Programme
Thursday, May 21st 2026
Morning
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
09:00–10:00
|
☕ Registration, poster set‑up, and coffee (Claustro, Serrano 121) |
|
10:00–10:30
|
Welcome session (Assembly Hall, Blas Cabrera Institute, Serrano 119) Natalia Fernández‑Borges & Juan Carlos Espinosa |
|
10:30–13:00
|
Session: Prion Structure & Biology I (Chairs: Jesús Requena – Leticia Lucero) |
|
10:30–11:00
|
Invited speaker: Sanaz Sabzehei (University of Santiago de Compostela) Unfold to refold: tracking PrPC unfolding as a pre‑requisite of PrPSc propagation |
|
11:00–11:15
|
Chiara Zucchelli (Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele) Structural determinants of dual anti‑prion activity: investigating Zn(II)-BnPyP binding to the PrPC octapeptide repeat region |
|
11:15–11:30
|
Marta Rigoli (Italian Institute of Technology) Exploring the toxicity of mutant prion proteins: an in silico study |
|
11:30–11:45
|
Pedro Fernández‑Fúnez (University of Minnesota Medical School) The β2α2 loop confers high conformational dynamics and toxicity to the human prion protein |
|
11:45–12:00
|
Human Rezaei (INRAe) Non‑fibrillar prion protein oligomers transmit structural information during early assembly |
|
12:00–12:15
|
Emiliano Biasini (University of Trento) Preclinical development of folding‑interfering degraders targeting the cellular prion protein |
|
12:15–12:30
|
Leire Hervella‑Barrio (CIC bioGUNE) Beyond nature’s designs: rational engineering of artificial prions to better understand protein misfolding |
|
12:30–14:00
|
🍽️ Lunch (Cafetería Serrano 117) |
Afternoon
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
14:00–15:15
|
Session: Prion Structure & Biology II (Chairs: Emiliano Biasini – Josu Galarza) |
|
14:00–14:15
|
Francesca Peccati (CIC bioGUNE) Structural basis of glycoform preferences in prion strains RML and ME7 |
|
14:15–14:30
|
Vincent Béringue (INRAe) Prion infection disrupts endosomal trafficking and induces vacuolation in epithelial cells |
|
14:30–14:45
|
Giuseppe Legname (SISSA) The non‑octa‑repeat region is the main structural determinant of prion conversion |
|
14:45–15:00
|
Anna Burato (SISSA) Prion protein deficiency results in synaptic, neural network and behavioral alterations |
|
15:00–15:15
|
Elisa Nicolini (University of Trento) A BiFC‑based CRISPR screening platform for the identification of early genetic regulators of PrP biogenesis |
|
15:15–16:45
|
Session: Prion Diseases in Animals I (Chairs: Juan María Torres – Diego Sola) |
|
15:15–15:45
|
Invited speaker: Barry Bradford (The Roslin Institute) Microglia regulate the rate of prion neuropathogenesis |
|
15:45–16:00
|
Vincent Béringue (Veterinary Research) Publishing prion research in Veterinary Research |
|
16:00–16:15
|
Glenn Telling (Colorado State University) Updates on emergent CWD prions |
|
16:15–16:30
|
Gage Rowden (University of Minnesota) Growing evidence for dust‑borne CWD prions |
|
16:30–16:45
|
Lars A. Folkman (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) Oral inoculation of sheep with reindeer CWD |
|
16:45–18:30
|
🧪 Poster party (Claustro, Serrano 121) — coffee, soft drinks, snacks, sandwiches |
Friday, May 22nd 2026
Morning
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
09:00–10:30
|
Session: Prion Diseases in Animals II (Chairs: Vincent Béringue – Carlos M. Domínguez) |
|
09:00–09:15
|
Samia Hannaoui (University of Calgary) Gastrointestinal dysfunction as a route‑ and strain‑dependent feature of CWD |
|
09:15–09:30
|
Sabine Gilch (University of Calgary) Understanding prion conformational variability and transmission barriers in CWD |
|
09:30–09:45
|
Oihane Alzuguren (INRAe) When scrapie masks BSE in co‑infected sheep: limitations of standard discriminatory tests |
|
09:45–10:00
|
Cristina Sampedro‑Torres‑Quevedo (CIC bioGUNE) Rapid generation of prion disease models using AAV‑delivered PrP variants in knockout mice |
|
10:00–10:15
|
Sonja Ernst (Friedrich‑Loeffler‑Institut) A comparative analysis of animal prion strains around the globe |
|
10:15–10:30
|
Jason C. Bartz (Creighton University) Emergence of minor prion strains following heat treatment |
|
10:30–11:15
|
☕ Coffee break + poster discussion (Claustro, Serrano 121) |
Late Morning
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
11:15–12:30
|
Session: Prion and Prion‑like Diseases in Humans I (Chairs: Ana Rita Álvaro – Valentino Panico) |
|
11:15–11:45
|
Invited speaker: Giuseppe Bufano (Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta) Prion detection in the urine of individuals at genetic risk for fatal familial insomnia |
|
11:45–12:00
|
Ralf Ernsberger (BMG LABTECH GmbH) The perfect match for RT‑QuIC: FLUOstar Omega microplate reader |
|
12:00–12:15
|
Bárbara Ramalho (University of Coimbra) Altered circadian and clock gene profiles as potential biomarkers for fatal familial insomnia |
|
12:15–12:30
|
Remarh Bsoul (Rigshospitalet) Prodromal detection of skin α‑synuclein and clinical relevance of Seed Amplification Assay |
|
12:30–14:00
|
🍽️ Lunch (Cafetería Serrano 117) |
Afternoon
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
14:00–15:45
|
Session: Prion and Prion‑like Diseases in Humans II (Chairs: Joaquín Castilla – Alba González) |
|
14:00–14:15
|
Cécile Voisset (INSERM) Anti‑prion drugs reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and protect dopaminergic neurons |
|
14:15–14:30
|
Nerea Isusi‑Ranero (Atlas Molecular Pharma) Substrates for amyloid propagation assays |
|
14:30–14:45
|
Sara Canoyra (CISA‑INIA‑CSIC) G114V humanized transgenic mouse model |
|
14:45–15:00
|
Ilaria Vanni (ISS) Evaluation of PrP endoproteolytic processing |
|
15:00–15:15
|
Ana Rita Álvaro (University of Coimbra) iPSC‑generated hypothalamic neurons as a model for fatal familial insomnia |
|
15:15–15:30
|
Jorge Moreno Charco (Atlas Molecular Pharma) Small‑molecule inhibitor of PrP translocation extends survival in a GSS mouse model |
|
15:30–15:45
|
Sara González‑Navarro (Spanish Prion Disease Foundation) The power of synergy |
|
15:45–16:00
|
Poster prize |
|
16:00–16:15
|
Next meeting announcement — 15th Iberian Prion Congress |
|
16:15–16:30
|
Recapitulation — Natalia Fernández‑Borges & Juan Carlos Espinosa |
|
16:30–18:30
|
🧪 Farewell party (Claustro, Serrano 121) — coffee, soft drinks, snacks; poster removal |
|
~19:00
|
Informal walk through Madrid on the way to the symposium venue |
|
20:00
|
Conference Symposium Networking about prions with food — 1881 Madrid Ventas Hotel (Calle Alcalá 269) |