A team of researchers headed by Aleksandra Trifunovic and Elena Rugarli from the CECAD Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research at the University of Cologne is hosting this year’s EUROMIT conference. More than 600 international researchers are expected to attend at Cologne’s Gürzenich. Special highlights of the conference will be a patient meeting and a talk about a child with three parents. At the patient meeting, an interpreter will translate between English and German. All other talks and discussions will be in English.
Mitochondria are the power houses of our cells. Malfunctions are often associated with serious diseases. Also, limitations in their functioning play a role in the aging process. Luckily most mitochondrial disorders are rare – but in total they do afflict one out of 3000 people. That is why it is important to find out more about mitochondria and the role they play in our organism.
‘We are thrilled that over 600 internationally renowned scientists are coming to Cologne to engage in exchange. Cologne and the Rhineland have evolved into a center for aging and mitochondria research in recent years’, says Aleksandra Trifunovic.
Two highlights among many: patient meeting and the child with three parents
Among the many aspects of the five-day conference, two topics are particularly interesting: in a patient meeting, patients and their families will have the opportunity to ask the researchers questions. ‘With this part of the conference, we want to improve the exchange between research and patients even more’, says Trifunovic.
At the beginning of the year, the birth of the first baby with three parents moreover caused a stir. Because the mother passes on mitochondria in her genetic material, women with mitochondrial disorders often cannot have healthy children. A new procedure developed in Great Britain now makes it possible to bring together the core DNA of the parents with mitochondria from a donor in an egg cell. This allows a healthy baby to develop. Mary Herbert form the Institute of Genetic Medicine at the University of Newcastle will present a paper on this topic.
When and where:
Start: 11 June 2017, 3:00 pm
Gürzenich Köln
Martinstraße 29-37
50667 Cologne
If you are a journalist and would like to attend, please register with Peter Kohl (pkohl@uni-koeln.de) in advance.
Media Enquiries:
Prof. Aleksandra Trifunovic
Cluster of Excellence CECAD
University of Cologne
+49 221 478-84291
aleksandra.trifunovic[at]uk-koeln.de
Press and Communication:
Peter Kohl
Public Relations Officer CECAD
+49 221 478 84043
pkohl[at]uni-koeln.de
Further information:
www.euromit2017.org