Tau and neurodegenerative disorders

Tau protein belongs to the family of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that stabilize microtubule assembly and function. It is expressed in most neurons and was shown to play a role in axonal transport, cell polarity, and neurotransmission.

Abnormal tau build-up seems to be an important characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Pick’s disease, and more than 20 other serious neurodegenerative diseases. With its physiological function unclear, and its dysfunctional state a consistent component of several neurodegenerative diseases, understanding Tau may bring us closer to effective treatments for patients suffering from these diseases.

The workshop is addressing recent advances in the Tau field, namely in in vivo imaging techniques, in the understanding of abnormal Tau propagation, as well as the discovery of new functions of normal and abnormal Tau protein in neurons and glial cells. A better understanding of the mechanisms linking abnormal Tau to neurodegeneration should provide some valuable insights into key pathophysiological pathways, which may allow identifying new therapeutic targets as well as proposing innovative therapeutic interventions.

Introduction 

10:00 - 10:05 Anne Eckert 

 Session 1 chaired by Anne Eckert, UPK, Basel 

10:05 - 11:00 Jürgen Götz, University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia

Plenary lecture : Alzheimer's disease - basic mechanisms and ultrasound-based therapeutic interventions

11:00 - 11:20 Coffee break 

11:20  11:55 Amandine Grimm, UPK, Basel, Switzerland

Impact of disease-associated tau protein on mitochondrial function

11:55 - 12:30 Kevin Richetin CHUV Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Astroglia, Tau and Dementia: from understanding to diagnosis

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch break 

 Session 2 chaired by Jürgen Götz, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 

13:30  14:25 Morvane Colin, Université de Lille, Lille, France

Plenary lecture : Prion-like tau propagation: hope or helpless ?

14:25 - 15:00 Ruiqing Ni, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Multimodal imaging of tau and neurodegeneration in animal models of tauopathy

15:00  15:30 Coffee break 

15:30 - 16:05 Paolo Paganetti, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland

New Tau functions linked to aging disorders

16:05  16:40 Celeste Karch, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, USA

 Leveraging human stem cell models to understand tau dysfunction in aging and disease

16:40 - 17:30 Closing remarks – Discussion with the speakers 

Monday, the 5th of September 2022.

Hörsaal 1 Pharmazentrum, Basel.

Neurex workshops are part of the cycle B5 of the University of Basel. They allow students to gain Credit Points from attending workshops/meetings.

This specific workshop will give rise to the attribution of 0.5 CP.

Important: Full rules & how to proceed available here.