Emerging Research in the Etiology and Pathogenesis of a Complex Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common motor disorder. Over the past fifteen years, the discovery of disease-causing mutations in a growing number of genes has accelerated the pace of our understanding of disease mechanisms. Simultaneous discoveries in cell biology and immunological processes are rapidly providing insights into the processes that lead to this disease. This creates an exciting series of challenges and opportunities to be addressed by discussion and exchange of ideas. There has to our knowledge never been a basic research conference devoted to Parkinson’s, and this conference will bring together investigators with diverse scientific backgrounds who share an interest in the cellular mechanisms that produce PD and its related disorders. The specific content of the Conference will evolve as our understanding of PD evolves.

For the first Conference, topics will include: The normal function of PD-related genes; The cellular response to toxic protein aggregates; Endoplasmic reticulum stress; Proteasomal and autophagic processes; Neuroimmune pathways; and Prion-like aggregate pathogenesis.