ADPD 2025 Conference Highlights - Part 2

This year's AD/PD Conference was held in Vienna, Austria from the 1st to 5th April. In this second of a two-part special we bring you highlights from the last three days of the conference.

The AD/PD Conference focuses on basic science and translational and clinical research bringing New insights on disease mechanisms and etiologies, the latest findings from clinical trials, innovative outlooks on therapy and prevention and advances in diagnostic markers.

In this special on-location recording our guest host Dr Isabel Castanho, Instructor the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School talks with:

Dr Emma Garland, Research Associate at The University of Sheffield. An early career researcher with a focus on Alzheimer’s, and an interest in protein pathogenesis, iPSC culture and inflammation in neurodegenerative disease.

Susan Rohde, PhD Student at UMC Amsterdam. Susan is a Neurobiologist interested in (healthy) brain aging and related diseases, and currently work on the Dutch 100 Plus Study.

Dr Martyna Matuszyk, Research Communications Officer at the Alzheimer’s Society. Supporting the charity to communicate dementia research with the public, having previously completed a PhD and Postdoc working on Alzheimer’s and MND.

Here are just a few highlights from the discussion:

🧬 1. "This is why we do the science."
A powerful and emotional talk from Trevor Salamon, sharing his wife's journey with young onset dementia, reminded the audience what it's all really about.

🧠 2. Can your gut give you Parkinson’s?
Discover new research showing how toxic proteins may travel from the gut to the brain — and how mini organoids are helping researchers prove it.

🧫 3. Microglia, mice, and human brains… all pointing to the same gene?
Explore how two researchers independently found SPP1 upregulated in Alzheimer’s immunotherapy studies — in both mice and humans.

🧪 4. PhD students are stealing the show
From organoid development to cutting-edge methylation studies, early-career researchers are producing some of the most exciting work on display.

💬 5. "I saw your name on the poster and had to say hello"
Hear how chance meetings, shared lab lines, and QR code posters are turning scientific conferences into hubs of unexpected connection.
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For more information on the event visit:

Full biographies on all our guests and a transcript can be found on our website:
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This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.
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Chapters

00:00 Introductions
03:52 100 Plus Study - Susan's presentation
07:05 How amyloid changes through disease - Emma's Poster
10:18 Importance of patient and carer voices
16:54 Brain and gut interactions
19:59 How mice respond to Lecanemab & new drug updates
25:55 Infections impacting Alzheimer's progression
28:26 Immunity, omics, AI and technology
33:19 Sharing cell lines and collaborations
35:57 Neuronal vulnrability & student research
39:32 Exploring peptides & student research
47:18 Networking
51:55 Roundup and Goodbyes

[DementiaResearcher]

Trevor's talk brought home the why behind the work — should we see more lived experience featured at research conferences? How do you think this shapes our science?