From bench to bedside, and back: Patients MEET Researchers

Mitochondrial European Educational Training (MEET) Project, Radboud University Medical Centre, Radboud Auditorium | Geert Grooteplein 15 (route 296) 6525 EZ Nijmegen The Netherlands
January 29-30, 2016

Within the context of a deep collaboration between various European fundamental and translational laboratories, the MEET project represents a platform for the training of 14 young scientific investigators in the field of mitochondrial medicine.

A 2-days scientific symposium specifically addressed to patients, their families and associations/foundations will be held in Nijmegen (The Netherlands) in late January 2016. An important peculiarity of this symposium is the direct and proactive role of the young MEET researchers in the organization process.

The main goal of this conference is to exchange the most up-to-date knowledge advances regarding mitochondrial medicine crossing the gap/bridge between patients and researchers.

Delivering the outcome of the MEET projects to patients and their associations and balance optimistic expectations and realistic progresses is another important task to be fulfilled.

The targets of this symposium are patients, clinicians and researchers. It is intended as a bidirectional and challenging communication from patients to researchers and vice versa with the crucial intermediate role of clinicians.

After the welcome and introduction speech, we propose to leave the floor to the people representing the only ultimate reason for mitochondrial disease research, i.e. patients. Right after, patients families and their associations will give insight of the domestic every day patients care. Different biomedical expertise are working in such a multifaceted area of research, a well-known experienced medical doctor with also a deep understanding of the basic research will close the first “from the different angles” session. Therefore, instead of the usual “from bench to bedside” approach we propose a “from bedside to bench” perspective.

After the first session depicting the different major actors, their feelings and their experiences with mitochondrial disease, a more clinically-orientated session will analyse the difficulties of the diagnostic process. This will lead us to the third session, the most research orientated part of the symposium, where the importance of basic research (study the physiology to understand the pathology) and of its tools (cellular and animal models) will be highlighted.

The last session will give an overview of how the knowledge has been used to develop potential treatment strategies.

Carelli, Valerio – Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (University of Bologna, Italy);
Chinnery, Patrick – International Centre for Life, Institute of Genetic Medicine (University of Newcastle, UK);
Garone, Caterina – MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit (University of Cambridge, UK);
Gasparre, Giuseppe – Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (University of Bologna, Italy);
Koene, Saskia – Nijmegen Centre for Mitochondrial Disorders (NCMD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands);
McFarland, Robert – Welcome trust center for mitochondrial research (University of Newcastle, UK);
Rodenburg, Richard – Nijmegen Centre for Mitochondrial Disorders (NCMD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands);
Santantonio, Piero – Mitocon (Rome, Italy);
Smeitink, Jan – Nijmegen Centre for Mitochondrial Disorders (NCMD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands);
Van der Veer, Elija – International Mito Patient Chairman (IMP, Amsterdam, The Netherlands);

Zeviani, Massimo – MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit (University of Cambridge, UK)

Free registration! Register now!

Deadlines: December 22, 2015

FELLOWSHIPS: Please read all of the information carefully before you apply!

The MEET Consortium offers 15 fellowships (covering travel, accommodation and subsistence costs) to attend the Symposium.

Fellowships are addressed ONLY to patients or Representative of Patients’ organizations.

Applicants for fellowships must submit their request together with a reference letter from Patients’ organization with whom applicants are collaborating.

Applications must be sent to serena.paterlini2@unibo.it

Deadline for sending applications: December 20, 2015 at 18.00 (Brussels time)

We are Waiting for your applications! Good luck Guys!