World Down Syndrome Day Award April 20, 2026

News

T21RS is pleased to invite you to a free Webinar, hosted by the Education and Training Committee for the World Down Syndrome Day. This event aims to show and discuss new preclinical and clinical findings obtained from the young scientists of our Society.

This multi-talk webinar will last approximately one hour and half, with each talk lasting 10 minutes followed by a brief Q&A session.

First talk – Zeynep Atak, Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston, USA: “Trisomy 21 remodels motion-coupled calcium activity in upper-layer M1 pyramidal neurons;

Second talk – Carlos Marques, ICVS/Medical School, University of Minho, Braga Portugal: ”Exploring the use of novel ASOs against Tau in Down Syndrome brain pathology”;

 Third talk – Nayara Fernanda Hachich, Pathology Advanced Translational Research Unit (PATRU), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA: ” Trisomy 21 drives premature T cell differentiation and altered immune responses upon TCR-stimulation”;

Fourth talk – Beatrice Vione, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences of the University of Bologna, Italy: “One-carbon metabolism alterations in Down syndrome”;

Fifth talk – Abinaya Seenivasan, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester, UK: “Why Treating Down Syndrome Regression Disorder is Not Straightforward: Lessons from a UK Research Journey”;

 Sixth talk – Lucia Maure-Blesa, Sant Pau Institute of Biomedical Research, Barcelona, Spain: “Epilepsy in adults with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease: how common is it, when does it appear, and what happens next?

 

A prize will be awarded for the best presentation, which will be selected by webinar attendees through an online voting system via the Zoom chat, based on the following criteria:

  • The presentation provides clear background information and explains the significance of the research question.
  • The presentation clearly describes the research strategy/design, the results obtained, and the potential impact of the findings in supporting the lives of people with Down syndrome and their families.
  • The presentation is delivered clearly, and the language is appropriate for a non-specialist audience.

The winner will receive a certificate and a 50% discount on the registration fee for the 6th International Conference of T21RS which will take place in Denver from June 17 to June 20, 2026.

Date: Monday, April 20, 2026

Time: 5:00 PM Central Europe Time (11 AM USA Eastern Time)