Published: 23-04-2016 00:24 | Updated: 15-11-2017 17:04

SyDAD kick-off 2016 – international AD research school starts in April

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SyDAD kick-off, spring 2016. Photo: Selma Wolofsky, Dept of NVS, Karolinska Institutet.

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SyDAD – Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease – is a European Training Network (ETN), sponsored by Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, which will train 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESR's, PhD students) and perform a collaborative research program to reveal the mechanisms behind synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease (AD).

See more photos from the kick-off at the bottom of this article!

SyDAD is lead by professor Bengt Winblad (Coordinator) and researcher Susanne Frykman (Project Manager) at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet.

The SyDAD PhD students, Coordinator Bengt Winblad, Project Manager Susanne Frykman and Administrative Manager Gunilla Johansson. The 15 ESR´s are provided with the best of opportunities to become Alzheimer researchers of tomorrow, in an environment combining academia and pharmaceutical companies, creating an understanding of the disease from a translational "cell to society" perspective and of the drug value chain.

On april 21-22, SyDAD hade a Kick-off meeting at Vår Gård, Saltsjöbaden, Sweden. All ESRs, their supervisors and partner organisations gathered for two days to discuss the research projects, the training programme and general issues of SyDAD.

”We have had two days of very interesting discussions and presentations. It it so nice to finally meet the doctoral students admitted to the projects within SyDAD. They applied in a tough competition – with many others very well qualified and talented ESR applicants. Now, I am looking forward to follow the PhD students future careers and their SyDAD projects”, says Susanne Frykman.

Also, one of the goals with the kick-off meeting was for all participants to get to know each other better and increase collaboration opportunities. This was indeed successful since a lot of experience was exchanged, and many of the researchers came to reflect up on new aspects of research methods and scientific questions.