The ENCALS annual conference brings together MND researchers from across Europe to share discoveries, exchange ideas, and build new collaborations. The 2026 meeting will take place in Madrid, Spain from 24 - 26 June. We are especially delighted to see so many early-career researchers presenting their work this year, and proud to support the participation of many of them through conference registration bursaries.
We wish them all the very best as they showcase their research and represent our community on the international stage.
The presentations being delivered by Euan MacDonald Centre members are listed below.
Hatice Bozkurt, University of Edinburgh
Hatice is a PhD student, Rowling Scholar at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on evaluating candidate biomarkers for their diagnostic, prognostic, and pharmacodynamic potential to support decision-making in MND clinical studies. Hatice is supervised by Prof Suvankar Pal.
Hatice will be presenting two posters on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Comprehensive Serum Proteomic Profiling Of MND Subtypes Interrogating Samples From The MND-SMART Platform Trial Using NUcleic Acid-Linked Immuno-Sandwich (NULISA) Technology (poster number #0050)
Title: Blood-Based Biomarkers Used As Outcome Measures In Interventional Clinical Trials For Motor Neuron Disease: A Systematic Literature Review Protocol And Preliminary Data (poster number #0051)
Isaac Chau, University of Edinburgh
Isaac is a senior research nurse and PhD student at the Anne Rowling Clinic, Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research. He is supervised by Prof Suvankar Pal and Prof Siddharthan Chandran.
Isaac will be presenting a poster on Wed 24 June, poster session 17:20 - 19:00.
Title: Attitudes And Experiences Of Participants In The Motor Neuron Disease Systematic Multi-Arm Adaptive Randomised Trial
Helena Chaytow, University of Edinburgh
Helena is a postdoctoral researcher supervised by Prof Tom Gillingwater at the University of Edinburgh. Her research is focused on therapy development in preclinical models of ALS.
Helena will be presenting a poster on Wednesday 24 June, poster session 17:20 - 19:00.
Title: The Repurposed Drug Bexarotene Rescues ALS-Relevant Phenotypes In The Severe Thy1-TDP43 Mouse Model (poster number #512)
Alyssa Corbett, University of St Andrews
Alyssa Corbett is a 3rd-year PhD student funded by the Euan MacDonald Centre. She is supervised by Prof Gareth Miles and Dr Matthew Broadhead.
Alyssa will be presenting a poster on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Gliotransmission is Dysfunctional in Spinal Motor Networks of Presymptomatic SOD1 Mice
Dinja van der Hoorn, University of Dundee
Dinja is a postdoctoral research associated in the laboratory of Dr Chris Henstridge, at the University of Dundee.
Dinja will be presenting a poster on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Gliotransmission is Dysfunctional in Spinal Motor Networks of Presymptomatic SOD1 Mice
Rachel Kline, University of Edinburgh
Rachel Kline is a postdoctoral, core scientist based at the Roslin Institute, and the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research, at University of Edinburgh. She is supervised by Prof Tom Wishart and Prof Tom Gillingwater.
Rachel will be presenting a poster on Wednesday 24 June, poster session 17:30 - 19:00.
Title: RXR-Driven Molecular Dysregulation Drives Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Is Rescued By Bexarotene (poster #510)
Tatiana Langerová, University of Aberdeen
Tatiana is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, supervised by Prof Jenna Gregory.
Tatiana is presenting two posters at the ENCALS conference, the first on Wednesday 24 June, poster session 17.20 - 19.00.
Title: Molecular Insights Into Gastrointestinal Protein Aggregation And Neurodegenerative Disease Risk (poster number #111)
Her second poster presentation will be on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16.55 - 18.10.
Title: Protein Aggregation Patterns In The Medulla Across ALS Genotypes (poster number #113)
Zsofia Laszlo, University of Dundee
Zsofia is a postdoctoral research fellow, based in the laboratory of Dr Chris Henstridge, at the University of Dundee.
Zsofia will be taking part in the oral Rapid Fire presentations in the auditorium on Thursday 25 June, session 14:40 - 15:15 followed by a poster presentation, session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Proteomic And Histological Profiling Of The ALS Visual Cortex Reveals Early Presynaptic Dysfunction And White Matter Atrophy (poster number #0190)
Zsofia will also be giving an additional oral presentation of her research in the auditorium on Thursday 25 June, session 15:45 - 16:55.
Title: Glial Phagocytosis As A Mechanism Of Synapse Loss In ALS
Anna McFarlane, University of Dundee
Anna McFarlane is a PhD student supervised by Dr Chris Henstridge at the University of Dundee.
Anna will be presenting a poster on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Characterising the Temporal Progression of Synaptic Proteome Changes in a TDP-43-Driven ALS Model
Caroline McHutchison, University of Stirling
Caroline is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Stirling and a Euan MacDonald Centre Principal Investigator.
Caroline will give an oral presentation on Thursday 25 June, session 13:50 - 14:50.
Title: ALS as a multisystem disorder: Beyond motor neuron degeneration
Dominic Ng, University of Edinburgh
Dominic is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh and is supervised by Dr Bhuvaneish Selvaraj, Valentina Escott-Price, Prof Siddharthan Chandran, and Henrik Zetterburg.
Dominic will be presenting a poster on Wednesday 24 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: A Literature Review on Machine Learning in ALS & Genetics
Miracle Ozzoude, University of Edinburgh
Miracle is a PhD student based within the Institute for Regeneration and Repair, and at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh. His primary supervisors are Dr Tom MacGillivray and Prof Suvankar Pal.
Miracle will be presenting a poster on Thursday 25 June, poster session 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Retinal imaging in ALS: A prospective OCT study
Ratko Radakovic, University of East Anglia
Ratko is a Clinical Psychologist, and Honorary Lecturer at the University of East Anglia & Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
Ratko will be presenting his poster on Wednesday 24 June, from 17:20 - 19:00.
Title: The Relationship Between Apathy Subtypes, Anhedonia And Negative Mood in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Angus Shorthouse, University of Aberdeen
Angus is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. He is supervised by Prof Jenna Gregory and Dr Holly Spence
Angus will be presenting in the poster session on Thursday 25 June, from 16:55 - 18:10.
Title: Aptamer-Based Detection Of TDP-43 And FUS Across Motor Control Networks Identifies Distinct Pathological Trajectories In ALS
Hannah Smith, University of Edinburgh
Hannah Smith is a postdoctoral researcher supervised by Prof Tom Gillingwater at the University of Edinburgh.
Hannah will be presenting in the oral Rapid Fire presentations in the auditorium on Thursday 25 June, session 14:40 - 15:15.
Title: Disruption Of The Motor Neuron Translatome Is Disease-Specific In ALS And SMA But Converges On MCM5
Holly Spence, University of Aberdeen
Holly Spence, a MND Association Lady Edith Wolfson Junior Non-Clinical Fellow, is based at the University of Aberdeen.
Holly will be presenting in the poster session on Wednesday 24 June, at 17:20 - 19:00. She will also be taking part in the Rapid Fire presentations on Thursday 25 June, session 12:30 - 12:50.
Title: Metabolic Signatures Of Ferritin And TDP-43 Co-Pathology Provide A Mechanistic Basis For Stratified Therapeutic approaches in ALS
We are also pleased to share that two of the Centre’s Principal Investigators will be session moderators at the ENCALS Conference.
Prof Jenna Gregory, University of Aberdeen will be one of the moderators on Wednesday 24 June, 15:30 - 17:00
Session: Presympotomatic & Biomarkers
Dr Marta Vallejo, Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Heriot-Watt University will be one of the moderators on Friday 26 June 11:15 - 12:40.
Session: Advanced Clinical Phenotyping Using New Technologies
Links
ENCALS website (external)
Find out how you can support MND research
We sincerely thank our donors and fundraisers, whose continued support allows us to provide opportunities for early-career researchers to participate in important ALS conferences, including the annual ENCALS Conference.