The Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposia

The Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposia are organized four times annually, and although they are mainly intended for the up-and-coming "brains" at Neuro-SysMed, i.e. the PhD candidates, postdocs and other young researchers, they are open to all who are interested in the talks, also outside of the Neuro-SysMed groups. The talks are on current topics and research within dementia, MS, ALS and Parkinson's.

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The logo for the Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposia, on a black background with an illustration of a brain.
Photo: Neuro-SysMed/Colourbox

Part of the Research School

The symposia are part of the Neuro-SysMed Research School in Translational Neuroscience under the subject code NEUROSYSM910, providing 3 ECTS.

The objective of the symposium series is to provide the PhD candidates with valuable skills into oral presentation techniques of own research, as well as dissemination of others research, provide opportunities to engage in scientific discussions, and to take advantage of peer reviews and comments to strengthen the scientific quality of own research and scientific thinking. A main ambition is also to strengthen the scientific networks and to encourage candidates to establish relations with scientists.

The symposia are organised 4 times annually, twice every semester. Each symposium is organised with a keynote lecture initially (45 min), followed by 4 PhD candidates/postdoctoral researchers who present their work (25 min each, including the oral presentation and discussion). Subsequently, there are final discussions. The presentations are of their own research with special attention to presentation techniques and quality.

Lunch is included!

Shamundeeswari "Sam" Anandan and Yola Gerking are the academic responsible for the symposia, and various PhD students or postdocs are coordinators.

The startup of the Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposia was in January 2023.

The 2026 symposia

April 2026

We are pleased to invite you to the first Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposium of the year, which will take place at at BBB, Friday, April 10, 2026!

The keynote lecture will be delivered by Andreas Hillestad Schei, Psychologist from the Division of Human Resources, University of Bergen.  He will present a very relevant lecture, "The ups and downs of the PhD". The keynote lecture will be held in Auditorium 4, BBB. 

Following the keynote lecture and coffee break, we move to Konferanserommet, where a selection of talented junior scientists from our faculty will present their ongoing research projects: Casper Eugen Sandvik will speak about his exciting project exploring the regenerative potential of extracellular vesicles from neurally primed mesenchymal stromal cells for multiple sclerosis. Shakil Salim Rajan will discuss insights from a wearable sensor case study on the relationship between sleep, activity, medication, and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease. After lunch, Gonzalo Sanchez Nido will discuss the application of high-throughput transcriptomics in the study of neurodegeneration. Last, but not least, Simon Ulvenes Kverneng will give us an introduction to the SLEIPNIR trial platform. 

We believe this symposium will inspire rich discussions in a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere and offer a wonderful chance to meet and learn from researchers across diverse fields.

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen and Casper Eugen Sandvik

Time and place

Time: Friday, April 10, 2026, at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served)

Place: Auditorium 4 (Keynote lecture), and the rest: Conference room, BB building, 3rd floor 

Who: The junior symposium series is mainly intended for PhD candidates and other students, but is also available for other researchers who would like to listen to the lectures.

Students who would like to have ECTS for their participation need to register in Studentweb (external link) as well, for the subject NEUROSYSM910 for the spring term. The deadline in Studentweb for all subject codes for the spring term is February 1. Find more information about the course code on the student pages.

Language: English

Program

09:00 – 09:10    Welcome and introduction (Auditorium 4, BBB)

09:10 – 10:10     Keynote: “Ups and downs of the PhD” by Andreas Hillestad Schei, Division of Human Resources, University of Bergen

10:10 – 10:30    Coffee break (Conference room, BBB)

10:30 – 10:55    "Exploration of The Regenerative Potential of Extracellular Vesicles from Neurally Primed Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Multiple Sclerosis" by Casper Eugen Sandvik, MS node, Neuro-SysMed

10:55 – 11:20    ‘Wearable sensor insights into the relationship between sleep, activity, medication, and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease: A DIGI.PARK case study" by Shakil Salim Rajan, Care node, Neuro-SysMed

11:20 – 12:00      Lunch 

12:00 – 12:25      "High-throughput transcriptomics in the study of neurodegeneration" by Gonzalo Sanchez Nido, PD node, Neuro-SysMed

12:25 – 12:50    "Introduction to SLEIPNIR: A Multi-arm Clinical Trial Accelerator and Derisking Platform for Parkinson’s Disease" by Simon Ulvenes Kverneng, PD node, Neuro-SysMed

12-50- 13.00 Concluding remarks

Contact

Casper Eugen Sandvik (Casper.Sandvik@student.uib.no) and Håkon Olsen (hakon.olsen@uib.no) are course coordinators and chairs. Any questions can be addressed to them.

May 2026

We are pleased to invite you to the Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposium on May 8, 2026!

This time, we will get an inspiring keynote delivered by Yamila Torres Cleuren. In her talk, “From Idea to Innovation: How Students and Early‑Career Researchers Can Create Real Impact,” she highlights how emerging scientists can develop their ideas into innovations that create meaningful change within research and society.

The scientific program continues with Eline Straathof, who presents her work on the relationship between movement sensor data from Axivity devices and clinical MDS‑UPDRS scores, offering new insights into monitoring disease severity in atypical Parkinsonism syndromes. She is followed by Yola Gerking, who shares new perspectives on microglial activation in late‑stage paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, using imaging mass cytometry to illuminate underlying neuroimmunological mechanisms. Later in the program, Paula Segura Aguas discusses brain‑derived blood biomarkers and extracellular vesicles in multiple sclerosis, exploring their potential for advancing understanding of disease processes. The event concludes with Hannah Matthews Celius, who presents her research on the effects of N‑Acetyl‑L‑Leucine in cell models of Parkinson’s disease, providing fresh insights into its possible therapeutic impact.

We believe this symposium will inspire rich discussions in a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere and offer a wonderful chance to meet and learn from researchers across diverse fields.

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen and Casper Eugen Sandvik

Time and place:

Time: Friday, May 8, 2026, at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served)

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Students who would like to have ECTS for their participation need to register in Studentweb (external link) as well, for the subject NEUROSYSM910 for the spring term. The deadline in Studentweb for all subject codes for the spring term is February 1. Find more information about the course code on the student pages.

Language: English

Program

09:00–09:10   Welcome and introduction 

09:10–09:35  "A correlation analysis between movement sensors (axivity) and clinical scale scores (MDS-UpDRS) to monitor disease severity in atypical Parkinsonism syndromes" by Eline Straathof, PD node, Neuro-SysMed (Visiting International Research Student, Maastricht University, the Netherlands) 

09:35–10:00 "Insights into Microglial Activation in Late-Stage Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration Using Imaging Mass Cytometry" by Yola Gerking, the Biomarkers and Neuroimmunology Group

10:00–10:10  Coffee break 

10:10–10:35 "Brain-derived blood biomarkers and extracellular vesicles in multiple sclerosis" by Paula Segura Aguas, MS Node, Neuro-SysMed (Visiting International Biomedical Student, University of Lleida, Spain) 

10:35–11:00  "Deciphering the effect of N-Acetyl-L-Leucine in cell models of Parkinson’s disease" by Hannah Matthews Celius, PD node, Neuro-SysMed 

11:00–12:00 Lunch 

12:00–12:50   KEYNOTE: "From Idea to Innovation: How Students and Early-Career Researchers Can Create Real Impact" by Yamila Torres Cleuren, Managing Director at Neuro-SysMed and Head of Innovation at SFI Innovation Center for Neuroresilience (ICoN), University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital

12.50-13:00  Concluding remarks

Contact:

Casper Eugen Sandvik (Casper.Sandvik@student.uib.no) and Håkon Olsen (hakon.olsen@uib.no) are course coordinators and chairs. Any questions can be addressed to them.

September 2026

Join us for this year's third Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposium, taking place at the BB-building on Friday, September 4, 2026!

The symposia inspire rich discussions in a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere and offer a wonderful chance to meet and learn from researchers across diverse fields. Although mainly for PhD candidates and other students, they are open to others in our research communities who are interested in the topics discussed.

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen and Casper Eugen Sandvik

Time and place

Time: Friday, September 4, 2026, at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served)

Place: The conference room, BB-building, opposite the auditoria (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Registration

Registration through this link. (external link)

Language

English

Program

Will be announced later.

ECTS credits

Students who would like to have ECTS registered for participation can contact the Research School Leader Agnete Engelsen (agnete.engelsen@uib.no). 

Contact

Casper Eugen Sandvik (Casper.Sandvik@student.uib.no) and Håkon Olsen (hakon.olsen@uib.no) are the symposium coordinators and chairs. Any questions can be addressed to them.

October 2026

Join us for this year's fourth Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposium, taking place at the BB-building on Friday, October 23, 2026!

The symposia inspire rich discussions in a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere and offer a wonderful chance to meet and learn from researchers across diverse fields. Although mainly for PhD candidates and other students, they are open to others in our research communities who are interested in the topics discussed.

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen and Casper Eugen Sandvik

Time and place

Time: Friday, October 23, 2026, at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served)

Place: Auditorium 4, BB-building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Registration

Registration through this link. (external link)

Language

English

Program

Will be announced later.

ECTS credits

Students who would like to have ECTS registered for participation can contact the Research School Leader Agnete Engelsen (agnete.engelsen@uib.no). 

Contact

Casper Eugen Sandvik (Casper.Sandvik@student.uib.no) and Håkon Olsen (hakon.olsen@uib.no) are the symposium coordinators and chairs. Any questions can be addressed to them.

The 2025 symposia

March 2025

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday March 21, 2025 at 09.00-13.00

Shamundeeswari Anandan is academic responsible for the symposium series. 

Chair: Ida Herdlevær

Lecture language: English

Program: .

09:00–09:10    Welcome and introduction
09:10–10:10    “Practical use of AI in research and your daily work” by Cecilie Nordbotten, UIB AI-Core team, University of Bergen
10:10–10:30    Coffee break
10:30–10:55    "Wearable Devices in the DARK.DEM Trial: Implications of Measurement Accuracy” by Valentina Casadei, Neuro-SysMed Care Node/Center for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine, UiB
10:55–11:20    “Decoding Death and Dying” by Kamilla Gjerland Haugland-Pruitt, Neuro-SysMed Care Node/Center for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine, UiB 
11:20–12:00   Lunch
12:00–12:25   "Advanced glycation end products as novel potential biomarker for Parkinson’s disease” by Marine Brognaux, Neuro-SysMed PD Node, UiB
12:25–12:50   "Elucidating the neuroprotective effects of NAD replenishment therapy in a mouse model: preliminary behavioral observations and further investigations" by Andrea Gremes, Neuro-SysMed PD Node, UiB
12:50–13:00   Concluding remarks

Who: mainly intended for PhD candidates and other students, but also available for other researchers who would like to listen to the lectures.

Welcome!

May 2025

Place: Conference room, BB building (right opposite the auditoria)

Time: Friday May 23, 2025 at 09.00-13.00

Shamundeeswari Anandan is academic responsible for the symposium series. 

Lecture language: English

Who: mainly intended for PhD candidates and other students, but also available for other researchers who would like to listen to the lectures.

Chair: Sepideh Mostafavi

Program: 

09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and introduction

09:10 – 10:10 “Incomplete Data and Artefacts - Understanding the Human behind the Images” by Frank Riemer, Neuro-SysMed, University of Bergen

10:10 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 11:00 "Nutrition and hydration in chronic complex conditions”, by Zoya Sabir and Annelise Elde, Neuro-SysMed Care Node/SEFAS, UiB

11:00 – 12:00 Lunch

12:00 – 12:25  "Causative link between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease” by Marta Kaminska, Department of Clinical Science, UiB

12:25 – 12:50  "Digital phenotyping using sensing technologies for people with dementia: activity and behavioral monitoring" by Lydia Dawn Boyle, Neuro-SysMed Care Node/SEFAS, UiB

12:50 – 13:00 Concluding remarks

 Welcome!

October 2025

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen

Time: Friday October 17, 2025 at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served!)

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Program

09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and introduction

09:10 – 10:10 “Bioengineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Regenerative Medicine” by Carlos Jesus, PhD candidate at the faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra & Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology - University of Coimbra (SNEV-ISEV Society)

10:10 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 10:55 Elisabeth Claire Evjenth: “Ultra-rapid elimination of B cells directly after intravenous infusion of anti-CD20 therapy”

10:55 – 11:20 Julia Nienhuis: “Finding a diagnostic biomarker for Parkinson's disease”

11:20 – 12:00 Lunch (included)

12:00 – 12:25 Connor Langworth-Green: “Immune Dysregulation and Innate-Adaptive Interplay Across Parkinson’s Disease: From Biomarker Discovery to Targeted Immune Intervention”

12:25 – 12:50 Max Korbmacher: “Accelerated grey matter degeneration in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis”

12:50 – 13:00 Concluding remarks

December 2025

Academic responsible: Shamundeeswari Anandan and Yola Gerking

Coordinators: Håkon Olsen and Casper Eugen Sandvik

Time: Friday, December 5, 2025 at 09.00-13.00 (A light lunch will be served!)

Place: Conference room, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Program:

09:00–09:10    Welcome and introduction
09:10–10:10    “Beyond the Lab: Navigating Your Career with Purpose” workshop by Ellen Hagen and Kristin Miskov Nodland from the UiB Ferd career center for early-stage researchers 
10:10–10:30    Coffee break
10:30–10:55    Andrea Kyvik Habbestad: “EBV and MS: My PhD Project Plan”
10:55–11:20    Marie Ytterdal: “Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Extracellular Vesicles as Therapeutic Tools in Multiple Sclerosis”
11:20–12:00    Lunch (included, just remember to register within Dec. 2 at 11:00 AM)
12:00–12:25    Connor Langworth-Green: “Immune Dysregulation and Innate-Adaptive Interplay Across Parkinson’s Disease: From Biomarker Discovery to Targeted Immune Intervention”
12:25–12:50    Jonas Bull Haugsøen: “Immune Remodeling after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in RRMS”
12:50–13:00    Concluding remarks

The 2024 symposia

March 2024

Explore new frontiers with the young Neuro-SysMed researchers in this excellent arena to obtain valuable skills in presentation techniques, engage in scientific discussions and take advantage of peer reviews and comments. Learn about current research within MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ALS! Senior researchers are also welcome. Lunch is included.

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday March 22, 2024 at 09.00-13.00

Chairs: Irene Flønes

For ECTS registration, remember to register in Studentweb for the subject NEUROSYSM910 for the spring term as well, deadline in Studentweb for all subjects is February 1.

Lecture language: English

Program:

09.00-09.10: Welcome and introduction

09.10-10.10: "Ups and downs of the PhD" by Andreas Hillestad Schei, psychologist at the UiB occupational health service

10.10-10.30: Coffee break

10.30-10.55: Anna Stylianou Lerpold: "Elucidating the molecular effects of NAD-replenishment therapy in Parkinson's disease"

10.55-11.20: Enny Stulien Lauen: "Identifying mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle in patients with Alzheimer’s disease"

11.20-12.00: Lunch

12.00-12.25: Shridar Amogh Patil: "Systematic meta-analysis of genome-wide transcriptomics of Parkinson’s disease brain"

12.25-12.50: Tina Emilie Johnsen: "Gray Matter Microstructure and Genetic Risk in Adolescents with Anxiety"

12.50-13.00: Concluding remarks

Contact: Any questions, please contact Shamundeeswari Anandan: samanandhan@gmail.com

May 2024

Explore new frontiers with the young Neuro-SysMed researchers in this excellent arena to obtain valuable skills in presentation techniques, engage in scientific discussions and take advantage of peer reviews and comments. Learn about current research within MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ALS! Senior researchers are also welcome. Lunch is included.

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday May 31, 2024 at 09.00-13.00

Chairs: Sepideh Mostafavi and Eirik Solheim. Shamundeeswari Anandan is academic responsible for the symposium series.

Lecture language: English

Program:

09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and introduction

09:10 – 10:10 “Complex I deficiency stratifies idiopathic Parkinson’s disease” by Irene Flønes, from the Parkinson’s disease group - NSM, UiB

10:10 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 10:55 "A dynamic systems approach to digital phenotyping in dementia and PD" by Monica Patrascu, from the Centre for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine (SEFAS), UiB

10:55 – 11:20 “Unbiased molecular stratification of PD” by Synne Geithus, from the Parkinson’s disease group - NSM, UiB

11:20 – 12:00 Lunch

12:00 – 12:25 "Deciphering MS pathophysiology. The role of blood patelets and circulating exosomes” by Karina Maciak, from the University of Lodz, Poland

12:25 – 12:50 "GDF-15 as a potential stratification biomarker for mitochondrial dysfunction in idiopathic PD" by Simon Kverneng, from the Parkinson’s disease group - NSM, UiB

12:50 – 13:00 Concluding remarks

October 2024

Explore new frontiers with the young Neuro-SysMed researchers in this excellent arena to obtain valuable skills in presentation techniques, engage in scientific discussions and take advantage of peer reviews and comments. Learn about current research within MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ALS! Senior researchers are also welcome. Lunch is included.

Place: Room 3B109F, the "konferanserom" across the auditoria, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday, October 18, 2024, at 09.00-13.00

Shamundeeswari Anandan is academic responsible for the symposium series. Håkon Olsen is chair for this symposium.

Lecture language: English

Program: 

09:00-09:10 Organizers: Welcome and introduction

09:10 – 10:10 Oliver Vanderpoorten, MSCA Fellow, Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø:

“NANOSPACER: Nanofluidic sizing of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and biomacromolecules in solution”

10:10 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 10:55 Vladan Milosevic, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiB: "The use of imaging mass cytometry for in depth profiling of the tumour microenvironment”

10:55 – 11:20 Brit Ellen Rød, Neuro-SysMed, UiB: “Comparative effectiveness of rituximab vs cladribine in patients with relapsing-remitting MS”

11:20 – 12:00 Lunch

12:00 – 12:25 Amy van den Hooven, Neuro-SysMed, UiB: "Clinic of the Future: Designing Dialogues for Care” 

12:25 – 12:50 Emma Rigg, Department of Biomedicine, UiB: "Influence of miR-146a-5p in brain metastatic development"

12:50 – 13:00 Organizers: Concluding remarks

Welcome!

November 2024

Explore new frontiers with the young Neuro-SysMed researchers in this excellent arena to obtain valuable skills in presentation techniques, engage in scientific discussions and take advantage of peer reviews and comments. Learn about current research within MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ALS! Senior researchers are also welcome. Lunch is included.

Place: Aud. 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday, November 29, 2024, at 09.00-13.00

Shamundeeswari Anandan is academic responsible for the symposium series.

Lecture language: English

Chair: Ida Herdlevær

Program: 

09:00–09:10 Welcome and introduction

09:10–10:10 “How to make it in science.” Keynote session by Yamila Nicole Torres Cleuren, Senior Scientific Advisor, Neuro-SysMed

10:10–10:30 Coffee break

10:30–10:55 "PROMising: Patient Recorded Outcome Measures predict multiple sclerosis trajectories better than brain, blood and genotyping” by Max Korbmacher, Neuro-SysMed

10:55–11:20 “Parkinson's disease in women and men. Sex differences in cognitive symptoms, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia” by Julia Saltyte Benth, Neuro-SysMed

11:20–12:00 Lunch break

12:00–12:25 "Immune Reconstitution after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Multiple Sclerosis” by Jonas Bull Haugsoen, Neuro-SysMed

12:25–12:50 "Improving Diagnostics in Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes: Optimization of a Cell-Based Assay for SOX1 Antibody Detection" by Kjell Inge Erikstad, Neuro-SysMed

12:50–13:00 Concluding remarks

  

The 2023 symposia

January 2023, kick-off symposium

We start the very first Neuro-SysMed Junior Scientist Symposium off with an entire Mini Symposium! Simply click the sessions you wish to attend in the registration form. Preferably all!

Mini Symposium January 18, 2023

Place: The auditorium in Bikuben, Jonas Lies vei 69 (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Wednesday January 18 at 10:00 - 16:20

Program 

10.00-11.00: Neuro-SysMed activities by Kjell-Morten Myhr, Director and Charalampos Tzoulis, Co-director, Neuro-SysMed
11.00-12.00: Lunch (free of charge, register within Thursday January 5 at 11.00)
12.00-13.00: Seminar: “Microglia in multiple sclerosis – pathogenesis and imaging” by Prof. Laura Airas, University of Turku. Chair: Kjell-Morten Myhr
13.00-13.15: Break 

Junior Symposia kick-off:
13.15-13.30: Introduction 
13.30-14.00: “Our experience of great benefits for students attending Junior Symposia at CCBIO”. Keynote lecture by Prof. Lars A. Akslen, Director at CCBIO, UiB
14.00-14.15: Coffee break
14.15-14.40: “Respiratory chain integrity in Parkinson’s disease skeletal muscle” by Simon Ulvenes Kverneng
14.40-15.05: “Towards older age at Multiple Sclerosis onset?” by Andrea Habbestad
15.05-15.20: Coffee break
15.20-15.45: “Wearable sensing technology in research for Parkinson’s disease: experience from the field” by Haakon Reithe
15.45-16.05: “Research stay abroad. My experiences from Amsterdam” by Ingrid Anne Lie
16.05-16.20: Concluding remarks 

Lecture language: English

April 2023

Explore new frontiers with the young Neuro-SysMed researchers in this excellent arena to obtain valuable skills in presentation techniques, engage in scientific discussions and take advantage of peer reviews and comments. Learn about current research within MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ALS! Lunch is included.

This time, we will learn about the challenges and opportunities of disease modelling, explained by Katrin Kleinmanns; Christopher Kvistad will discuss whether mesenchymal stem cells can promote regeneration in multiple sclerosis, per results in the SMART-MS study; Katarina Lundervold will show the link between Parkinson’s disease and the gut; Magne Solheim will explain how he is studying ALS using health registries; Brit Ellen Rød will tell us about B-cell depletion therapy in multiple sclerosis; and Haakon Berven will talk about NAD clinical studies in Parkinson’s disease.

Place: Auditorium 4, BB-building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday April 28, 2023 at 09.00-13.00

Program:

Session chairs – Ida Herdlevaer and Sepideh Mostafavi

09.00 - 09.10: Welcome and introduction 

09.10 – 09:40: “Disease modelling – challenges and opportunities” by Katrin Kleinmanns 

09.40 – 10.10: “SMART-MS – Can mesenchymal stem cells promote regeneration in multiple sclerosis?” by Christopher Kvistad 

10.10-10.30: Coffee break 

10.30 – 10.55: “Parkinson’s disease and the gut” by Katarina Lundervold 

10.55 – 11.20: “Studying ALS using health registries - An introduction to my PhD project” by Magne Solheim 

11.20 – 12.00: Lunch 

12.00 – 12.25: “B-cell depletion therapy in multiple sclerosis” by Brit Ellen Rød

12.25 – 12.50: “NAD clinical studies in Parkinson’s disease” by Haakon Berven 

12.50 – 13.00: Concluding remark

Lecture language: English

Open to all, also senior scientists, just remember to register.

October 2023

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday October 20, 2023 at 09.00-13.00

ChairsYola Gerking and Fiona Dick

For ECTS registration, remember to register in Studentweb for the subject NEUROSYSM910 for the fall term as well, deadline in Studentweb for all subjects is September 1.

Lecture language: English

Program:

09.00-09.10: Welcome and introduction

09.10-10.10: “Life after PhD: Career guidance and how to build your academic CV” by Cecilie Nordbotten

10.10-10.30: Coffee break

10.30-10.55: “Phosphorous MRS in neurodegenerative disorders” by Magnus Svensen

10.55-11.20: “Mitochondrial dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis” by Tale Bjerknes

11.20-12.00: Lunch

12.00-12.25: “Using multi-omics to discover new pathways controlled by the cerebellar degeneration-related proteins” by Eirik Solheim

12.25-12.50: “Stratification of idiopathic Parkinson's disease based on mitochondrial dysfunction: the mitoPD subtype” by Anna Rubiolo

12.50-13.00: Concluding remarks

Contact: Any questions, please contact Shamundeeswari Anandan: samanandhan@gmail.com

December 2023

This time, Paulo Rodrigues Santos will give us an immunologist view of neuroscience research online from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Sonia Gavasso will provide us with neuroimmunological insights from high dimensional analysis, Peder Lillebostad will give a talk on SNceg, automated segmentation of the substantia nigra pars compacta from multiparametric MRI, and Karine Eid will give us a summary of findings from her PhD thesis “Childhood abuse, adult abuse, and the risk of perinatal depression in women with multiple sclerosis.” Yola Gerking will explain application of imaging mass cytometry to compare microglia activation in various brain regions in paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, and Gard Skulstad Johanson will give an ovierview of the N-ADAPT study: a Randomized Double-blind Trial of NAD Replenishment Therapy for Atypical Parkinsonism.

Place: Auditorium 4, BB building (campus Haukeland University Hospital)

Time: Friday December 1, 2023 at 09.00-13.00

NOTE: Professor Santos' lecture will be online, and is opened up to a larger audience - so tune in on Zoom from 09.00.

Students: For ECTS registration, remember to register in Studentweb for the subject NEUROSYSM910 for ech term as well, within the term deadline (Sept. 1 for fall term, February 1 for spring term).

ChairsKatarina Lundervold and Brit Ellen Rød

Lecture language: English

Program:

09.00-09.10: Welcome and introduction

09.10-09.40: Keynote: Paulo Rodrigues Santos – An immunologist view of neuroscience research (University of Coimbra, Portugal, online)

09.40-10.10: Keynote: Sonia Gavasso – Neuroimmunological insights from high dimensional analysis (University of Bergen, Norway)

10.10-10.30: Coffee break

10.30-10.55: Peder Lillebostad – SNceg: automated segmentation of the substantia nigra pars compacta from multiparametric MRI

10.55-11.20: Karine Eid – Summary of findings from my Ph.d. thesis: Childhood abuse, adult abuse, and the risk of perinatal depression in women with multiple sclerosis

11.20-12.00: Lunch

12.00-12.25: Yola Gerking – Application of imaging mass cytometry to compare microglia activation in various brain regions in paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration

12.25-12.50: Gard Aasmund Skulstad Johanson – The N-ADAPT study: a Randomized Double-blind Trial of NAD Replenishment Therapy for Atypical Parkinsonism

12.50-13.00: Concluding remarks

Contact: Any questions, please contact Shamundeeswari Anandan: samanandhan@gmail.com

Shamundeeswari Anandan holds academic responsibility for the symposia.

Last updated: 20.08.2026