T21RS meeting June 2019 Barcelona meeting grant

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by the inheritance of three rather than the expected two copies of chromosome 21, or trisomy 21. It is characterized by specific structural abnormalities in the brain, by a range of cognitive deficits and intellectual disability, and by a tremendous susceptibility to develop Alzheimer?s dementia by middle age. The rapid pace of progress in DS research that has taken place in the last few years demand effective communication between scientists and clinicians working in this field in order to take basic research discoveries from the laboratory to clinical trials. Advances in DS research highlight the need to bring young scientists into this field. This application requests funding to cover travel expenses of American-based junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to attend the Third International conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS). Participants will include established DS and non-DS investigators whose research directly or indirectly informs critical aspects of DS cognition, neuropathology, translational opportunities and clinical trials. The meeting will take place in Barcelona, Spain from June 6 to June 9, 2019. We anticipate that this conference will lead to fruitful discussions and novel collaborations that are essential to define the future of DS research.