09/04/2025

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Cancer, diabetes, child and adolescent health & neurodegenerative diseases: 7th Joint Dresden DZG Symposium once again brings together a large number of Dresden researchers

Once a year, the local DZG organize the Joint Dresden DZG Symposium, which took place for the seventh time on 27 March 2025 and this time was mainly hosted by the DZNE. The symposium, designed as an exchange platform for Dresden scientists and physicians, took place this year at the DZNE with over 90 participants.

From left to right: Reinhard Berner (Vice Site Director DZKJ Leipzig/Dresden), Michele Solimena (Spokesperson DZD/PLID), Gerd Kempermann (Spokesperson DZNE Dresden site), Mechthild Krause, (Spokesperson DKTK Dresden site), Sandrine Thuret (KCL), Ann-Kathrin Schatz (Head of Division Ref. 43, SMWK). © DZG

The three existing partner sites of the German Centers for Health Research German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden (PLID) of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) located in Dresden are joined by another DZG at the biomedical campus Johannstadt, the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health in Leipzig/Dresden. 

The importance of the DZG for the Free State of Saxony was emphasized by the participation of Heike Graßmann, State Secretary of the SMWK , who gave a greeting address after being welcomed by Gerd Kempermann. The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, Esther Troost, participated by a video message.

In the individual centers, scientists from university and non-university research institutions work together interdisciplinary to bring new research findings into application more quickly. Despite their different focus areas, the four centers share many things in the developing of new therapeutic approaches or research methods. Dresden is a pioneer in the networking of the local DZG, which  creates the opportunity to jointly develop new innovative and, above all, translational research strategies.
After the welcoming speeches, the three speakers of the DZG (Gerd Kempermann/ Michele Solimena/ Mechthild Krause) gave brief insights into the current developments in their centers, followed by the presentation of the new partner, the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) by the site director Leipzig/Dresden, Antje Körner.

Next, an overview was provided on promotion of young scientists in the DZG and at the campus, in which Björn Falkenburger (UKD Neurology) presented the DSCS (Dresden School of Clinical Science).
 

© DZG

Since 2020, we have already implemented the concept of joint overarching-DZG research projects locally,with a popular and successful start-up funding intended to promote new translational activities between young researchers from the Dresden DZGs. At this year's symposium, Maria Venetikidou presented last year's winning project by Sarah Zocher & Zeina Nicola.
Of course, the 1-minute poster flash talks were also a must this year. 17 young scientists took the opportunity to present their projects in an entertaining and concise manner with great enthusiasm. Afterwards, the conference participants had the chance to talk to the young scientists at their posters over a coffee.

This year's keynote presentation was given by Sandrine Thuret (KCL). With her talk on "Hippocampal progenitor cells as biomarkers of cognitive aging and dementia", she gave a fascinating insight into the regulatory mechanisms of hippocampal neurogenesis, both under physiological influences such as stress and fasting, as well as in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Finally, Michele Solimena had the pleasure and honor of opening the next round of calls for proposals for overarching-DZG project applications and inviting participants to the next 8th Joint Dresden DZG Symposium in 2026.