The organization of the Life Science Symposium has invited top-tier academics and researchers who will explore cutting-edge techniques and strategies to unravel the complexities of the brain. They will shed light on how these interventions enhance our understanding and improve various medical processes.
Throughout the day, speakers will guide you on a journey from detection to diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases from a life sciences perspective, covering a diverse array of crucial topics. These include the role of genetics in neurological diseases, analysis of the clinical picture, and the practical applications of tools such as biosensors.
Dr. Sjors Scheres
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
Dr. Sjors Scheres is the head of the Structural Biology of Neurodegeneration research group, part of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. His group conducts research to determine and visualize the structure of proteins involved in neurodegenerative disorders. He will talk about how Cryo-EM (electron microscopy) is applied to characterize these protein structures.
Dr. Emma Coomans
Amsterdam University Medical Center
Dr. Emma Coomans is a postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam University Medical Center. Her expertise is in PET imaging for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. In her research she applied tau-PET to measure tau proteins (involved in the on-set of Alzheimer’s) in the brain and showed that this detection technique can be used for establishing diagnoses. Her lecture will cover tau-PET imaging and its clinical application.
Prof. Dr. Danielle Posthuma
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Prof. Dr. Danielle Posthuma is a Professor of Genetics of Complex Traits at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Marcel Verbeek
Radboud University Nijmegen
Prof. Dr. Ir. Marcel Verbeek is a Professor of Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disorders at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. An important goal of his research is to identify new
biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative disorders. He will speak about the detection of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid in Parkinson’s disease and the measurement of Levodopa (a widely used medication for Parkinson’s) to determine its effects.
Dr. Inge Holtman
University Medical Center Groningen
Dr. Inge Holtman is the Head of Neurogenomics and Transcriptional Regulation at the University Medical Center Groningen.