Registration has now closed

Key information

Date and times
5-7 February, 2025

Location
Online

Registration fee
Internal Imperial College (staff/PhD students) and UK DRI participants: £120
Imperial College MSc students: £60
External Participants (academic): £200
External Participants (non-academic): £500

Applications are now closed

If you have any questions please contact email s.ahmadi-abhari@imperial.ac.uk

Course Organisers
Professor Abbas Dehghan
Dr Sara Ahmadi-Abhari

Course overview

With ageing of the populations and increasing numbers of people living with dementia worldwide, there is growing interest in the academic and pharmaceutical industry sectors, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations, in dementia research. This course provides an overview of the cutting-edge research techniques employed in the evolving field of dementia research in population-based studies as well as the latest advances in research findings and data analytic methods.

Upon completion of the course the participants will obtain a grounding in the current status and future directions in dementia research driven by brain imaging modalities, molecular epidemiology, and research in other biomarkers. The scientific foundation in dementia research developed through the course will aid in better understanding of the applications, strengths and limitations of the research techniques; how data is obtained, scientifically presented, and interpreted; how mechanistic insights are derived; and how diagnostic or therapeutic targets are identified. The knowledge base and networking opportunities provided through the course can play a pivotal role in developing novel research ideas in the epidemiological, basic-science, clinical, and translational research fields.

The course would be of interest to PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and other population-based and bench researchers in academia, public health policy, as well as the pharmaceutical industry sector. This course provides the opportunity for basic researchers to get familiar with epidemiologic and population-based resources. Material covered in the course provide an understanding of the methods employed in population-based dementia research which is of direct interest to researchers from the epidemiology and computer/data science backgrounds. With distinguished researchers in the field as guest lecturers and participants coming from various disciplines, including lab-based sciences, data science, and epidemiological backgrounds, the course offers an excellent platform to foster collaborations and promote transdisciplinary research.

Course organisers

Registration is now closed

Timetable of keynote lectures

Time
(UK, GMT+1)
Title Speaker
Day 1    
10:00 - 10:30 Introduction  
10:30 - 11:45 Latest advances in population-based dementia research: Dementia classification and underlying pathologies Professor William Wisden (Director of Imperial College London Dementia Research Institute)
12:00 - 13:00 Modifiable and Lifestyle risk factors for dementia Professor Gill Livingston  (University College London)
14:00 - 15:00 Biological mechanisms implicated in the development of  Alzheimer's disease and dementia Professor Magdalena Sastre (Imperial College London)
15:30 - 16:30 Socioeconomic inequalities in development of dementia Professor Mika Kivimaki (University College London)
Day 2    
10:00 - 11:30 Proteomics in dementia research

Metabolomics in dementia research

Dr Anna Matton (Karolinska Institute)

Dr Rui Pinto (Imperial College London)

12:00 - 13:00 MRI and PET Professor Paul Edison  (Imperial College London)
14:00 - 15:15 Neuroimaging advances in dementia research and clinical practice Professor Paul Matthews  (Imperial College London, Director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute)
15:30 - 16:29 Cutting-edge diffusion MRI analytics for white matter assessment of neuroinflammation, axonal degeneration and demyelination Professor Maxime Descoteaux (Imeka/ University of Sherbrooke)
Day 3    
9:30 - 11:15 Fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and dementia Professor Henrik Zetterberg (University of Gothenburg, University College London) and Dr. Amanda Heslegrave (University College London)
11:30 - 12:30 Role of genomics in dementia research and diagnosis Professor Cornelia van Duijn (Oxford University)
13:00 - 14:00 Drug repurposing for prevention and treatment of dementia Professor Mark Albers (Harvard university)
15:00 - 16:30 Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological interventions in prevention and treatment of dementia Professor Robert Perneczky (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, University of Sheffield)