welcome
The organizers of Prion2012 are honoured to receive the scientific community in the field of prion diseases and related disorders in Amsterdam, capital of The Netherlands.
Prion research remains a challenging field. Since the large outbreak of BSE in cattle, and the occurrence of vCJD in humans, huge efforts have resulted in impressive progress in prion research and lead to new insights into prion pathomechanisms. However, even though the epidemic seems to be under control, atypical and sporadic TSE variants still occur, pinpointing the importance to keep prion research up-to-date. In addition, prion related pathological protein mechanisms appear more generic in other diseases such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Basic questions that still have to be answered are:
- what is the trigger of the transmissible disease forms,
- how are prion strain characteristics enciphered at a molecular level,
- what measures can be taken for treatment and prevention of these and related neuropathological protein aggregation disorders.
To update each other on the state-of-the-art of prion research and to discuss and exchange ideas on future strategies, we welcome you at the VU University Amsterdam, a location with a long history in basic and applied neurosciences.
We will do our best to make you feel at home.
And while being here you might want to take the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of history, culture, liveliness and entertainment in the unique city of Amsterdam.
We express our thanks to the sponsors, the organisations, and you, who make this conference possible and a potential success.
See you in Amsterdam
Organizing committee
