From October 23 to 27, the Prion 2024 International Conference and the 20th Annual Meeting of the NeuroPrion Association, representing the highest academic level in the global field of prion diseases, were successfully held in Nanchang, China. More than 300 experts from 17 countries, including 109 international participants, gathered to share and discuss the latest research findings and emerging frontiers in prion diseases and related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
The conference was organized by the NeuroPrion Association, Nanchang University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Neurodegenerative Disease Branch of the Chinese Neuroscience Society and hosted by the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, the Jiangxi Society of Integrative Medicine, and the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases.
Jingkun Xu, Chairman of the Jiangxi Association for Science and Technology; Yeguang Chen, President of Nanchang University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Jean-Philippe Deslys, Chairman of the NeuroPrion Association, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Lan Liao, Party Secretary of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, attended the conference, while Jianming Li, Vice President and Party Committee member of the hospital, presided over the event. Zhili Liu, Party Committee member of the hospital, was also in attendance.
The honorary chairs of the conference were Professor Stanley B. Prusiner (1997 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, and Honorary Professor of Nanchang University) and Professor Pierluigi Gambetti (Founding Director of the U.S. National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University).
The conference co-chairs included Jean-Philippe Deslys, Chairman of the International NeuroPrion Society; Xiaoping Dong, Chief Researcher at the Chinese CDC; Wenquan Zou, Distinguished Professor of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Executive Dean of the Jiangxi Institute of Clinical Medicine, Founding Director of the Institute of Neurology, and former Deputy Director of the U.S. National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center; Jiyan Ma, Researcher at the Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence in Beijing; Jialin Zheng, Dean of Tongji University School of Medicine and Chairman of the Neurodegenerative Disease Branch of the Chinese Neuroscience Society; and Xiaoli Tian, Former Director of the Institute of Human Aging at Nanchang University.
Wenquan Zou, Daojun Hong (Director of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University), and Qi Shi (Director of the Prion Laboratory, Chinese CDC) served as executive chairs of the meeting.
The conference centered on core academic themes such as the transmission and pathogenesis of prion and prion-like diseases, clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies, and global public health policies. A total of 12 thematic sessions were organized, including “Prion Strains: From Molecular Structures to Disease Diversity,” “Advances in Pathogenic and Diagnostic Studies,” “Therapeutic Developments,” “Pathogenic Mechanisms,” and “Diagnostic Biomarkers,” among others.
Invited plenary speakers included Professor Stanley B. Prusiner, Professor Pierluigi Gambetti, Distinguished Chair Professor Claudio Soto (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston), Senior Investigator Byron Caughey (U.S. National Institutes of Health), Professors Maria Grazia Spillantini and Michel Goedert (University of Cambridge, Fellows of the Royal Society), and Professor Adriano Aguzzi (University of Zurich, Member of the German Academy of Sciences). In addition, 60 renowned experts from China and abroad delivered keynote lectures.
The Academic Committee selected 24 young scholars for oral presentations, while 16 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers received awards for outstanding poster presentations. Experts from around the world expressed their intention to strengthen practical collaboration, share resources, promote international health exchange, encourage cross-disciplinary integration, and jointly advance innovation in medical science and technology—contributing to the development of a global community of health and the improvement of human well-being.
On the morning of October 23, the International Office of Nanchang University and the conference organizing committee co-hosted a special session titled “Prion Diseases, Prion-like Disorders, and Biomedical Technology: Integration of Industry, Academia, and Research,” where in-depth discussions were held on the translation of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for neurodegenerative diseases.
On the afternoon of October 27, more than 30 foreign experts visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. They were deeply impressed by the hospital’s advanced facilities and vibrant academic atmosphere and expressed their desire for further collaboration and exchange.
Following the conference, many participants extended their appreciation to Professor Wenquan Zou through letters and emails：
Chairman Jean-Philippe Deslys wrote: “Congratulations on the high level of the conference organization.”
Professor Stanley B. Prusiner remarked: “The meeting agenda was arranged extremely well.”
Professor Michel Goedert stated: “Thank you very much for successfully hosting this outstanding Prion 2024 meeting in Nanchang. It stood out for the depth of its scientific content and its unique organization.”
Professor Byron Caughey commented: “The conference was a great success—everything was amazing and inspiring, and the organization was exemplary.”
Professor Hitoshi Mizusawa (University of Tokyo) wrote: “Impressive—the conference achieved brilliant success.”
And Neuropathologist Mikol (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) concluded: “I would like to congratulate you and your team. The quality of the meeting was unparalleled, and the organization was excellent. Everyone was very friendly, and the efficiency of the meeting left a lasting impression.”
