News & Events

News and Research

Positive clinical results of the phase 1/2 in Down syndrome

(20/11/2024) Positive results from our phase 1/2 clinical trial with AEFO217 in young adults with Down syndrome. 

Great news for our European ICOD project and DS families! Thanks to IMIM and AelisFarma!!! Our next step? Phase 2b clinical trial in 2025!!!

The results of the study were presented by Pier Vincenzo Piazza, CEO of Aelis Farma and Stéphanie Monlezun, COO of Aelis Farma.

Read the news on: https://tinyurl.com/4e4jpekv

To see the presentation of the results click on the following link: https://youtu.be/pK77BxtRdDk

 

Down Syndrome and Clinical Trials, Round table with T21RS and Italian DS_TaskForce

(19/10/2024) Thanks to T21RS and the Italian DS_taskForce for the round table together with more than 100 DS families to discuss on recent updates and the most frequent question raised by DS families: "Clinical trials on cognitive deficits in DS?

https://urly.it/311s0v

DS research and innovation discussed in Naples

(18/10/2024) A great occasion to interact with DS families and discuss about the advancements of preclinical and clinical research in the field of DS!!

Meet us in Naples or on Zoom link: https://lnkd.in/da92EFkH

Special insights into the 5th International Conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21Rs)

Below are two links through which you can read special insights into the 5th International Conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21Rs), which took place in Rome from 5 to 8 June and involved over 500 researchers and doctors from the international scientific community.

In the first link a focus on the important steps forward in science to improve the understanding and treatment of Down syndrome

https://tinyurl.com/2awxwv24

In this article the direct testimony of some families who actively participated in the work of the 5th International Conference 

https://tinyurl.com/mrxx7sfk

 

Thanks to the President of our regulatory Agency AIFA

A special Thanks to the President of our regulatory Agency AIFA, Prof. Robert Nisticò for his presence today and his wonderful words for our Down Syndrome World for the opening of the 5thT21RS Conference!

Thanks to T21RS

Thanks to our Italian Minister of Disability

The 5th International Conference on Down syndrome

The 5th International Conference on Down syndrome, being held in Rome from 5 to 8 June, organised by the T21 Research Society (T21RS), is registering good results in terms of involvement and participation. 

The mission of T21RS is to promote basic and applied research on Down syndrome, stimulate translational research and apply new scientific knowledge to improve the quality of life of people with Down syndrome. The meeting in Rome brings together researchers, doctors, industrialists conducting clinical trials, patient organisations and families, with the aim of mapping out together the future directions of research on Down syndrome. For the meeting in Rome, some 500 scientists from over 27 countries are present. For the family event on Friday and Saturday, over 400 families will attend. An unprecedented platform to share knowledge and advances in Down syndrome research.

Programme link: https://t21rs2024.com/famiglie-general-information/

Site link: https://t21rs2024.com/

Link for families: https://t21rs2024.com/famiglie-general-information/

Second publication from the @ICOD_Project

Happy to share our second publication from the @ICOD_Project , published in occasion, of the

World Down Syndrome Day, where we demonstrate that low TGF-β1 plasma levels are associated

with cognitive decline in Down syndrome and also suggest that rescue of TGF-β1 might represent a

new strategy to prevent cognitive decline in DS!

https://lc.cx/qiYLvu

Event in Syracuse (Italy)

A wonderful event organized by AIPD, in collaboration with the Italian DS Task Force, in Siracuse

(Italy)!  A special event for DS individuals and families from Sicily and a great occasion to discuss

about the advancements of research in this field!!

Thanks to #AIPD #ICODProject  #DS #Families #ICODforyou #DSTaskForce #LucioNitsch

https://lc.cx/SfTnfF

 

Charity Auction

We continue to celebrate our Down Syndrome Week with a wonderful Charity Auction organized by Futuro

21 !! Thanks to Our DS artists!! Thanks to #Futuro21 #DSfamilies #Catania

https://lc.cx/Wfen9X

 

Down Syndrome Day 2024,

On this Down Syndrome Day 2024, we are delighted to work with the researchers and clinicians of

the ICOD consortium and share experience with our colleagues from the GODS21 project !

It has been a whole week of committed work starting with interactions with DS individuals and

families and continuing with a Scientific Consortium meeting to preparate the next steps of the

ICOD project. We are grateful for all the people and energy involved in this Down Syndrome

Week!!

Thanks to #EuropeanCommission and #MonicaEnsini!!

#ICODProject  #DSfamilies  #IMIM  #EuropeanCommission #MonicaEnsini #AelisFarma #GODS21

Week of Down syndrome

The 16 th of March we started our Week of Down syndrome in a wonderful event organized by

IMIM in Barcelona exclusively for individuals and families from Catalan Down syndrome

associations that included online talks open to all families from the ICOD project locations!!

https://lc.cx/4IMTCm

Scienza incontra Down

The 23rd of March we will continue to celebrate the Week of Down syndrome with “Scienza Incontra Down” an event organized by the Italian Task DS Force to update DS families and associations on the most relevant clinical trials for DS  including our european ICOD Project with a talk from Filippo Caraci, coordinator of the Dissemination Activities, directed  to DS families.

Join us on Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82958335732?pwd=UUF1bWN6V1JFVHFYWi9mamtsRjl4UT09

Week of Down Syndrome

The 16th of March we will start to celebrate the Week of Down syndrome in a wonderful event orga nized by IMIM in Barcelona exclusively for individuals and families from Catalan Down syndrome associations that will include online talks open to all families from the ICOD project locations

Join us on Zoom  for the ICOD project session for DS families: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82467082442

Interview Rafael De La Torre

ICOD LECTURE, RAFAEL DE LA TORRE

The coordinator of our ICOD project, Rafael De La Torre, will talk on “Therapeutic opportunities in the treatment of cognitive impairment in Down syndrome” on October Friday 20th (4.45 p.m) at the 7th National Scientific Italian DS Conference 

Join us on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89262481258?pwd=RkZzU3FvT1ZKTnQzWkt6eFBhaVFSdz09

meeting ID: 892 6248 1258 Passcode: 889280

7th National Scientific Conference entitled "Down Syndrome: from Research to Therapy."

Dear DS Families and Associations,

on behalf of the Coordinator of the Italian Down Syndrome Task Force Prof. Lucio Nitsch, we are pleased to send you the link to freely access the International Session of the 7th National Scientific Conference entitled "Down Syndrome: from Research to Therapy".

The International Session will be held online, in English, on Friday, October 20, from 2:00 p.m. to

6:00 p.m. CEST. Your participation will be highly appreciated.

Using the same link you are free to also access the second day of the Conference, which will,

however, be held in Italian, on Saturday, October 21.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89262481258?pwd=RkZzU3FvT1ZKTnQzWkt6eFBhaVFSdz09

meeting ID: 892 6248 1258 Passcode: 889280

The next @t21rs meeting in #Rome

A great occasion for DS families and associations to meet researchers in the DS field and discover novel therapeutic opportunities !!

Call for #symposia for the next @t21rs meeting in #Roma is OPEN! Don’t miss the #opportunity to

share your #research work with the #DownSyndrome community! You will find new opportunities

this year.

See https://t21rs2024.com/call-for-symposia/

ICOD researchers and AELIS FARMA meet DS families in Barcelona (IMIM)_June 7 th 2023

See the video on our ICOD YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/Olh1hDHodXc

A great occasion to meet DS families and associations in Spain and better explain the ICOD project!!

A new ICOD publication

An interesting publication from the @ICOD_Project where the authors critically assess current therapeutic approaches, why therapies fail in clinical trials in Down syndrome, and what could be the path forward!!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36692980/

Videos lectures symposium 2023

All the Videos Lectures from the Second ICOD Symposium held in Madrid 21 March 2023 are now

available in our Gallery section for DS families and associations

https://www.icod-project.eu/en/gallery

A great occasion of interaction and active discussions with DS families and associations!!

The second ICOD symposium will take place in Madrid in 2023 at Hospital Universitario de la Princesa on the occasion of the World Down syndrome Day (March 21st)

The ICOD project (Improving COgnition in Down syndrome), funded by European Union, aims to improve the cognitive impairment of individuals with Down syndrome with AEF0217, a first-in-class new pharmacological treatment developed by the French biotech Aelis Farma, and specifically designed to this end. The project was launched in February 2021 and a first ICOD symposium was held in Troina, Italy, on the occasion of the World Down syndrome Day 2022 with a strong participation of DS families.

The second ICOD symposium will take place in Madrid in 2023 at Hospital Universitario de la Princesa on the World Down syndrome Day (March 21st). The symposium will be specifically dedicated to increase the knowledge about innovative therapeutic approaches to cognitive deficits in DS and promote the involvement of adults with DS in research. Face-to-face interaction and active discussions between families, associations of individuals with Down syndrome and researchers involved in the ICOD project will be promoted, as well as with other researchers working in the field of Down syndrome.

This event will be designed in close cooperation with the European Down syndrome Association (EDSA) and associations of each participating European country in the ICOD project; in particular with Spanish Down syndrome organizations (Down España, Fundación Down Madrid, Down Catalunya, Fundació Catalana síndrome de Down among others), Federation Trisomie 21 France, Association Française pour la Recherche sur la Trisomie 21, Italian Down syndrome organizations (AIPD and Coordown) and the Italian Task Force for DS.

Positive Phase 1 results with the drug candidate AEF0217

The 10th of August a relevant article was published in Italy on the famous weekly journal Panorama describing the aims and objectives of the ICOD project and the possible impact on people with Down syndrome in terms of autonomy and social inclusion. The article sparked an interesting debate with DS families on the ICOD Facebook page.

The 21st of September from 6.30 to 8.30 PM, Prof. Filippo Caraci has met in Catania (Auditorium San Luigi Gonzaga) an association of 50 DS families- Futuro 21- (President A. Sciatà)as a follow-up of the ICOD symposium in Troina (21-3-2022) to give further informations and updates to DS families on the ICOD project and the next coming steps such as the NIUS study. The NIUS study will start to evaluate the novel approach for the evaluation of cognitive symptoms adopted in the ICOD project https://www.facebook.com/events/3260166457597397

The NIUS study in the context of the ICOD project: informations for families

ICOD symposium 2022: a wonderful day for all of us !!
DS individuals and DS families have directly interacted with ICOD researchers and all together we have closed the EU symposium !!

Pictures from Symposium

The Kickoff meeting of the ICOD project was held on the 19th of February 2021.

The second Scientific Meeting of the ICOD project will was held on the 12th of July 2021.

The first ICOD Communication Board was held on the 9th of March 2021.

The second ICOD Communication Board was held on the 12nd of May 2021.

Dissemination activities: