Alzheimers Disease & Dementia

Earl A Zimmerman, MD is professor of neurology at the Albany Medical College and Director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Albany Medical Center which he founded in 2002. He received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his clinical and research training at Columbia University where he became professor of neurology and well known for his research in neuroendocrinology. In 1985 he became professor and chairman of neurology at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland and founded the federally funded Oregon Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in 1985. Dr. Zimmermann is board certified in internal medicine and neurology and specializes in behavioral neurology and the diagnosis and treatment of dementia. His current research is focused on new diagnostic methods for early detection and measures for effectiveness of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders of aging. As the Director of an Alzheimer’s disease Center of Excellence for the Capital Region of New York, his major focus is the education of physicians in the diagnosis and care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Prof. Edward D Hall completed his Ph.D. in neuropharmacology from the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and a post-doctoral fellowship at Cornell University Medical College, he joined the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine where he rose to the rank of Associate Professor of Pharmacology with tenure. Having developed a strong interest in drug discovery and development, he moved to the The Upjohn Company where he initiated and led an effort over many years to discover agents for the treatment of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimers disease, Parkinson disease) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He played a leading role in the discovery and development of high dose methylprednisolone therapy for acute spinal cord injury.

Dr. Troy T. Rohn obtained his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Washington, Department of Pharmacology in 1994. He completed postdoctoral stints at INSERM (Paris, France), Montana State University, and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at UC Irvine. Currently, Dr. Rohn is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University where he has taught and performed research for the past 16 years. His research focuses on the role that certain proteases play in promoting the pathology associated with different neurodegenerative diseases. More recently, his research has begun to assess the proteolytic consequences of ApoE4, a major genetic risk factor in Alzheimer's.

Dr. David Thomas is a Professor of Therapeutic Recreation and Gerontology within the School of Health Sciences, Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Thomas has over 10 years of clinical experiences within the Veteran Affairs Medical Center system and has served as a Director of a Dementia Care Unit. He is widely consulted in the area of dementia care and has extensive experience in the environmental design and therapeutic interventions used on special care units. Dr. Thomas has given numerous professional presentations on the subject of non-pharmaceutical interventions for dementia and is published in the area of wandering, effects of special care units, and international perspectives on dementia care. Dr. Thomas has previously served on the faculty at the University of South Alabama and Slippery Rock University (PA). Research Interests-Primary research interest in the area of dementia care including measuring the effect of nonpharmaceutical activity interventions for improved behavioral performance with an emphasis on studying the phenomenon of wandering behavior. Environmental and programmatic considerations for the design of special dementia-care units.

Dr. Parminder JS Vig is a Chief of Neuroscience Division, Professor of Neurology and Biochemistry, Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences in Department of Neurology at University of Mississippi Medical Center, USA. His Post-doctoral is in Neurology at University of Mississippi Medical Center. His Research Interests includes Assessing the role of calcium signaling and trophic molecules in the pathogenesis of dominant cerebellar ataxias and other neurodegenerative diseases using cell culture systems and genetically modified animal models; Drug or therapeutic peptide delivery to the brain using innovative delivery systems; Understanding the mechanisms of West Nile and Zika virus induced neuropathy in cell culture and mouse models.

Othman Ghribi has completed his Ph.D in Neuropharmacology in 1994 at the University René Descartes, Paris France, and postdoctoral studies from The University of Quebec (1996-1999). Dr Ghribi then joined the Department of Pathology at the University of Virginia (1999-2004) and the Department of Basic Sciences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine in 2004. He has published more than 70 papers in reputed journals and serving on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Current Alzheimer’s disease, and the Journal of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Dr. Ghribi’s current research is funded by the national Institute of Health and focuses on the role of environmental factors (chemical and dietary) and genetic susceptibility in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. His Research Interests includes For the last years, our research is focused on identifying environmental as well as genetic factors that trigger or mediate Alzheimer’s disease pathology. My laboratory has published numerous contributions showing that high cholesterol diets and cholesterol oxidized products (oxysterols) induce pathological features relevant to the sporadic forms of Alzheimer’s disease. Our current NIH-funded research is focused on the possible role diets rich in saturated free fatty acids play in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease in animal models. We specifically focus on the potential role of the endoplasmic reticulum stress and lipid dyshomeostasis in inducing neurodegeneration.

Gianluigi Forloni obtained the Degree of Biological Science at the University of Milan in 1985. After two years of post doc at the Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States of America, he came back to the Mario Negri Institute and between 1992 and 1996 he was the head of the Neurobiology of Alzheimers disease Unit; since 1996 he is the Head of the Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases Lab and since 2002 the Head of the Neuroscience Department. His scientific interest is focused on the biological and genetic bases of aging-related disorders in particular Alzheimers disease, Prion-related encephalopathies and Parkinson's disease. He has been member of several European committees for the examination of projects in the neuroscience field. He is now member of the Coordination group of the European IMI Consortium PharmaCog. He is President of the Italian Association on Brain Aging Research (AIRIC), member of the Scientific Committee of the Dementia section of the Italian Society of Neurology (SINDEM) and member of the European Academy of Sciences. He is the author of more than 260 peer-reviewed scientific articles and about 30 reviews or book chapters.

Dr. Volicer is currently the Courtesy Full Professor at the School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Visiting Professor at the 3rd Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic and Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Sydney. He studied medicine at the Charles University in Prague Czechoslovakia and received PhD in pharmacology at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. In 1969, he moved to the USA and started teaching pharmacology and doing research at the Boston University Medical School. In 1979, he moved is laboratory to the E.N.Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, MA and got involved in research and care for individuals with dementia. As a medical director, he established one of the first Dementia Special Care Units and introduced the concept of structured palliative care for patients with advanced dementia. Goals of care on this unit were quality of life, dignity and comfort instead of prolongation of life at all costs. Dr. Volicer investigated various aspects of dementia care, including behavioral symptoms, medical complications and eating difficulties. He is recognized as an international expert on advanced dementia care. He published over 250 articles and chapters, and edited four books on clinical management of dementia. He is a past chair of the American Medical Directors Association Ethics Committee, section editor for the Journal on Nutrition and Aging and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of American Medical Directors Association.

Professor Dr. Th. Arendt is Professor of Neuroscience and runs the Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research which is a Research Institute of Leipzig University with about 50 staff members. Thomas Arendt is also in charge as Director of the Alzheimer Centre Leipzig and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research Leipzig. He has a 30 years record in R&D of therapeutic and diagnostic strategies of neurodegenerative dis¬orders and has made several seminal contributions to therapeutic concepts of Alzheimer´s disease, including stem cell therapy and modulating tumor suppressor genes. He published his work in top-ranked journals, including Cell, Nature, J.Cell Biol., J. Neurosci. and holds several patents for CNS diagnostics and treatment with some of them out-licensed to biotech companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, his research has continously been funded by the German Research Foundation, German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, European Commission, NIH and others. He has received several prestigious honors including the Rudolf-Virchow-Award and the Alois Alzheimer Award of the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Universität, Frankfurt. In the early eighties of the 20th century, he was involved in identifying the degeneration of the cholin¬ergic system in Alzheimer´s disease laying the basis for todays´ only available treatment. He is one of the pioniers of the “cell-cycle theory” of Alzheimer´s disease which he developed further towards a diagnostic and therapeutic concept.

In 1990, Dr Díaz completed his doctorate on endocrine regulation of plasma membrane electrolyte transport in extrarenal epithelia. After his doctorate, he moved to the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetic Research in Cambridge as a postdoc to study mechanistic properties of different anion and cation channels involved in regulatory volume decrease. This research using patch-clamp and molecular biology techniques led to the functional association between volume-activated chloride channels and multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (MDR). For these studies, in 1994 he was promoted to Senior Scientific Officer for the Cancer Research Campaign in Oxford. Back in Spain in 1994, he established the Laboratory of Membrane Physiology and Biophysics at the University of La Laguna in Spain. Since then, his group has studied different ion conductance’s, electrolyte and nutrient transporters, plasmalemmal ATPases and membrane receptors for neurotransmitters and hormones, including unexpected plasma membrane steroid receptors. One main interest of his laboratory are the (patho-) physiological roles and signaling mechanisms initiated by estrogens at the plasma membrane, which have been associated with neuroprotection. During these last few years, his laboratory has focused on the analysis of cell membrane lipids, particularly in lipid rafts microdomains from nerve cells, and their relation to protein functionality and lipid-protein interactions, emphasizing on neurodegenerative diseases. In January 2010, he became a full professor of Animal Physiology. Dr. Diaz is a member of different Scientific Societies, including the Spanish Physiological Society (SECF), where he was appointed for the Steering Committee until 2015. Since then, he has been a member of the board of the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health in the Canary Islands (Spain), as well as the director of the lipidomic analyses unit in La Laguna University. At present, he is the Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Membrane Physiology and Biophysics. In the last years, his main research interest is focused on the involvement of membrane microdomains in neurodegeneratives diseases, also the potential neuroprotective strategies based on hormonal-nutraceutical approaches.

Jesús Avila is Professor and former Director of the Center of Molecular Biology, Madrid, Spain and actually Scientific Director of CIBERNED. During the last thirty years have been working in neuron cytoskeleton. Now, he studies the role of tau protein in neurodegenerative disorders (tauopathies) like Alzheimer disease. He is member of different Organizations like EMBO, European Academy and the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences; he is member of different Editorial Boards and has more than 400 publications, most of them related to Alzheimer disease.

Prof. Stavros J.Baloyannis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He graduated from the School of Medicine, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece Postgraduate training (a) Neurology, Aristotelian University and Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, (b) Neuropathology in Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, Catholic University of Louvain, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (c) Neurootology and Neuropathology of Auditory pathway in Harvard University, (d) Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, (e) Neuroimmunology, Yale University, New Haven. Research on Blood Brain Barrier in dementias and Demyelinating diseases, Mitochondria in Alzheimer’s disease, Synaptogenesis in vivo and in vitro, Neuronal apoptosis in dementias and demyelinating diseases, Dendritic pathology in dementias, Pathology of Golgi apparatus in dementias. Special interests: Neuroethics, Neurolinguistics, Philosophy of Neurosciences, Application of mathematics in Neurosciences, Neurology and the Art. Member of 56 scientific societies in Greece and abroad. Honorary Member of the Academy of Hellenic Air Forces. President of the Society for the amelioration of the quality of life in chronic neurological diseases. President of the Orthodox Medical Association for Health and medical education in Africa. Visiting professor in Tufts University, Democretian University, Thrace, Aristotelian University, School of Theology, Aristotelian University, School of Philosophy. Author of 28 textbooks on Neurology, Neuropathology, Neuropsychology and of 702 papers, published in Greek and International Journals on Neurology, Neuropathology, Neuroimmunology and Neuroethics. In 2014 he published a book of poems. Head of the 1st Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University (1992-2011). Emeritus Professor of Neurology, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece. Director of Research Institute for Alzheimer’s disease and ageing.

Born in Vienna on May 28, 1931, MD study Univ. of Vienna School of Medicine; specialist in neurology, neuropathology and psychiatry; Ass. Prof. Institute of Neurology Vienna (1966), Full Professor of neuropathology Med. Univ. Vienna (1973), director Dept. of Neurology, Lainz-Hospital, Vienna (1976-30 September 1997); Director, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Vienna (1977-2002); Guest Professor Univ.of Graz & Innsbruck School of Medicine (1998-2000); since May 2002 Chief, Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Vienna, Austria. Member of many national and international societies, honorary member of German and Austrian Societies of Neurology, Neuropathology, Alzheimer and Parkinson disease societies, French and Hungarian societies of Neurology, Intl. Soc. of Neuropathology. Honorary foreign member of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences. Several national and international awards (for Med. Science, City of Vienna, Alzheimer-Obelisk, Senator Burda and Lundbeck awards for Parkinson research, A.M.Jakob medal of German Soc. of Neuropathology, Meritorial Service award Amer. Ass. Neuropathol., G. Cotzias Award of the Spanish Soc. of Neurology. Executive editor Acta Neuropathologica (1978-2005), member of editorial boards of many international journals. 556 papers in international refereed journals and 326 reviews and chapters in handbooks, editor and co-editor of 10 books. Reviewer for many international scientific journals. Expertise keywords: Neuropathology, brain aging, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Non-Alzheimer dementias, movement disorders, CNS aging, neurodegenerative disorders and vascular dementia, multiple system atrophy.

Prof. Youdim has a long and distinguished career as a scientist, a teacher and as an administrator. His research career spans more than 50 years. He obtained his Ph.D from McGill University in 1966 and for the first time described the presence of two forms of monoamine oxidases (MAO) in the liver and brain of rats and he held positions at London University, Cambridge University, College de France and Oxford University Department of Medicine and MRC Unit of Clinical Pharmacology before assuming the position of the first Chairman of the Pharmacology Department at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - Faculty of Medicine in 1977and Finketstein Professor of Life Sciences. He holds the position of Distinguished Scientific Professor at Hong Kong PolyU , Hong Kong University, ,Qingdao, Janin and Shanghai Universities in China and at Yonsei World central University in Seoul. He hold the position of Distinguished Professor at the Materia Medica Shanghai University Chinese Traditional Medicine for his pioneering studies on the anti Alzheimer and Anti Parkinson activity of Chinese green tea and its polyphenol EGCG.

Magda Tsolaki, MD, PhD, was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1954 and has spent most of her time there. Magda Tsolaki is a Professor of Neurology since 2010, a Neuropsychiatrist since 1983. Magda Tsolaki has worked at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 1982, as well as at the 3rd Department of Neurology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 1988.She has been the main author/co-author of 37 Books, has participated with 372 abstracts in Greek Conferences, with 296 abstracts in English International or European Conferences, is the first author/co-author of 178 papers in Greek journals, and in 234 international journals -198 in PubMed with Impact Factor=1134.845, h-index=34, with more than 5.552 citations. She has been a reviewer for Conferences and Journals (117) and has organised 27 national conferences on AD and five international ones.She was one of the three or seven advisory members for 18 doctoral theses-completed, has formed the Greek Alzheimer Association in 1995 and the Greek Federation of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007 - she is also the Chair of this Federation. In this capacity, she has given 310 lectures throughout Greece, as well as on TV and iradio. She has participated in 29 research programmes and 31 clinical trials. In total, she has received 36 awards.

Dr. Ramón Cacabelos is Professor of Genomic Medicine at Camilo José Cela University, Madrid, and President of the EuroEspes Biomedical Research Center, Corunna, Spain. He received his M.D. from Oviedo University, Ph.D. from Santiago University, and D.M.Sci. (Psychiatry) from Osaka University Medical School, Japan. After a decade at the Department of Psychiatry in Osaka, he returned to Spain and focused his research activity on the genomics and pharmacogenomics of neurodegenerative disorders. He has published over 600 papers and 24 books, and is Editor-in-Chief of the first World Guide for Drug Use and Pharmacogenomics and President of the World Association of Genomic Medicine. His Research Interests includes Genomics, Pharmacogenomics, Genomic Medicine, Neurogenetics, Drug development for brain disorders, Neurodegeneration/Alzheimer’s disease, Cerebrovascular disorders, Nutrigenomics.

Dr. Stefanie Auer is Professor for Dementia Studies in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine at the Danube University Krems, Austria. She also serves as Scientific Director of the MAS Alzheimerhilfe in Upper Austria. Dr. Auer and her team has developed a community care model for persons with dementia and their caregivers since 2002, the model of “Dementia Service Centers” (Auer et al, 2015). Within this care model, early disease detection, counselling, stage specific training and guidance throughout the disease is offered for persons with dementia and their support providers. A longitudinal data base is connected to this project since 2002 collecting baseline- and follow up data on persons with cognitive deficits and persons with dementia. Dr. Auer has received several National Grants from “Fonds Gesundes Österreich”, the Austrian National Bank, The Austrian Science Fonds (FWF) and the County of Upper Austria. The work of the team is supported by the Austrian Ministry for Social Affairs for several years in sequence. MAS participates as a consortium member in a recently funded EU AAL Project “Dayguide” for persons with dementia. Dr Auer initiated a University Master course for “Dementia Studies” in 2009 at the Danube University in Krems and she is directing this Master course. Dr. Auer is a member of the pan-European research network “Interdem”.

Dr. Yoichi Matsunaga started his research carrier in Immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma in Kochi University, Department of Digestive disease, obtained ph.D by "The resident lymphocytes in the liver" in 1990. In the process, he recognized the significance of antigen processing and presentation in immunology and collaborated with Dr Katunuma's Lab at the Institute of Enzymology in Tokushima University, then focus on Cathepsin B in foreign antigen processing (1990-1995). In 1990's, Prion disease was a topic in life science. Prion is the transmissible proteinous agents, resistant to proteases, it is very impressive as pathogen of neurodegenerative disease. By chance he got an opportunity to study "prion" in Dr Prusiner's Lab at UCSF as a postodoctoral fellow (1996-2000). After coming back to Japan, he started the extension of Prion, "Amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease" as his research interests. Since 2000, he focused on surrounding factors preceding amyloid-beta aggregation, related to conformational changes.

Dr. Daniela Giacomazza is a Head of Rheology Laboratory & also Researcher in National Research Council, Institute of Biophysics at University of Palermo. She worked as Research training at the Dept. of Physics, Union College, Technician at the Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council. Dr. Daniela Giacomazza did her Post-doc training at the Department of Physics, University of Palermo. Her Research interest lies in the characterization of new biocompatible polymers; hydrogels obtained either for physical crosslinking, gamma or ultraviolet radiations; Biomolecular selfassembly; Sol-gel transition in protein and biopolymer solutions; Gelation and glass transition; Relation between gelation pathway and structural properties of gel; Polymeric colloidal systems for drug delivery and gene therapy; Micro and nanoparticles based on polymeric molecules. Food analysis Alzheimer’s disease and Neurodegeneration. Rheology; Spectro fluorimetry.

Giuseppe Sorrentino, born on January 11, 1955, is Full Professor of Neurology at the University of Naples "Parthenope". He obtained the MD degree in 1980 and in 1984 the board of Neurology. In 1999 he got a PhD in Molecular and Cellular biolog (Neurochemistry) at the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg in France. Through the financial support of national and international Institutions (MPI, CNR, European Science Foundation, NATO) he attended qualified italian and foreign research Institutes such as “Mario Negri” Institute in Milan, the Center of Neurochemistry of CNRS-INSERM of Strasburg (Francia) and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecualar Biology of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg (Canada). He is the principal investigator of research programs about Alzheimer disease granted by national and international institutions (MIUR, CNR, Ministero della Salute, NATO, Regione Campania, Regione Lazio, Provincia di Salerno). His research fields are the cellular biology of dementia, the cholinergic and phospholipids metabolism and the clinical research. About this topics he published more than 40 publications on international impacted journals and 70 communications at national and internationals meetings.

Oxana V. Galzitskaya is head of the Bioinformatics group at the Institute of Protein Research Russian Academy of Sciences (since 2008). She graduated from the Moscow Physical-Technical Institute (1990, Honorary Diploma). Ph.D in Biophysics (Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Pushchino, 1996). Doctor of Science (Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Pushchino, 2006. Author of more 150 peer-reviewed publications. Awarded for Outstanding Russian Young Scientists, 1997 and for Doctor of Science of Russian Science Support Foundation. Member of the Editorial Boards of "Current Protein and Peptide Science", "Open Biochemistry", "Open Bioinformatics", and "Open Journal of Biochemistry", the Editorial Board of World Journal of Biological Chemistry. Area of expertise: protein physics, theoretical and experimental investigations of protein folding (investigation of protein folding and misfolding, prediction of protein disorder and structure prediction, prediction of amyloidogenic regions and folding rates), molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, search for factors triggering induction of amyloidosis in Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Davide Vito Moretti is a consultant neurologist, chief of the clinical neurophysiology service, head chief of the Alzheimer's Disease Rehabilitation Unit at the National Institute of Research and Cure for Mental disorders and Dementia S. John of God, Brescia, Italy, Professor of neurophysiology at UniLudes University in Lugano. He received his medical degree from Catholic University in Rome and completed his residency in neurology and fellowship in movement disorders at University of Trieste, Italy. Moreover, he received the PhD in neurophysiology at La Sapienza University. Dr Moretti is currently involved in research and care of subjects with Alzheimer's disease and movement disorders in the Alzheimer Operative Unit of the S. John of God Institute. Since April 2015, he is responsible of the Research Line in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia at S. John of God Hospital.

Omar El-Agnaf was awarded a PhD in Biochemistry in 1997 at the Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He worked as post-doctoral scientist at the School of Biology and Biochemistry, Queen’s University Belfast, from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, Dr. El-Agnaf undertook an additional post-doc position at St. George’s Medical School in London. In 2001, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Parkinson’s Disease Society-UK to establish his research group at Lancaster University. In 2004, he was invited to join the Faculty of Medicine at UAE University and was appointed to the Biochemistry Department. In September 2014 he joined HBKU at Qatar Foundation. Since he moved to the region in 2004, he has assembled an excellent research team and has been successful in attracting an array of scientific funding (over $6.0 M) from prestigious international funding agencies. Dr. El-Agnaf is frequently invited as a speaker at international scientific and clinical meetings and is currently a member of the editorial board of several international journals. His track record of basic and translational research productivity is 3 characterized by publications in high-ranking scientific journals. Dr. El-Agnaf is considered a pioneer in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. In 1998, Dr El-Agnaf demonstrated for the first time that mutations in α-synuclein protein associated with familial cases of Parkinson’s disease increased the tendency of the αsynuclein to aggregate and form amyloid-like fibrils compared to the wild-type protein (independently of Peter Lansbury’s group). Several inventions have emerged from his research, including the unexpected discovery that neuronal cells constitutively release α-synuclein protein into the culture medium, and α-synuclein is normally present in human CSF and peripheral plasma. His discoveries have greatly impacted the scientific research community, provided further insight into the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, and offered new opportunities for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools for Parkinson’s disease. His research has also been translated into clinical studies to evaluate the potential use of α-synuclein in body fluids as diagnostic marker for Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. Recently, Dr. El-Agnaf’s group has developed novel conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies that recognize the pathology of Parkinson’s disease, without cross-reactivity to other neurodegenerative diseases pathology, such as Alzheimer’s disease. These novel antibodies have great potential for use in dissecting the pathogenic mechanisms, diagnosing the onset and developing a vaccine for Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.Omar El-Agnaf was awarded a PhD in Biochemistry in 1997 at the Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He worked as post-doctoral scientist at the School of Biology and Biochemistry, Queen’s University Belfast, from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, Dr. El-Agnaf undertook an additional post-doc position at St. George’s Medical School in London. In 2001, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Parkinson’s Disease Society-UK to establish his research group at Lancaster University. In 2004, he was invited to join the Faculty of Medicine at UAE University and was appointed to the Biochemistry Department. In September 2014 he joined HBKU at Qatar Foundation. Since he moved to the region in 2004, he has assembled an excellent research team and has been successful in attracting an array of scientific funding (over $6.0 M) from prestigious international funding agencies. Dr. El-Agnaf is frequently invited as a speaker at international scientific and clinical meetings and is currently a member of the editorial board of several international journals. His track record of basic and translational research productivity is 3 characterized by publications in high-ranking scientific journals. Dr. El-Agnaf is considered a pioneer in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. In 1998, Dr El-Agnaf demonstrated for the first time that mutations in α-synuclein protein associated with familial cases of Parkinson’s disease increased the tendency of the αsynuclein to aggregate and form amyloid-like fibrils compared to the wild-type protein (independently of Peter Lansbury’s group). Several inventions have emerged from his research, including the unexpected discovery that neuronal cells constitutively release α-synuclein protein into the culture medium, and α-synuclein is normally present in human CSF and peripheral plasma. His discoveries have greatly impacted the scientific research community, provided further insight into the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, and offered new opportunities for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools for Parkinson’s disease. His research has also be

Ying Li, M.D. was educated in Beijing medical University (1962 – 1968). He was a general surgeon at the Qinghai, and oral-maxillofacial surgeon at Nanjing Medical School, China. He completed post-doctoral fellowship in department of internal medicine Hypertension, University Michigan, and then joined Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan, where he was appointed Assistant Research Scientist in 1997, and Research Professor in the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Internal Medicine in 2002. Professor Li joined Department Biomedical Science City University of Hong Kong in December 2009. Fellow American Gastroenterological Association (since 2006) Honors Professor Faculty of Dentistry Hong Kong University Honors Professor Beijing University Medical School Honors Professor Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology Brain Research Institute Chinese Academy of Science Honors Principle Investigator Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health,Chinese Academy of Sciences Excellent Alumni of Peking University Health Science Centre Scientific Grant Review Board for the Health and Health Services Research Fund and the Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases, Food and health Bureau Hong Kong 2011 Editor Journal of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry.

Dr. Nuria E. Campillo received her Ph.D. from Autonoma of Madrid in 1997 under the supervision of Dr. J. Páez. After a postdoctoral appointment at Cambridge University (Prof. T. Blundell), she joined the Medicinal Chemistry Institute in 2001 (first, as Associate Researcher and since 2003 as Staff Scientist). Since april 2014, Dr. Campillo works in Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC). Her research interests are focused on the design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of new compounds as potential drugs for neurodegenerative disorders and neglected disease. She is also interested in the use of artificial neural networks for the prediction of biological properties (activity, ADMET…). She is author of more than sixty scientific publications, and several active patents in the field. Dr. Campillo acts as expert in European Framework Programme for Research and as reviewer in several scientific journals.

Dr. Heui Soo Kim is a Professor in Department of Biological Sciences at Pusan National University. He received his B.S. & M.S. in Dept. of Biology at Pusan National University in 1987, 1992 respectively & Ph.D in Dept. of Cellular and Molecular Biology at Kyoto University in 1997. Dr. Heui worked as Postdoctoral fellow in Dept. of Molecular Genetics at Weizmann Institute of Science, as Postdoctoral scientist in Dept. of Psychiatry at University of Oxford, as Vice Dean in College of Natural Sciences at Pusan National University.

Dr. Li completed his MD in 1982 and a PhD in Physiology in 1988 at Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, China. From 1988 to 1992 he did a postdoctoral fellowship in Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. This was followed by a research fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a residency in Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. He attained the position of full Professor with tenure shortly after appointed as Director of the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, University of Saskatchewan in 2000. In 2007, Dr. Li moved to the University of Manitoba as Professor and Ruth Hurd Research Chair in the Department of Psychiatry; Medical Director of the International Medical Graduate Program/Assistant Dean for International Medical Education, and Director of the Neuroscience Research Program. In 2013, he moved to University of Alberta, as professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry, Capital Health Chair in Mental Health Research, Special Advisor to the Dean on China Research Initiatives. Dr. Li has published more than 100 papers and filed four patents. He has been well funded by national granting agencies as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Hsien-Yuan Lane is the Director and Professor of Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Clinical Medical Science at China Medical University Medical College, Taichung, Taiwan. He has been devoted to translational studies and clinical trials, especially those on several NMDA-enhancing agents for treatment of various mental disorders and dementia. Dr Lane's group leads in clinical trials to show the efficacy of DAAO inhibitor (sodium benzoate in their trials) for treatment of schizophrenia and early-phase Alzheimer's disease, encouraging further development of novel compounds of these mechanisms and lending further support to glutamate hypothesis of Alzheimers disease.

Tibor Hortobagyi is an academic neuropathologist, head of department and chair at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, and president of the Hungarian Neuropathological Society. He completed training in histopathology and neuropathology and worked for 10 years at King's College & King's College Hospital in London where he is currently visiting senior lecturer. His main research interest is neurodegeneration. Tibor Hortobagyi is author on more than 120 research papers and numerous book chapters, with publications in Science and Nature Neuroscience, and editorial board member of several journals. He is councillor of the European Confederation of Neuropathological Societies (EURO-CNS) and International Society of Neuropathology (ISN). He is devoted to neuropathology teaching and is Chairman of the Board of Examiners of the European Neuropathology Exam (EFN) and Advisor at the International Department of the Royal College of Pathologists.

Prof Kamil Kuca is working for several academic institutes (University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech republic; Florida International University, USA; University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic; etc.). His research interests are pharmacology, drug desing, toxicology, vaccine adjuvans, technology transfer, pharmacoeconomy, chemical and biological terrorism. He was/is principal investigator on numerous national and international projects (EU, NATO, GACR, IGA MZ, MSMT etc.). He has published more than 350 IF research papers. He is working with several companies as a scientific consultant. He has lots of cooperators throughout the world (e.g. Korea, Croatia, United Arab Emirates, USA, France, Turkey, Singapore, Sweden, and Brazil). His Hindex is 35, number of citation in WoS is over 3000.

Stephen D. Ginsberg, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist at the Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) and a Tenured Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center (NYULMC). Dr. Ginsberg received his Ph.D. in Neurobiology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. He received postdoctoral training in the Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The principal focus of the Ginsberg laboratory is to delineate cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying selective vulnerability to neurodegeneration. The hippocampal formation, neocortex, and cholinergic basal forebrain, brain regions critical for attention, learning, and memory, are targeted for molecular and cellular based analyses in animal and cellular models of neurodegeneration as well as in postmortem human brains. A multidisciplinary approach of state-of-the-art functional transcriptomics and proteomics approaches combined with immunocytochemical and cell biological techniques is utilized as part of the experimental design. Particular emphasis is placed upon analyzing the fingerprint of single neuronal populations as a means of understanding the complex cascade of molecular and cellular events that occurs under pathologic conditions such as aging, Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, and mild cognitive impairment.

Dr. Gregory J. Bix is a Associate Professor in Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology at University of Kentucky College of Medicine & also Clinical Lecturer (Honorary) at University of Glasgow. He received his B.A & M.A in Brandeis University, M.D. & Ph.D in Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Gregory lab is interested in the role of extracellular matrix in stroke, the third leading cause of mortality in the United States. Vascular matrix components are often very sensitive to proteolytic processing and degradation in models of focal cerebral ischemia. Often such processing will generate biologically active matrix fragments. One focus of lab is to determine how select matrix fragments affect the neurovascular unit, the functional multicellular unit that is perturbed in stroke. Another focus of lab is to determine what role these matrix fragments could play in neurodevelopment involving processes that are often recapitulated in response to CNS injury.

Dr. Kalliopi Megari is an experienced psychologist working in the hospital & health care industry. She is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Ioannina in Greece. Skilled in Clinical Neuropsychology, Clinical Research, and Learning Disabilities. Graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and attended further education from the University of Macedonia, in people with special needs and disabilities. She holds undergraduate degrees in Nursing and Psychology, as well as a Master’s and a PhD in Neuropsychology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has many years of experience working with chronic disease patients as well as with people with disabilities. Her work has earned her many prestigious international awards. She has given lectures at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of WarsawandNorwegian University of Science and Technology in Oslo. She is a postdoctoral researcher doing her research in postoperative cognitive dysfunction of cardiac surgery patients. She is the Global Engagement Representative of SLC and member of the Global Membership Committee of International Neuropsychological Society, secretary-general, and member of the Ethics Committee of Hellenic Neuropsychological Society.

Dr. Zohi Sternberg is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology in Department of Neurology at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Buffalo & also as Clinical Assistant Professor at Roswell park Cancer Institute. She received her Ph.D in Exercise Physiology at State University of NY at Buffalo, Project Management Professional (PMP) training through Canisius College, Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) through SOCRA. Dr. Sternberg has Patent Applications - Sternberg z. Provisional patent application number 61/090818 - Acamprosate: a candidate oral drug in the treatment of multiple sclerosis & Sternberg z and Koffas M. Provisional patent application number 61/234859 - Synthetic luteolin derivatives in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. She is Expertise in CNS/Autoimmune/Neurodegenerative disorders (multiple sclerosis, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease) & Cardiovascular/Metabolic disorders (atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia). HerResearch Focus on Blood Biomarkers and their potential as diagnostic tools in patients suffering from inflammatory, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases; Drug Discovery, which involved the use of immunological, cellular, molecular, and biochemical techniques (in vitro proof-of-concept) (POC), and animal models (in vivo proof-of concept), for evaluating the efficacy of a number of compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases; Cardiovascular Autonomic Nervous System in autoimmune/neurodegenerative diseases; Venous Stenting and the related hemodynamic and hormonal influences in patients suffering from neurovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Drugs and their mechanisms of action; Validation of "Point of care" platelet function analyzers for use in ischemic stroke patients; Systemic inflammation in relation to poor antiplatelet responses. Cardiovascular Risk Factors assessment in patients with autoimmune/inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Neelima Chauhan is a Associate Professor in Department of Pediatrics at University of Illinois and also Research Biologist in Neuroscience Research at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. She received her Ph.D, M.Sc & B.Sc from M.S. University of Baroda. Her research focus is mainly translational neuroscience, aimed at promoting repair of degenerated neurons under pathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by interventional strategies. Although, major portion of work accomplished this far involved Alzheimer’s Disease-translational research including pre-clinical testing of various candidate therapies, pre-disposing potential of TBI as one of the principal risk factors for developing neurodegenerative conditions-Alzheimer’s disease in particular.

Dr. Angelo Demuro is an Associate Professional Researcher in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California Irvine (UCI). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pisa in 1997, where, under the supervision of Dr. Walter Francesconi he was introduced to the field of Ion channels pharmacology. Dr, Demuro continued his scientific training under the supervision of Dr, Ricardo Miledi in the University of California Irvine where he consolidate his knowledge on ion channels pharmacology and their involvement in many neurological disorder. His interest on Ion channels has taken a decisive turn when he moved to Dr. Ian Parker's laboratory at UCI, where he acquired a selective attraction for channel with full/partial calcium permeability. The focus of Dr. Demuro research is to further the understanding of the physiological regulation of calcium signaling and its disruption in pathological disorders. Calcium is one of the most versatile and universal signals in the human body and regulates numerous aspects in the functioning of biological systems. As a consequence, its dysregulation is implicated in a wide variety of diseases, such as immunological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington’s disease.

Dr. Micha M.M. Wilhelmus is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He received his B.A. and Ph.D at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Dr. Micha M.M. Wilhelmus is interested in the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's disease, and finding of drugable targets to counteract this neurodegeneration. He has a special interest in amyloid-beta and tau induced neurodegeneration and effects of accumulation of amyloid-beta in the cerebral vascular wall, known as cerebral amyloid angipathy, in Alzheimer's disease onset and progression. One important focus of his lab is the search for drugable targets, e.g. transglut aminases, that are involved in the turnover of amyloid-beta and tau into their toxic variants and elucidating their possibilities for clinical use in Alzheimer's disease.

Prof. Paolo Falaschi is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Psychology of Sapienza University of Rome. He is coordinator of the Geriatric Unit at Sant’Andrea University Hospital and of the Integrated Medico-Surgical and Geriatrics Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery at (from 2004 to the present). Director of the Master’s Course in Psychogeriatics. Prof. Falaschi’s research interests’ move towards ageing and psychogeriatrics, including acute and chronic illnesses in the elderly, active ageing and caregiver burden. He has issued more than 500 publications, mostly in peer-review journals, overseen by Pubmed.

Dr. Trevor J Crawford in 1984 completed his Ph.D research on the plasticity of human eye movements in the laboratory of Professor John Findlay at the University of Durham, UK. After a short spell working as an MRC research fellow, he was appointed to a post-doctoral research fellow at the Royal London Hospital in 1985, where he help to established one of Europe's leading neuro-opthalmology research laboratories, under Professor Kennard’s leadership. There he embarked on a detailed study of oculomotor control in Parkinson's disease. This work lead up to a programme of neuropsychological and brain imaging studies to develop biomarker for schizophrenia. In 1991 he was appointed as a research fellow in the faculty of Medicine at Imperial College (formerly Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School). During this time his primary research examined the role of the human frontal lobe in control of human action using a range of methodologies, including eye-tracking, functional brain imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation. In 1996 he was moved to University of Lancaster, where he established a new laboratory to develop biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders. Over the last 15 years he have made a number of key discoveries on the nature of eye-tracking impairment in patients with dementia, that distinct from normal age-related changes. This work has lead to the Monitoring of dementia with eye movements (MODEM) project, a large collaborative study (Lancaster & Manchester Universities) to develop novel procedures and technology for the early detection of dementia in the home setting during naturalistic activities. Dr. Trevor J Crawford currently working as Deputy Director of the Centre for Ageing Research at Lancaster University.

Tarja Malm holds Associate Professorship (tenure track) at the University of Eastern Finland and is the vice director of the Department of Neurobiology at the A.I.Virtanen Institute. She leads the Neuroinflammation research group with the focus to understand inflammatory cell functions, especially those of microglia and astrocytes and mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory reactions in neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. She received her PhD at the University of Kuopio on 2006 and carried out her postdoctoral period in Prof. Gary Landreth’s lab at the Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA. Currently the Neuroinflammation research group led by Dr. Malm aims to identify disease specific mechanisms of microglial regulation, but also common mechanisms of neuroinflammation and the impact of co-morbidites entailing peripheral inflammation on brain microglial functions.

Dr. Panagiotis Alexopoulos was born in Patras, Greece. After attending for one academic year lectures at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Patras and he studied medicine at the same university. Panagiotis Alexopoulos has worked as psychiatric resident at the German university hospitals of Rostock and Erlangen, as well as at the hospital of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He obtained his PhD and completed his «Habilitation» (German postdoctoral degree program) at the TUM. In February 2013 he was appointed director of the neurobiological laboratory of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of TUM, at which he has also worked as consultant psychiatrist. Since April 2015 he teaches, continues his research activity and practices medicine as psychiatrist and psychotherapist at the University Hospital of Patras, whilst he remains an active member of the teaching and research team of the TUM Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. In addition, he attends a distance- learning MA course in Philosophy and Mental Health at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. His research interests are mainly focused on Alzheimer's disease, old-age psychiatry and philosophy of mental health.

Ajeet Kumar Kaushik, PhD, is a faculty member at the Centre of Personalized Nanomedicine, Department of Immunology of Florida International University (FIU), Miami, Florida, USA. He is exploring smart electro-active magnetic nanocarriers for on-demand site-specific delivery and controlled release of therapeutics across BBB to prevent HIV, a new approach to neuroAIDS. He has worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the area of fabrication of BioMEMS-based electrochemical biosensors for biomarker detection using nanostructures at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of FIU. He has also worked at Chungnam National University, Deajeon, Korea, as a Visiting Researcher and at Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland, as a research assistant. He has published over 90+ international research papers jointly in the area of nanostructured platforms for biosensor and drug delivery applications. His main research interest is the fabrication of nanomedicine and wearable sensors for personalized health care. Dr. Kaushik received his PhD (chemistry and biosensors) in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory and Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, India.

Dr. Michal Majewski is a scientist at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at UWM Medical University in Olsztyn, Poland. He received his PharmD at the Medical University in Gdansk, Poland. Dr. Michal Majewski had a scientific training at Manchester University in England, Maastricht University in Holland, University of Antwerp in Belgium and at the Poisoning Hospital Unit in Edinburg, Scotland. Dr. Michal Majewski is interested in the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's disease, and the role the kynurenine pathwy plays in neurodegeneration. He has a special interest in AMPA, NMDA and Kainate glutamate receptor ligands, oxidative stress, and inflammatory mediators engaged in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Minho Moon is an Assistant Professor in Department of Biochemistry at College of Medicine, Konyang University. Dr. Moon received his B.Sc. in Biology from Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. He obtained M.S. in Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine and Ph.D. in Department of Pharmacology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. In 2009, he joined the laboratory for Alzheimer’s disease research at Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea, where he acted as Postdoctoral fellow and Research Assistant Professor. He was appointed as an Instructor in Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in 2014. His research intrest includes disease treatment using patients-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, Development of strategies to repair the damaged brain through enhancement of adult neurogenesis, Examination of spontaneous or manipulated repair of noradrenergic, septohippocampal cholinergic, dopaminergic visual circuitry in animal models for neurological disorders using genetic tracing.