Researchers from academia and industry gathered at the VU Amsterdam for the first DPAN Symposium on November 30th 2023. The symposium emphasized the urgent need to combine research on protein aggregation from basic to mechanistic and translational research, and to highlight the relevance of common diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to rare genetic diseases. Understanding the common mechanisms of these diseases is essential to accelerate the development of effective treatments. DPAN’s primary goal is to foster collaboration between Dutch researchers and industry partners, promote knowledge sharing, and support the growth of early-career scientists in the field.
The program featured four insightful sessions covering mechanisms of protein aggregation, structural insights, disease modeling and therapeutic strategies. Attendees also had the opportunity to network and collaborate during the poster session, lunch, and closing drinks.
The symposium concluded by emphasizing that protein aggregation disorders are incredibly complex, involving intricate molecular, cellular and systemic interactions. A multidisciplinary approach that integrates expertise in cellular and animal models, protein structures, molecular mechanisms, and the development of therapeutics and biomarkers is essential to make significant progress in this field. Importantly, the need for increased collaboration with clinicians and patient advocacy groups was highlighted as a key factor in achieving impactful progress. This collaborative effort will help identify new drug targets, develop innovative therapies and improve patient outcomes. In addition, given the common underlying mechanisms of many of these disorders, the DPAN network will serve as an important platform for sharing knowledge between researchers working on both common and rare neurological diseases, thereby accelerating the development of new therapies.