The UM ALS/MND Summit provides a platform for national and international speakers with a vast research experience in neurology or neuroscience. Speakers will give enlightening talks on various aspects of Motor Neuron Disease.
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Prof. Vincenzo La Bella, MD, PhD
Prof. Vincenzo La Bella is a neurologist and professor of Neurology at the School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Palermo, Italy. Prof. La Bella trained in neurology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA. He obtained his PhD from the University of Palermo, and did his postdoctoral studies at the Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), University of Marseille, France. Prof. La Bella heads the ALS Clinical Research Centre and Laboratory of Neurochemistry which have a research focus on ALS epidemiology and genetics in Western Sicily as well as the development of ALS biomarkers. Prof. La Bella has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications, presented over 140 papers at national and international meetings and served as Principal Investigator in a large number of ALS clinical trials. We are honoured that Prof. La Bella will deliver the Keynote Lecture on the Epidemiological, Clinical and Genetic Landscape of ALS in Sicily. |
Dr. Rossella Spataro, MD, PhD
Dr. Rossella Spataro is a neurologist with a PhD in Neuroscience. She is a clinical researcher at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi in Palermo, Italy and she is the founder and leader of the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Lab at the ALS Clinical Research Centre, University of Palermo, Italy. Over the past seven years, Dr. Spataro has been devoted to implementing BCI paradigms for clinical applications. By combining her experimental work in the Lab and the clinical activity with the patients, Dr. Spataro has been able to bring the BCI technology from the bench to the bedside. Dr. Spataro's work focuses on different BCI approaches for the assessment, communication, and rehabilitation of patients suffering from severe neurological conditions, including ALS. Dr. Spataro will deliver a lecture on Brain-Computer Interfaces for ALS patients. |
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More Contributors
The conference will also feature talks by young researchers that are working at the UM ALS/MND Research Lab on different aspects of motor neuron disease including animal modelling, biobanking and gene hunting. The talks will highlight how laboratory findings are helping us to better understand the causes and mechanisms of ALS/MND.