Dear colleagues,
together with theEuropean Parliament (EP), and the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC)let us invite you to the workshop ‘’Parkinson’s disease: causes and cures’’on 8 November 09:00 – 12:00 in ASP A5E2.
The programme, list of speakers, abstracts and registration are accessible here. Kindly register even though you have an EP badge, it would be much appreciated.
Parkinson’s disease has no known cause and has no cure. Yet.
With more than one million people living with Parkinson’s today in Europe, and with this number set to rise as our ageing population increases, the need to understand the causes of the disease and the need to be able to treat it efficiently become greater every day.
A progressive neurodegenerative disorder, it affects 1% of the 60-69-year-old population, rising to 2.7% in those over 80, and is characterised by difficulty in moving and tremor, as well as psychiatric issues. It leads to a progressive reduction in the quality of life and those affected require increasing care.The socioeconomic burden should not be underestimated either, with figures pointing to €13.9 billion of healthcare expenditure annually.
The current ‘gold standard’ medication, introduced in the 1960s, continues to be used, with few new treatments being developed – despite our understanding of the disease having dramatically advanced. There is therefore a need to invest more into translating the available opportunities into life-changing therapies for those affected.
In addition to genetic mutations, a potential risk factor for Parkinson’s disease is exposure to some toxins or herbicides, including diquat. This herbicide was declared potentially harmful by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and its banning encouraged. The European Commission did not submit the proposal to the ScoPAFF, and invited EFSA to revise its opinion.
We highly encourage you to attend this workshop for a kaleidoscopic view of the current landscape surrounding Parkinson’s disease – from the progress being made in medicinal chemistry, novel treatments and their development, as well as the potential causes of the disease, whether genetic or from exposure to harmful toxins. Finally, the workshop will in turn look at how greater funding, especially in light of the negotiations surrounding the next research framework programme, Horizon Europe, may enable scientists to take a decisive step towards finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
The workshop will include a line-up of outstanding speakers from the chemical and medicinal community, as well as with speakers from the European Institutions, including the European Commission, European Parliament and the European Food Safety Agency.
For any questions, please get in touch with us at:Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.
We look very much forward to meeting you there.
Nineta Hrastelj, PhD
Secretary-General
EuropeanChemical Society(EuChemS)
62 Rue du Trône, 6thfloor
1050, Brussels
Tel:+32 (0) 2 289 25 67| Mail:Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.