On May 10th, Sussex Doctoral School hosted a symposium recognising the role of Apolipoprotein (APOE) in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Carrying an APOE e4 gene is established to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in older adulthood, as well as being associated with poorer cognitive ageing in general.

This was an exciting event following the opening of the Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centre, which is supporting the research of 8 PhD students over the next 5 years.  In addition to a variety of talks and posters throughout the day, focus was placed on promoting public engagement with ongoing research.

On reflection, the day was a huge success, with the following comments made by presenters:

“The symposium featured various fascinating talks from researchers based at Sussex and other UK universities, and a poster session for Sussex PhD students and postdocs. The talks covered a range of subjects, showcasing various avenues of research into the mechanisms by which APOE might influence risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. For example, Prof. Anne-Marie Minihane (University of East Anglia) spoke about how APOE e4 carriers often show higher cholesterol levels in their blood and respond differently to dietary interventions. The quality and breadth of all the research presented was inspiring and the symposium will no doubt lead to increased collaboration between researchers.”

Simon Evans, Post-doctoral researcher

“The APOE symposium was a great day, as it combined interesting academic talks with fun public engagement activities. It was great to see what other people in life sciences and the DTC were doing, and past Sussex PhD graduates. Furthermore, it was a good platform to start presenting work, as most of the DTC students gave flash talks on our PhD projects, and I presented a poster outlining my research plans and early pilot data. “

Rebecca Atkinson- PhD student

Poster presented by Rebecca Atkinson

“To present my project to a non-scientific public was a great experience. The ApoE mini-symposium gave the opportunity to outreach to people and make them aware about the research that is going on at Sussex Uni. But also the scientific talks were very informative and covered a broad spectrum of ApoE research. What I personally enjoyed the most was the informal chat to other PI’s and the chance to discuss their and also my research.”

Lucas Kraft- PhD student

Poster presented by Lucas Kraft

Poster presented by Claire Lancaster