01 Sep 2020

Trying out a new conference format in this pandemic era, the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Global Symposium starts September 1 and will run on demand through much of the month. For three weeks, registrants can view presentations as they please, then join a live two-hour Q&A beginning at 10 a.m. U.S. Central Time on September 22. The meeting is free for all.

“This is the most comprehensive meeting solely focused on where Alzheimer’s disease genetics is taking us,” said Alison Goate, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. “We hope this is a one-stop shop to understand AD genetics and how it has led to insights about the disease and its treatment,” she told Alzforum. Goate organized the meeting together with Elizabeth Blue, University of Washington, Seattle, Margaret Pericak-Vance from the University of Miami, and Badri Vardarajan, Columbia University, New York. Support came from the National Institute on Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Global Symposium.

Aimed at a broad audience, the meeting features seven themes. Two will review the history of AD genetics and its global reach. The remaining five focus on the biology and molecular pathways uncovered by GWAS and whole-genome-sequencing studies, including: APP and presenilin; neuroinflammation and neuroimmunity; endocytosis; cholesterol and ApoE; and signaling and tau. Each pathway session reviews the variants involved, the biology these variants revealed, and advances in clinical study and drug development they led to.

Researchers can view any or all of the 46 webinars at their convenience, then submit written questions and comments. Those will be reviewed, grouped by context, and discussed at the September 22 Q&A. Register here.—Tom Fagan