Geneva Media Information

February 27, 2006

Latest Discoveries in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy to be Presented at International Symposium in Geneva, Switzerland, April 19-22, 2006

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,USA, - The world’s leading physicians and scientists in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease treatment and dementia research will participate in the 9 th International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on the Advances in Alzheimer Therapy. The conference will be held April 19-22 at the International Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland. They will highlight the latest discoveries in the treatment of dementia and results of the most recent clinical trials using drug, cellular and gene therapies.

More than 100 sessions will be presented by 125 speakers during the four-day symposium. Nearly 800 specialists are expected to attend the international gathering.

Included in those presentations will be historical data reflecting the progress of the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with cholinesterase inhibitors over the past 20 years; the results of three large clinical trials utilizing cholinesterase inhibitors in at-risk patients; and recommendations for usage of vaccination against beta-amyloid aggregation, the accumulation of toxins in the brain that destroys nerves which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Paul Coleman, neuroscientist at the Center for Aging and Developmental Biology in Rochester, New York, will give the keynote address entitled The Impact of Science on Future Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis.

The symposium was established by Dr. Ezio Giacobini, Ph.D., professor of rehabilitation and geriatrics at the University of Geneva Medical School in Switzerland and professor emeritus of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill., USA. Giacobini organized this year’s conference with Dr. Jean-Pierre Michel, professor and chair of rehabilitation and geriatrics at the University of Geneva Medical School in Switzerland.

Featured speakers and their topics at the ninth annual symposium include -

· Dr. Kaj Blennow, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgren’s University Hospital, Molndal, Sweden: Use of CFS Biomarkers in Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Treatment;

· Karen Duff, Ph.D., Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York: Impact of Kinase Modulation on Pathogenesis in Mouse Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases;

· Dr. Nick Fox, Dementia Research Group, Institute of Neurology, London, England: Immunotherapy of Alzheimer Disease:MR Imaging of Changes in Brain Morphology;

· Stephen L. Minger, Ph.D., Wolfson Center for Age-Related Disease, London, England: Stem Cell Therapy of Alzheimer Disease: Which Way to Go?;

· Dr. Roger Nitsch, Division of Psychiatric Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland: The Immunotherapy of Alzheimer Disease;

· Dr. Agneta Nordberg, Ph.D., Division of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden: Amyloid Imaging in MCI Patients;

· Dr. Lon Schneider, Department of Psychiatry, Neurology & Gerontology, Keck School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles: Treatment of Behavioral Symptoms in Alzheimer Disease;

· Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D., Genetics & Aging Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown: Identifying the Genetics Causes of Alzheimer Disease;

· Dr. Anders Wimo, Ph.D., Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden: Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Alzheimer Disease Therapy: Are They Worth the Price?;

· Dr. Bengt Winblad, Ph.D., Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden: Treatment Strategies in Severe Dementia.

The International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on the Advances in Alzheimer Therapy was first held in 1988 in Springfield, Illinois. The conference is held biennially.

Information about the conference, including a complete list of speakers, is posted online at: www.siumed.edu/cme/alzheimer/media.

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