Join us in Washington D.C. on March 25th and 26th for the Tau2024 Global Conference. Supported by the Alzheimer’s Association, CurePSP and the The Rainwater Charitable Foundation, this hybrid conference (with opportunities to attend virtually) is convening leading experts from academia, industry, government, and philanthropy to address the future of tauopathy disease research. Whether you’re a seasoned tau researcher or just starting your journey, Tau2024 is an invaluable opportunity to learn about the most current and pivotal tau research.  

The conference agenda boasts a diverse range of talks that will delve into the intricate world of tau proteins. Kicking off the event will be Linde Jacobs who will share the perspective of patients, families and caregivers with a talk on the challenges of navigating a future as a MAPT mutation carrier – a common cause of inherited frontotemporal dementia. Her heartfelt story promises to move and motivate all of us to remain focused on finding effective treatments for tauopathies. This will be followed by a plenary lecture on the state of tau biomarkers by renowned researcher Nicholas Ashton (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), which will kick off the two days of rich scientific content.  

Adding to the excitement, the Tau2024 conference will feature the 2024 Rainwater Prize ceremony, which recognizes exceptional advancements in tau research with significant potential to impact the lives of patients. This prestigious award provides major funding and visibility to accelerate groundbreaking work by both established leaders and rising stars. This year’s winners include Dr. Virginia Man-Yee Lee (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine) with the 2024 Rainwater Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research, and Dr. Cristian Lasagna-Reeves (Indiana University School of Medicine) as the recipient of the 2024 Rainwater Prize for Innovative Early-Career Scientist. Learn more about their work in our latest press release. 

Below is a list of some of the talks and activities at Tau2024 that our medical research team  is most looking forward to. Please reach out to our team if you would like to meet with us at Tau2024. 

Lauren Hirschfeld, PhD 
As a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine’s neuroscience PhD program, I’m excited to attend the Rainwater Prize ceremony for IU investigator Dr. Cristian  Lasagna-Reeves, whose breakthrough science has greatly contributed not just to IU, but to the field as a whole. I’m also looking forward to hearing the latest findings and innovations specific to tau research in AD and related tauopathies. Events such as Tau2024 are essential for sharing the latest advancements in the field, and lead to collaborations and novel ideas that will take us one step closer to our goal of curing tauopathies. 

Amy Rommel, PhD 
I find myself trying to contain my flutter of excitement for what is a stellar lineup of presenters. There is a lot to look forward to: the emerging clinical trial data, ongoing drug discovery programs, the latest and greatest in biomarkers, and of course all the genetics research! While all this and more will be there, and be exciting for sure, for me I am looking forward to seeing the emerging novel mechanisms that underlie and explain tauopathy pathology. What is that next big idea? That next potential drug targetable pathway that could ultimately cure tauopathy? Will it be PERK? TRIM21? A new pathway presented by a trainee at the poster session? You’ll find me, with pen at the ready, waiting for the next big idea at the mechanisms panel, the poster session, and the lightning talks. See you there! 

Amy Norris 
For me, what I am most looking forward to at Tau2024 is the opportunity to witness some of the brightest minds in the field interacting with one another. It is both beautiful and encouraging to see researchers from all around the world come together with the shared goal of advancing research in the tauopathy field. Tau2024 is an opportunity for us to connect, celebrate, challenge, and collaborate, and I am hopeful that the experience will plant the seeds for exciting breakthroughs to come. 

Jordan Brainerd 
I am excited to celebrate the 2024 Rainwater Prize winners, Virginia Man-Yee Lee, Ph.D. and Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, Ph.D., M.S. during the Tau2024 Global Conference. The Rainwater Prize Program aims to highlight and support scientific progress toward addressing critical gaps for neurodegenerative diseases associated with the accumulation of the tau protein in the brain. It also seeks to further scientific discovery by attracting and retaining promising researchers in the field. Tau2024 will be a wonderful opportunity to recognize the scientific achievements of this year’s winners! 

Glenn Harris, PhD 
I’m looking forward to the several talks showing the latest developments on tau PET ligands for the primary tauopathies. Having a selective ligand that can differentiate between 3R, 4R, and mixed 3R/4R tau fibrils would be a tremendous development for the field. Clinicians and drug development groups need better ligands to help accurately diagnose patients earlier and to aid in clinical trial enrollment and monitoring. I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on reports of hopefully low off-target binding and novel chemical scaffolds which may be optimized in the future.  

Discover more about our medical research program funding priorities by visiting our website.