Day 1 – Wednesday, 30 September, 2026
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Morning session 1: Welcoming words and TDP43 08:30 – 10:50 |
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| Registration |
| Welcoming words |
| Kevin Talbot: Oxidative stress and TDP-43 dysfunction in iPSC motor neuron models |
| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Pietro Fratta: Modelling TDP-43 loss and aggregation |
-Coffee break-
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Morning session 2: TDP43 and seeding 11:20 – 12:40 |
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| Sandrine da Cruz: Local mechanisms of axonal maintenance and degeneration in ALS/FTD |
| Hermann Altmeppen: New tools and models to study the proteolytic shedding of the prion protein and its relevance in neurodegenerative diseases and beyond |
| Blitz talks session 1 |
-Lunch break-
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Afternoon session 1: Posters and Technologies 13:30 – 16:40 |
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| Poster session 1 |
| Keynote lecture Hans Clevers: Lgr5+ Stem Cell-based organoids model human disease in 3D and in 2D |
| Pierre Vanderhaeghen: Linking development, evolution, and diseases of the human cerebral cortex |
-Coffee break-
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Afternoon session 2: Therapeutics and Toxicology 17:10 – 18:15 |
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| Bhuvaneish Selvaraj: Glutamate mediated excitotoxicity in ALS – novel therapeutics |
| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Katharina Koch: Mechanism-informed neurotoxicity testing using human iPSC-based 3D models and implications for neurodegeneration |
| Speakers dinner |
Day 2 – Thursday, 1 October, 2026
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Morning session 1: Mechanisms 09:00 – 10:50 |
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| Keynote lecture Ludo van den Bosch: TBA |
| Manuela Basso: Defects in the endocytic pathway impair the physiological cell-to-cell communication in ALS |
| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Philip van Damme: Understanding primary cilia dysfunction in stem cells models of ALS |
-Coffee break-
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Morning session 2: Glia 11:20 – 12:40 |
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| Pamela Shaw: Insights into the mechanisms and rescue of astrocyte toxicity in ALS |
| Björn Vahsen: Dissecting the role of microglia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using multicellular hiPSC models |
| Blitz talks session 1 |
-Lunch break-
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Afternoon session 1: Posters and Screening 13:30 – 16:40 |
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| Poster session 2 |
| Keynote lecture Adrian Isaacs: ALS/FTD disease modelling and screening using iPSC-neurons |
| Pavol Zelina: Establishing a high-throughput phenotypic screening platform for C21ORF2-associated ALS using iPSC-derived motor neurons |
-Coffee break-
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Afternoon session 2: Mechanisms 17:10 – 18:15 |
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| Alberto Catanese: Using hiPSC-derived models to uncover the mechanisms of rare ALS variants |
| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Andreas Hermann: Neurodegeneration and aging: common traits or individualized medicine? |
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Evening program 18:15 – 00:00 |
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| Tour on the SS Rotterdam |
| Dinner |
| Party |
Day 3 – Friday, 2 October, 2026
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Morning session 1: SMA and other motor neuron disorders 09:30 – 10:50 |
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| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Ewout Groen: Evaluating cellular models for SMA: protein requirements, treatment effects, and model selection |
| Stefania Corti: From stem cells to disease models: advancing our understanding of SMA and motor neuron diseases |
-Coffee break-
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Morning session 2: Organoids and closing words 11:20 – 13:00 |
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| Eva Hedlund: Human neuromuscular assembloids model ALS pathology |
| Natalia Rodriquez-Muela: Spinal cord organoids to tackle selective motor neuron death in MNDs |
| Delphine Bohl: Spinal cord organoids and neuromuscular assembloids to model Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis |
| Selected speaker: TBA |
| Closing words |
-Lunch-
*The program is subject to change*