Her Majesty Queen Sofía presides over the major international summit on Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases in Elche

• The International Congress on Neurodegenerative Diseases (ICND) is being held from 15 to 18 September in the city of Elche to mark World Alzheimer's Day.
• Research, international cooperation and advances in personalised medicine and the treatment of Alzheimer's and other diseases are the focus of this year's scientific summit, which brings together world-renowned researchers.

Her Majesty Queen Sofía presided today over the official opening ceremony of the International Congress on Neurodegenerative Diseases (ICND), accompanied by Pablo Ruz, Mayor of Elche; Susana Camarero, First Vice-President and Minister of Social Services, Equality and Housing of the Valencian Regional Government; and Eva Ortega, Secretary General for Research at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

The Congress, organised by the Reina Sofia Foundation, CIEN (Centre for Research on Neurological Diseases), the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) and Elche City Council, brings together some of the world's most prestigious researchers in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, Huntington's and Lewy body dementia until 18 September in a leading forum for scientific exchange and international cooperation, as well as leading figures in social and health research.

The Reina Sofia Foundation, with milestones such as the creation of the Reina Sofia Foundation Alzheimer's Centre in Madrid, has maintained a firm commitment to research and awareness for decades, helping to place this public health challenge at the centre of the scientific and social agenda. The institutional collaboration and personal support of Her Majesty Queen Sofia have been key to the growth of the Congress in terms of the number of presentations, countries represented and attendees.

Emerging therapies and internationally renowned speakers

More than thirty international experts and representatives of patient associations are participating in this edition, which seeks to accelerate research, integrate advances into healthcare practice and strengthen cooperation between countries with a focus on early diagnosis and the development of effective therapies.

The four-day programme, structured around eight scientific sessions and a day dedicated to the socio-health approach, covers topics ranging from new biomarkers to precision medicine, genetics, advanced neuroimaging and inflammatory mechanisms, as well as the perspective of patients and families in the socio-health conference. Among the most prominent speakers:

• Bart De Strooper (KU Leuven and UK Dementia Research Institute), a world leader in Alzheimer's disease, will present advances in anti-amyloid gene therapies to correct mutations, considered the current therapeutic spearhead.
• Simon Mead (UCL, United Kingdom) will address the prion propagation mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, which are key to new therapeutic developments.
• Jorge Sepulcre (Yale School of Medicine), a researcher from Elche, will present an innovative method that combines omic technologies and PET imaging to identify personalised therapies.
• Marta Fernández Matarrubia (Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital) and Eduardo Zimmer (McGill University), a leading figure in the study of astrocytes, will analyse the inflammatory mechanisms that drive neurodegeneration.
• Pascual Sánchez Juan (CIEN, Spain), scientific director of the centre, will explain how the combination of biomarkers, genetics and new therapies is marking a paradigm shift in Alzheimer's research.
• Álvaro Pascual-Leone (Harvard Medical School), a world leader in brain neurostimulation, and Guglielmo Foffani (12 de Octubre Hospital, Spain) will present advances in non-invasive stimulation as a therapeutic approach.

To mark the Congress, Elche City Council has organised a concert by the Capella and Escolanía del Misteri d'Elx choirs in the Basilica of Santa María, which will be attended by Her Majesty Queen Sofía on Monday afternoon.