Previous programmes

Previous programmes

FTD UK was first initiated after a post-conference chat at the 2010 International Conference on FTD in Indianapolis between Jonathan Rohrer, James Rowe, and Stuart Pickering-Brown. The first meeting happened at UCL the following September with less than 50 attendees. It slowly grew over the years with meetings rotating between UCL, Manchester and Cambridge. In 2017 we added in Early Career Researcher Prizes in clinical and basic science with many abstracts submitted each year. At our 9th meeting in Cambridge just before Covid there were nearly 200 attendees.

The meetings stopped over the Covid pandemic and restarted again in 2023. Sadly, Stuart Pickering-Brown died before we started again, and Jonathan and James organised this meeting at UCL, dedicating the basic science prize to the work Stuart had done in FTD. In 2024 we were joined in the meeting organisation by Jenna Gregory from the University of Aberdeen and Kat Bowles from the University of Edinburgh, with a plan to rotate the meetings moving forward between UCL, Cambridge and Scotland.

9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introduction
10.10amMultidimensional insights into FTD cognitionMatt Lambon-Ralph (University of Cambridge)
10.30amDigital biomarkers and remote monitoring in FTDRhian Convery (UCL)
10.50amThe surprising amyloid found in FTLD-FUSTammaryn Lashley (UCL)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amTBK1 loss-of-function is associated with cell autonomous microglial dysfunctionOwen Peters (Cardiff University)
12.00pmStress-induced nuclear TDP-43 pathology leads to STMN2 depletion: an early pathological event in FTD/ALS?Anna Sanchez Avila (University of Sheffield)
12.20pmInvestigating subcellular and secreted interactomes of pathological tau: lessons from extracellular vesiclesSteph Fowler (University of Oxford)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmUpdate on FTD and dementia consortiaFTD UK team
2.00pmMining the immune system for protective antibodies in neurodegenerative diseasesRalph Minter (Alchemab Therapeutics)
2.20pmAutologous HSC gene therapy for the treatment of FTD-GRNChiara Recchi (Orchard Therapeutics)
2.40pmCoffee break
3.10pmAlzheimer's Society ECR prizes - introduction and award
3.30pmBasic Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.40pmClinical Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.50pmSummary
4.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJonathan Rohrer & James Rowe
10.10amSynaptic biomarkers in FTDMaura Malpetti (University of Cambridge), Mica Clarke (UCL) and Aitana Sogorb Esteve (UCL)
10.40amTwo distinct pathomolecular signatures exist in C9orf72 ALS-FTDJenna Gregory (University of Aberdeen)
10.55amThe FTD Prevention InitiativeLucy Russell (UCL)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amUnderstanding neurophysiological impairments in C9orf72-mediated FTD-ALSMatthew Livesey (University of Sheffield)
12.00pmStructures of pathological TDP-43 in neurodegenerative diseaseBenjamin Ryskeldi-Falcon (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
12.20pmiPSC models of FTDKathryn Bowles (University of Edinburgh)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmNew therapies for GRN-associated FTDSerena Hung (Arkuda)
2.00pmAAV therapy for GRN-related FTD David Cooper (Aviado Bio)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmProviding support to people with FTD and their families in the UKPanel discussion with short talks
3.20pmAlzheimer's Society ECR prizes - introduction and award
3.30pmBasic Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.40pmClinical Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.50pmSummary
4.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJames Rowe, Stuart Pickering-Brown & Jonathan Rohrer
10.10amLATE onset TDP-43 and tauopathies are not PART of FTLDJohannes Attems (Newcastle University)
10.30amMore than words: auditory perceptual changes in PPAChris Hardy (UCL)
10.50amAdvanced neuroimaging in FTD: what can we learn from MEG, PET and 7T fMRIThomas Cope (University of Cambridge)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amNuclear-cytoplasmic transport dysfunction in FTD/ALS : a direct role for the nuclear pore?Sarah Mizielinska (King's College London)
12.00pmThe role of prion-like spreading of tau in neurodegenerative diseaseDavid Klenerman (University of Cambridge)
12.20pmScreening for modifiers of C9orf72 hexonucleotide repeat expansionTeresa Niccoli (UCL)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmStructure-based drug discovery for the development of FTD therapeuticsPaul Mortenson (Astex)
2.00pmNovel therapies for FTDOlga Uspenskaya (Prevail)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmCurrent management strategies in FTDPanel discussion with short talks from Anna Volkmer (UCL) and James Rowe (University of Cambridge)
3.20pmAlzheimer's Society ECR prizes - introduction and awardHannah Mackay
3.30pmBasic Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.40pmClinical Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher sponsored by the Alzheimer's Society
3.50pmSummary
4.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionStuart Pickering-Brown, Jonathan Rohrer & James Rowe
10.10amThe MLSEPeter Garrard (St George's Hospital London)
10.30amFunctional Networks in Genetic FTD - Susceptibility and ResilienceTim Rittman (University of Cambridge)
10.50amDisease modelling approaches to FTDAlexandra Young (UCL)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amThere's something wrong with my MAM; ER-mitochondria signaling and neurodegenerative diseasesChris Miller (King's College London)
12.00pmC9orf72 FTD/ALS: mechanisms and therapeuticsAdrian Isaacs (UCL)
12.20pmGene therapy approaches to ALSPam Shaw (Sheffield)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmNovel therapies for GRN-related FTDRobert Paul (Alector)
2.00pmNovel cell-based therapies for FTDJohan Lundkvist (Alzecure)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmImproving the diagnostic pathway for patients with FTDPanel discussion
3.30pmBasic Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher
3.40pmClinical Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher
3.50pmUpdate on UK dementia initiatives
4.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJonathan Rohrer, James Rowe & Stuart Pickering-Brown
10.10amNeuropsychological profiles in FTD and ALS-FTDJennifer Saxon (University of Manchester)
10.30amNovel PET ligands for imaging neurodegenerationIlan Rabiner (Imanova)
10.50amStaging systems in ALS - incorporating FTD and cognitive impairmentAmmar Al-Chalabi (King's College London)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amNew models of tauopathyDiane Hanger (King's College London)
12.00pmModelling FTD with patient-derived iPSC-neuronsSelina Wray (UCL)
12.20pmInvestigating protein degradation deficits in FTDGemma Lace-Costigan (Salford University)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmStereopure oligonucleotides as a therapeutic approach to rare neurological diseasesMichael Panzara (WAVE Life Sciences)
2.00pmThe age of tau therapy - from shadow to sunlightNorbert Zilka (Axon)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmDeveloping standards of care in the diagnosis and management of FTDPanel discussion
3.30pmBasic Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher
3.40pmClinical Science Prize for Early Career UK FTD Researcher
3.50pmUpdate on UK dementia initiatives, including IFGC update, and summary of day
4.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJames Rowe, Stuart Pickering-Brown & Jonathan Rohrer
10.10amTau PET imaging in PSPJames Rowe (University of Cambridge)
10.30amImaging of subcortical structures and their connections in FTDMartina Bocchetta (UCL)
10.50amClinical, imaging and path features of TBK1 mutations in FTD and ALSJonathan Rohrer (UCL)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amAntisense and sense RNA foci derived from repeat expansions of C9orf72 have similar interactions but distinct expression patternsJonathan Cooper-Knock (University of Sheffield)
12.00pmModelling C9orf72 dipeptide repeats: size mattersSarah Ryan (University of Manchester)
12.20pmGenetic modifiers of CHMP2BSean Sweeny (University of York)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmDevelopment of the tau directed monoclonal antibody BMS-986168 for the treatment of PSPIrfan Qureshi (BMS)
2.00pmO-GlcNAcase inhibition as potential treatment for tauopathiesDirk Beher (Asceneuron)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmAn update on ALS research in the last yearChris Shaw (King's College London)
3.10pmThe new PSP criteria and an update on the PROSPECT studyHuw Morris (UCL)
3.30pmAn update on UK dementia initiatives and the role of FTD, PSP, CBS and ALS in these initiatives
3.45pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionStuart Pickering-Brown, Jonathan Rohrer & James Rowe
10.10amEpidemiology of FTD - the PiPPIN studyIan Coyle-Gilchrist (University of Cambridge)
10.30amCSF and serum biomarkers in FTDHenrik Zetterberg (UCL)
10.50amSerum markers in MND and their relevance to FTDMartin Turner (University of Oxford)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amCurrent therapeutic trials in FTDCatherine Mummery (UCL)
12.00pmNovel tau therapeuticsRoger Lane (Isis Pharmaceuticals)
12.20pmInflammatory PET imagingAlex Gerhard (University of Manchester)
12.40pmLunch
1.40pmThe role of TDP-43 in neurodegenerative diseaseTammaryn Lashley (UCL)
2.00pmNovel MND genes and their relevance to FTDKevin Talbot (University of Oxford)
2.20pmCoffee break
2.50pmUpdates in UK FTD research
3.15pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJonathan Rohrer, James Rowe & Stuart Pickering-Brown
10.10amNew findings in the genetics of C9orf72Stuart Pickering-Brown (University of Manchester)
10.30amMechanisms of toxicity in C9FTD/ALSSarah Mizielinska (UCL)
10.50amTau aggregation and neurodegenerationMichel Goedert (University of Cambridge)
11.10amCoffee break
11.40amWhere are we with tau PET imaging of FTD?Franklin Aigbirhio (University of Cambridge)
12.00pmMechanisms of tau propagationSuchira Bose (Lilly)
12.20pmThe clinical stage HDAC inhibitor FRM-0334 induces progranulin in a variety of pre-clinical model systemsHolger Patzke (Forum Pharmaceuticals)
12.40pmLunch
2.00pmPhysiological phenotyping of frontotemporal lobar degenerationsJason Warren (UCL)
2.20pmWhat rating scales should we be using in clinical trials of FTD?John Hodges (Neuroscience Research Australia) & Eneida Mioshi (University of Cambridge)
2.40pmWhat is the role of episodic memory in FTD?Michael Hornberger (University of Cambridge)
3.00pmCoffee break
3.30pmUpdates on national and international dementia initiatives in relation to FTD research and summary of the day
4.00pmFinish
9.00amRegistration
9.30amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJames Rowe, Stuart Pickering-Brown & Jonathan Rohrer
9.50amNext generation sequencing for dementia diagnosisSimon Mead (UCL)
10.10amThe molecular biology of C9orf72Adrian Isaacs (UCL)
10.30amStem cell models of FTDSelina Wray (UCL)
10.50amCoffee break
11.20amPET imaging in FTDAlex Gerhard (University of Manchester)
11.40amPreimplantation genetic diagnosis and genetic testing in FTDHelen Murphy (Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
12.00pmLunch
1.00pmGENFI - the Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia InitiativeJonathan Rohrer (UCL)
1.20pmThe Tau Rx trialChris Kipps (University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust)
1.40pmWhat have we learned from PSP trials?Nigel Leigh (University of Sussex)
2.00pmCoffee break
2.30pmThe PSP/CBS networkHuw Morris (UCL)
2.50pmUnique opportunities for integrated patient-based research in ALS and FTDMartin Turner (University of Oxford)
3.20pmSummary of the day
3.30pmFinish
9.00amRegistration
9.30amWelcome to the meeting and introductionStuart Pickering-Brown, Jonathan Rohrer & James Rowe
9.50amThe new criteria for bvFTD and PPA - how useful are they?Matthew Jones (University of Manchester)
10.10amGWAS in FTDRaffaele Ferrari (UCL)
10.30amA molecular biology perspective on FTDJohn Hardy (UCL)
10.50amCoffee break
11.20amWhat do we know so far about C9orf72?Huw Morris (University of Cardiff)
11.40amGenetic testing for FTD in the clinicSimon Mead (UCL)
12.00pmLunch
1.00pmA systems neuroscience approach to FTDJames Rowe (University of Cambridge)
1.20pmMotor neurone disease and FTD - do we need joint research platforms?Kevin Talbot (University of Oxford)
1.40pmWhat do regional and national dementia registries mean for FTD?Carol Brayne (University of Cambridge)
2.00pmCoffee break
2.30pmWhat do patients and carers want from FTD research?Jill Walton (Frontotemporal Dementia Support Group)
2.50pmSummary of the day
3.00pmFinish
9.30amRegistration
10.00amWelcome to the meeting and introductionJonathan Rohrer, James Rowe & Stuart Pickering-Brown
10.20amUpdate on clinical aspects of FTDJason Warren (UCL)
10.40amUpdate on clinical trialsNick Fox (UCL)
11.00amUpdate on imagingJames Rowe (University of Cambridge)
11.20amCoffee break
11.50amUpdate on neuropsychologyJulie Snowden (University of Manchester)
12.10pmUpdate on the relationship of FTD with MNDChris Shaw (King's College London)
12.30pmLunch
1.30pmUpdate on geneticsStuart Pickering-Brown (University of Manchester)
1.50pmUpdate on pathologyDavid Mann (University of Manchester)
2.10pmUpdate on animal modelsMaria Spillantini (University of Cambridge)
2.30pmCoffee break
3.00pmDENDRON and national dementia initiativesMartin Rossor (UCL)
3.20pmSummary of the day
3.30pmFinish