Dates: March 17-21, 2026
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Organizer: Kenes Group
Plenary sessions at AD/PD 2026 featured the most anticipated presentations of the conference, bringing together global leaders in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research to share transformative findings and vision for the field.
The opening plenary session set the stage for AD/PD 2026 with presentations on:
- Protein Aggregation Kinetics — New understanding of how misfolded proteins propagate between cells
- Microglial Phenotypes — Update on disease-associated microglia (DAM) and their role in neurodegeneration
- Metabolic Dysfunction — How cellular energy deficits contribute to protein misfolding
- Biomarker-Driven Enrollment — Using fluid biomarkers for patient selection
- Combination Therapy Approaches — Rationale for multi-target interventions
- Prevention Trial Designs — Lessons from DIAN-TU and other prevention studies
¶ Amyloid Hypothesis: Where Do We Stand?
This major plenary reviewed decades of amyloid-targeted therapy development:
- Leqembi (lecanemab) — Real-world effectiveness data and subgroup analyses
- Donanemab — TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 results and regulatory considerations
- Gantenerumab — GRADUATE program outcomes and lessons learned
- Amyloid removal versus prevention: different therapeutic windows
- Oligomer-targeted approaches: next generation of anti-amyloid therapies
- APOE4 carrier considerations in trial design
The tau plenary covered the full spectrum of tau research:
- Post-translational modifications beyond phosphorylation
- Tau seeding and prion-like propagation mechanisms
- Tau isoforms and their disease specificity
- Anti-tau immunotherapy results: what works and what doesn't
- Tau PET tracer development and clinical utility
- Small molecule inhibitors of tau aggregation
The alpha-synuclein plenary featured cutting-edge research:
- RT-QuIC and PMCA technologies for early diagnosis
- Correlations between seeding activity and clinical progression
- Utility in clinical trial enrichment
- Active and passive immunization approaches
- Small molecules that prevent aggregation
- Gene therapy strategies targeting SNCA
¶ Genetics and Precision Medicine
This session highlighted genetic discoveries and their translation:
- New risk loci from GWAS studies
- Rare variants in Mendelian forms
- Polygenic risk scores in clinical practice
- LRRK2 inhibitor clinical results
- GBA-associated Parkinson's: special considerations
- SNCA duplication syndromes
Sessions explored shared inflammatory mechanisms:
- Microglial Activation States — TREM2, CD33, and other genetic modifiers
- Complement System — C1q, C3, and synaptic loss
- Peripheral Immunity — How systemic inflammation affects brain
This plenary addressed biomarker convergence:
- p-tau181, p-tau217, p-tau231: Alzheimer's biomarkers in Parkinson's
- Neurofilament light chain (NfL): marker of neurodegeneration
- Alpha-synuclein seeding assays: cross-disease applications
- Amyloid and tau PET in Parkinson's disease
- Alpha-synuclein PET tracer development
- White matter integrity markers
The conference closed with forward-looking presentations:
- Disease modification versus symptom relief
- Personalized medicine approaches
- Prevention strategies for at-risk individuals
- Global registries and data sharing
- Diversity in clinical trials
- Regulatory pathways for innovative therapies
- Amyloid-targeted therapies are now demonstrating clinical benefit
- Tau therapeutics are advancing rapidly with multiple mechanisms
- Alpha-synuclein seeding assays are transforming diagnosis
- Neuroinflammation offers multiple therapeutic targets
- Biomarkers are enabling precision medicine approaches
- Cross-disease insights are accelerating therapeutic development