The University of Houston convened leading scholars and researchers from across Texas for the inaugural Dementia Unlocked Symposium, a day-long gathering designed to spark interdisciplinary collaboration around dementia prevention and treatment.
“Our work at UH has the potential to change the trajectory of dementia and improve quality of life for patients, families and caregivers across Texas and beyond.”
—Jokūbas Žiburkus, UH biology and biochemistry professor
Presented by the UH Division of Research and the UH Multidisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience and Dementia (UH-MIND), the symposium created a shared space to exchange ideas, explore emerging discoveries and drive progress against one of today’s most complex health challenges.
“Hosting this dementia symposium reflects the University of Houston’s commitment to bringing together the brightest scientific minds to address one of the most urgent health challenges of our time,” said Claudia Neuhauser, vice president of research at UH. “By bringing together diverse expertise to focus on prevention, research and treatment, we are accelerating collaboration and laying the groundwork for discoveries that can improve lives across our region and beyond.”
The symposium, which covered topics such as new dementia markers and mechanisms, translational models, drug development, technological innovations and clinical advancements, featured presenters from UH, UT Health, UT Medical Branch, Rice University, Texas A&M, Houston Methodist and the Alzheimer’s Association. The keynote address was presented by Jeannie Chin from Baylor College of Medicine, one of the country’s leading neuroscientists.
“Dementia research at UH is built on strong collaboration, bringing together experts from neuroscience, health, engineering and other sciences,” said symposium leader Jokūbas Žiburkus, a UH biology and biochemistry professor and co-director of UH-MIND. “This symposium highlights that collective strength and creates a platform to connect our work, accelerate discovery and position UH as a growing leader in game-changing brain health research.”
Brain health research in Texas is expected to accelerate in the months and years ahead with the creation of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas, or DPRIT, and a transformative investment of $3 billion over the next 10 years. At UH, those resources will help fuel efforts aimed at advancing prevention, improving diagnosis and developing more effective treatments.
