II edition | 4 –5 November 2022
Motor Neuron Diseases
Understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms to develop therapies
Organizers: Marina Boido & Serena Stanga
Contacts: marina.boido@unito.it & serena.stanga@unito.it
The second edition of the conference will still focus on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), two severe neurological pathologies affecting motor neurons and causing their progressive degeneration.
The conference foresees to discuss about the most recent cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of these diseases, and to give an overview of the currently available treatments and new developing therapeutic strategies.
An entire afternoon will be dedicated to practical activities focused on nerve-muscle co-cultures techniques, advanced imaging methods and in silico analysis for neurological pathologies at the Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi.
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
Conference Book MND 2022
DAY 1 – Friday 04th November, 2022
13.00-14.00: Registration
14.00-14.15: Opening ceremony
Welcome by the Organizers
Greetings by A. Vercelli (Deputy Rector for Biomedical Research, Univ. Turin) and A. Mauro (Director Dept. Neuroscience, Univ. Turin)
14.15-14.30: Brief introduction by the organizers (Marina Boido and Serena Stanga, Univ. Turin)
14.30-15.30: Session I – SMA disease mechanisms and therapeutic approaches
14.30-14.50: Stefania Corti, Univ. Milan “Spinal Muscular Atrophy: new molecular therapeutic targets”
14.50-15.10: Thomas Gillinwater, Univ. Edinburgh “Developing the second generation of therapies for SMA”
15.10-15.30: Cécile Martinat, I-STEM, AFM, Evry “Human pluripotent stem cells for neuromuscular diseases”
15.30-15.45: Q&A Session I
15.45-16.10: Coffee break
16.10-16.50: Session II – SMA: a look at the clinical research
16.10-16.30: Marika Russo & Gabriele Pistillo, Novartis Gene Therapies, Milan “Zolgensma journey for SMA patients access in Italy”
16.30-16.50: Lorenzo Maggi, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan “SMA in adult age – treatments and new challenges”
16.50-17.00: Q&A Session II
17.00-17.20: Lecture Francesco Biancardi, Zeiss: “New approaches for Volume Imaging in Neuroscience: Lab based X-Ray and Serial Block Face Electron Microscopy”
17.20-17.40: Lecture Cinzia Gellera, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan – “Genetics of Motor Neuron Diseases: what we have learned”
17.40-19.30: Poster session
20.00: Social dinner with the speakers: date your scientific heroes!
DAY 2 – Saturday 05th November, 2022
8.30-10.00: Session III – ALS pathogenetic mechanisms
8.30-8.50: Manuela Basso, Univ. Trento “It’s all a matter of communication! What extracellular vesicles are revealing about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”
8.50-9.10: Ludo Van Den Bosch, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research “Using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to get insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of ALS”
9.10-9.30: Maria Pennuto, Univ. Padua “Motor neuron diseases: a journey from the central nervous system to periphery”
9.30-10.10: Session IV – “ALS therapeutic strategies”
9.30-9.50: Françoise Piguet, NEUROGENCELL, Paris “Cyp46a1 over expression as a relevant target for ALS independent from its origin”
9.50-10.10: Adriano Chiò, Univ. Turin “Is it time for a personalized medicine approach in ALS?”
10.10-10.25: Q&A Sessions III-IV
10:25-10:45: Lecture Francesco Girardi, Media System Lab: “Video Killed the Imaging Star”
10.45-11.30: Lecture Aaron D. Gitler, Univ. Stanford “Expanding mechanisms and therapeutic targets for motor neuron disease”
11.30-11.35: Awards ceremony and goodbye to the online attendees
11.35-12.15: Brunch
12.15-12.45: Transfer TORINO-NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE CAVALIERI OTTOLENGHI (NICO, ORBASSANO)
13.00-16.00: Practical activities at Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi
with Marina Boido and Serena Stanga, Univ. Turin
(I) How to set up a 2D nerve-muscle co-cultures: tips and tricks
(II) Label-free live cell imaging of mitochondria dynamics (sponsored by Media System Lab)
(III) Different approaches for mitochondria analysis: from the staining to in silico tools (sponsored by Zeiss)
16:00-16:30 Transfer NICO-TORINO
Goodbye to the next edition (in 2024)!
SUPPORTED BY
VENUES
- Lectures: Palace of the Anatomical Institutes, C.so Massimo D’Azeglio 52, 10124, Torino, Italy
- Practical activities (hands on training): Neuroscience Institute CavalieriOttolenghi (NICO), RegioneGonzole 10, 10043, Orbassano (TO), Italy
LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Anna Caretto, Vanessa Chiappini, Sveva Dallere, Giovanna Menduti, Mariarosa Mezzanotte, Gianna Pavarino, Daniela Maria Rasà, Cristina Ruatti, Roberta Schellino, Elena Signorino