Page 107 - Memora anual Fundación CIEN 2017
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5. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
are aimed at catalyzing collaborative research During the days September 18-22, 2017 at the facili-
among the different centers with a critical mass of ties of the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, and
resources and knowledge in order to promote a ra- coinciding with the celebration of World Alzheimer's
dical change in the research in the field of neuro- Day (September 21), the Alzheimer's Global Summit
degeneration. Pathfinder calls for projects are Lisbon 2017 was held, organized jointly by CIBERNED,
intended to encourage the community to think out- the CIEN Foundation, the Queen Sofia Foundation
side the pre-established frameworks and stimulate and the Champalimaud Foundation. The Summit
new and creative approaches and solutions to the took place in the Champalimaud Center for the
challenges of research in neurodegeneration, carr- Unknown, home of the Champalimaud Foundation
ying out high risk/high benefit projects and welco- in Lisbon, and was chaired by Her Majesty Queen
ming novel, non-conventional applications. Sofía, president of the Foundation that bears her
name, and by Ms. Leonor Beleza, president of the
The scientific scope of the Pathfinder projects is very Champalimaud Foundation and former Portugal’s
broad and applications may include studies to im- Minister of Health.
prove our understanding of neurodegenerative me-
chanisms or create technological advances to The scientific program consisted of an opening ses-
support new diagnostic or therapeutic approaches. sion, three keynote lectures and ten scientific ses-
Joint nominations of researchers from recognized sions. Renowned scientists such as Richard Axel and
Centers of Excellence are invited, and projects must John O'Keefe, who received the Nobel Prize in Me-
include researchers from two or more countries. The dicine in 2004 and 2014, respectively, delivered lec-
projects should address issues that would not be ea- tures on neurology and the genome (Axel) and
sily funded through the standard grant mechanisms brain networks essential for building memories (O'-
of COEN partners, and it is expected that, in addi- Keefe). International researchers who are world re-
tion to the collaboration between Centers of Exce- ferences in their field of research as Rui Costa, expert
llence, the projects will also serve to provide a in neurobiology of actions and movement; António
platform for future collaboration with the industry. Damásio, Prince of Asturias Research Prize 2005 and
author of "The feeling of what happens: the body
▄▀ 5.4. Alzheimer’s Global and emotion in awareness"; Kenneth Kosik (Univer-
Summit Lisbon 2017 sity of California, Santa Barbara, USA) or Maria Gra-
zia Spillantini (University of Cambridge, United
In 2017 CIBERNED held a very special edition of its Kingdom), among others.
annual Scientific Forum. This event, which has taken
place year after year since 2007, is essential for the The head of the Neuroimaging Department of the
proper functioning of CIBERNED, since it allows main CIEN Foundation, Bryan Strange presented in the VII
researchers, members of their groups, as well as all session results of the Vallecas project to predict the
the rest of attendees, meeting to discuss the findings transition to mild cognitive impairment through an
of their research, present new data and establish co- algorithm from a battery of tests combined with
llaborations. In 2013, an International Congress of Re- structural neuroimaging data. Among the written
search and Innovation in Neurodegenerative communications, the CIEN Foundation also partici-
Diseases (CIIIEN) was first established, with great suc- pated with the work of some of its researchers: Ma-
cess that has been consolidated in successive yearly rina Ávila and Miguel A. Fernández from the
editions (2014-2016). Department of Neuropsychology; Irene Buendía and
CIEN Foundation Annual Report 2017 / 107
