Innovating Therapies for Down Syndrome: An International Virtual Conference of the T21 Research Society

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Eric D Hamlett, University of South Carolina; Lisi Flores-Aguilar, McGill University; Benjamin Handen, University of Pittsburgh; Marie-Claude Potier, Paris Brain Institute; Ann-Charlotte Granholm, University of Colorado; Stephanie Sherman, Emory University; Maria Victoria Puig, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology; Jonathan D Santoro, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; María Carmona-Iragui, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Anne-Sophie Rebillat, Institut Jérôme Lejeune; Elizabeth Head, University of California, Irvine, California; André Strydom, King's College London; Jorge Busciglio, University of California, Irvine, California
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-11-11
• Publisher: Karger Publishers
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022, Silverchair Publisher
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1159%2F000526021
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Molecular Syndromology
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 89
• End Page: 100
• Grant/Funding Information: The virtual T21RS International Conference 2021 was supported by generous donations from Lumind-IDSC Foundation (Burlington, MA, USA), Global DS Foundation (Denver, CO, USA), IQVIA (Durham, NC, USA), Fondation Jérôme Lejeune (Paris, France), Fédération Trisomie 21 France (Lyon, France), and the Matthew Foundation (Casper, WY, USA). The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health is also a major funding source for many investigator research projects featured at this conference.
• Keywords: Clinical research; Down syndrome; Biomarkers; Preclinical research; Intellectual disability
• Research Categories: Biology, Molecular; Biology, Neuroscience; Biology, Genetics

Abstract

Research focused on Down syndrome continued to gain momentum in the last several years and is advancing our understanding of how trisomy 21 (T21) modifies molecular and cellular processes. The Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS) is the premier scientific organization for researchers and clinicians studying Down syndrome. During the COVID pandemic, T21RS held its first virtual conference program, sponsored by the University of California at Irvine, on June 8–10, 2021 and brought together 342 scientists, families, and industry representatives from over 25 countries to share the latest discoveries on underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of T21, cognitive and behavioral changes, and comorbidities associated with Down syndrome, including Alzheimer's disease and Regression Disorder. Presentations of 91 cutting-edge abstracts reflecting neuroscience, neurology, model systems, psychology, biomarkers, and molecular and pharmacological therapeutic approaches demonstrate the compelling interest and continuing advancement toward innovating biomarkers and therapies aimed at ameliorating health conditions associated with T21.