6th Symposium on Neurodegenerative Diseases: “Amyloid, prions, clinical trials and biomarkers”
Date: 12-14 November 2025
Venue: 'Haus der Universität', Düsseldorf, Germany
Preliminary Program
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
09:00 | Registration |
09:30 | Welcome Dieter Willbold Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany |
09:35 | Welcome addresses Anja Steinbeck President of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
Linda Thienpont Deputy managing director, Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V., Düsseldorf, Germany |
SESSION I: Amyloids Chair: Erdem Gültekin Tamgüney, Heinrich Heine University | |
09:45 | Prions: From violent refusal to general concept of neurodegenerative diseases. Detlev Riesner Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany |
10:15 | How do we remember Alzheimer's disease? Thomas van Groen Dept. Pediatrics-Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA |
10:45 | Coffee break |
11:15 | RNA-binding protein phase transitions and their relevance for amyloid formation Dorothee Dormann Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany |
12:05 | Nuclear TDP-43 dysfunction releases endogenous retrotransposons from suppression in neurodegenerative disease Roger Sher Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, New York, USA |
12:55 | Lunch break |
13:30 | Efficacy and mechanisms of targeting intracellular protein aggregates Rakez Kayed Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, John Sealy Chair for Parkinson's Research, Dept. of Neurology, UTMB Health - University of Texas, USA |
14:20 | Talk by early career scientist |
SESSION II: Genetic risk factors Chair: Sascha Weggen, Heinrich Heine University | |
14:40 | The impact of rare genetic variants on Alzheimer’s disease Lara De Deyn Center for Molecular Neurology, University of Antwerp, Belgium |
15:30 | Coffee break |
16:00 | Talk by early career scientist |
16:20 | The molecular basis of ApoE4 risk in alzheimer's disease Joachim Herz UTSouthwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA |
17:10 | Talk by early career scientist |
17:30 | Break |
PUBLIC SCIENCE LECTURE jointly organized with Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI) Chair: Okka Gundel, German journalist, television presenter and author | |
18:15 | Neue Antikörper-Therapien Sabine Kuckert Memory Zentrum Neuss, Germany |
Thursday, November 13, 2025
SESSION III: From lab to market: Industry insights: latest R&D developments Chair: Wolfgang Hoyer, Heinrich Heine University | |
09:00 | The nose - a window to the brain Mareike Albert Founder & CSO of Noselab |
09:50 | Talk by early career scientist |
10:10 | tbd Armin Giese/ Johannes Levin MODAG Neuroscience Solutions |
11:00 | Coffee break |
SESSION IV: Basic science Chair: Carsten Korth, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf | |
11:30 | On the structural polymorphisms of a-synuclein in vitro and in cells Roland Riek Dept. of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Deputy head of Institute of Molecular Physical Science, ETH Zürich, Switzerland |
12:20 | Inflection Points in Alzheimer’s Disease: From Molecular Triggers to Cellular Dysregulation Bart De Strooper UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, England |
13:10 | Flash Talks Part 1 9 poster presenters, one single slide, 90 sec time per talk. |
13:30 | Lunch break |
14:10 | Novel functions of oligodendrocytes in energy metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease Klaus-Armin Nave Dept. of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Goettingen, Germany |
15:00 | Flash Talks Part 2 10 poster presenters, one single slide, 90 sec time per talk. |
15:20 | Funding opportunities: Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI)
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POSTER SESSION | |
15:35 | Poster Session with fingerfood buffet at 5 pm |
SESSION V: Noble lecture Chair: Dieter Willbold, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf | |
18:00 | tbd Stan Prusiner Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of Prions - a new biological principle of infection Director, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases University of California San Francisco, USA |
Friday, November 14, 2025
SESSION VI: Clinical insights and sex differences in clinical trial outcome Chair: Alfons Schnitzler, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf | |
09:00 | Biomarker-based neurobiological staging and treatment of Alzheimer´s disease Oliver Peters Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CBF, Charité Berlin, Germany |
09:50 | Talk by early career scientist |
10:10 | Genetics and Sex in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Celine Bellenguez Institute Pasteur de Lille, University Lille, France |
11:00 | Coffee break |
Session VII: AWARDS and Closing Chair: Inga Kadish, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA | |
11:30 | Ulrich Hadding Award, Egon Nettersheim Award Guido Reifenberger Vice Dean of the Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany |
12:10 | Poster prizes sponsored by Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. Inga Kadisha and Anne Pfitzer-Bilsingb aHeersink School of Medicine, Dept. Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA bDirector of Scientific Affairs, Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V., Düsseldorf, Germany |
12:30 | Closing remarks Inga Kadisha and Thomas van Groenb aHeersink School of Medicine, Dept. Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA bDept. Pediatrics-Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA |
The Symposium is generously supported by Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. and BMFZ