensional Microscopy approaches in Neuroscience

11.45-12.15  Session II - ALS therapeutic approaches

11.45-12.00  D. Ferrari, Univ. Milan Bicocca - Human neural stem cells for experimental cell therapies approaches in ALS: a synopsis of the experience from preclinical and Phase I clinical trials
12.00-12.15  A. Calvo, Univ. Turin - New therapeutic strategies for ALS

12.15-12.30  Q&A Session II - Meet the speakers

12.30-13.30  Poster Session I

DAY 2 - 7^th November 2020

9.00-9.45  Session III - SMA disease mechanisms

9.00-9.15  G. Viero, CNR Trento - Translational defects by positional sequencing: the case of SMA
9.15-9.30  R. Soler, Univ. Lleida - Using motor neurons and iPSCs cultures to understand intracellular mechanisms leading to motoneuron degeneration in Spinal Muscular Atrophy
9.30-9.45  E. Di Schiavi, CNR Naples - Use of C. elegans as experimental model to study SMA disease mechanisms

9.45-10.15  Session IV – SMA therapeutic approaches

9.45-10.00    T. Mongini, Univ. Turin - The new era of SMA therapy: results from real world experience and ongoing clinical trials
10.00-10.15  P. Konieczny, Univ. Valencia - From flies to mice: evaluation of combinatorial therapy for SMA

10.15-10.45  Q&A Sessions III-IV - Meet the speakers

10.45-11.00  Break

11.00-12.30  Poster Session II

12.30-12.45  L. Clario (Media Lab System) - Unlocking the mysteries of neurite growth in neurons: a quantitative approach to live cell imaging

12.45-13.15  Lecture
S. Lefebvre, Univ. Paris INSERM - The SMN complex in motor neuron diseases

13.15  Awards ceremony (Best Posters)

13.20  Closing remarks & Goodbye to the next edition!

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