Countdown begins to 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND

The largest international medical and scientific conference on MND, organised by the MND Association, is on the horizon. There are just two months to go until the world’s leading MND researchers gather together in one city. 

The 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND will take place between 6-8 December in Montreal, Canada, with attendees ranging from elite scientists, health and social care professionals, and people affected by MND who are part of the Patient Fellows programme.

From humble beginnings in 1990 with just 50 UK delegates at a small venue in Birmingham, the Association’s signature event has grown exponentially and last year welcomed over 1600 delegates and over 20 expert speakers, representing over 48 countries.  

The Symposium offers an invaluable opportunity for delegates to combine knowledge, exchange new ideas and create new partnerships in the collective fight against MND. 

There were so many interesting practical, global and research topics that expanded our awareness and understanding. What I learned that week gives me hope there is positive movement for people coming after us. David and I learned much and are sharing what we learned through meet-ups, ALS organizational involvement, speaking engagements and David’s blog. 

In summary, the Patient Fellow program facilitated important interactions with patients and caregivers who have valuable lived experience to help them help our community live our best lives. It’s clear that this is a time like no other in the history of ALS/MND, and that possibilities of prevention, early detection, symptom reversals and extending lives are still emerging. I loved being part of that.

Linda Levine, San Jose State University Faculty Emerita and Coach in Grief and Creating a Meaningful Life, attended last year’s Symposium with her husband David Buseck, who has MND

For those unable to make the journey, some sessions will be streamed live to help ensure the event is as inclusive and accessible to the widest audience possible. We will be providing International Symposium updates via our social media. 

We are delighted to be bringing the world’s largest gathering of MND scientists and clinicians back to North America for the first time since 2017. The value of the meeting stretches well beyond the lecture hall. In a rapidly growing and exciting research field, the Symposium not only helps bring the research community up to speed on new discoveries, but also stimulates new ideas and fosters greater international collaboration. This year’s record-breaking number of research studies highlights the breadth of research being carried out globally, each adding a piece to the  complex puzzle that is MND and helping us to understand, treat and ultimately defeat this devastating disease.

Dr Brian Dickie MBE, Director of Research, MND Association

The Symposium is very powerful and it makes people feel they belong to this specific group of people. It’s a way that you grow as a scientist and you cannot overestimate the contribution this event has made to the science.

Professor Martin Turner, University of Oxford

Find out more about the 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND. Both in-person and virtual registrations are now open.