MRL Boston celebrated its official entrance into Alzheimer's disease research by hosting a two-day symposium entitled "Translating Molecular Understanding into Disease-Modifying Therapeutics in Alzheimer's Disease."  The May event, co-sponsored by the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair, attracted over 200 of the brightest academic neuroscientists from the Boston region and beyond.  In an agenda that emphasized collaboration, guest presenters shared their latest data in an effort to advance understanding of the disease.

"Our aim is to support the dissemination of knowledge," said Dr. Mark Shearman, head of Alzheimer's research in MRL Boston, during his opening remarks on Monday, May 22.  "Alzheimer's disease is not going to be straightforward to solve, so we have to capitalize on progress that's been made in the area.  Our goals are to demonstrate improved symptomatic benefit for AD patients, and ultimately, to develop a drug molecule that will modify the disease course."

The conference was structured in mini-symposia, allowing twenty minutes plus discussion time for each speaker.  Topics included biomarker identification and validation, mechanisms of amyloid beta-directed therapeutics, and ApoE as a therapeutic target.  Scientists from Boston area hospitals and teaching institutions, including Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Whitehead Institute (MIT) attended this first-of-its-kind event. 

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