News from around the world

AIM

The 24^th National Congress of the Italian Association of Myology (AIM) was held in Rome from June 5th to 8th, 2024, with the participation of over 500 individuals including speakers, attendees, and companies. The participation of young professionals from the various disciplines that make up AIM was remarkable.

The Congress began on June 5^th, in the afternoon, with opening remarks from Prof. Alfredo Berardelli from Rome, Past President of the Italian Society of Neurology, Prof. Serenella Servidei, from Rome – hosting the Congress – and from Prof. Giacomo Pietro Comi from Milan, President of the Italian Association of Myology. 

The Congress sessions, symposia and lectures focused on the latest diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and management innovations exploring conditions such as myotonic dystrophies, myasthenia gravis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, inflammatory myopathies, spinal muscular atrophies, Pompe disease and mitochondrial diseases. 

Among the eminent speakers there were Prof. Volker Straub from Newcastle upon Tyne, President of the World Muscle Society, who discussed the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of genetic muscle diseases, and Prof. Paul Boon from Eindhoven, President of the European Academy of Neurology, who presented the latest updates on the antiepileptic therapies and their relevance to the brain health. Both contributions emphasized the importance of innovative strategies in clinical practice.

Particular attention was paid to gene therapies, their clinical application, and the importance of biomarkers for monitoring the efficacy of the treatment. Prof. Luca Bello discussed the progress of research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, while Prof. Serenella Servidei explained the challenges of mitochondrial diseases, which require a multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment.

During the congress, the first edition of Muscle Trivi-AIM took place, a team competition for young and old researchers to test their knowledge in the field of Neuro-Myology. The “KnockOut” team from the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, composed of doctors Christian Laurini, Yuri Matteo Falzone and Adele Ratti, won the victory (Fig. 1) and the prize up for grabs, namely free participation in the XXV AIM congress of 2025, in Palermo, Italy.

On Saturday morning, the congress included an important round table with the main Neuromuscular Diseases patients’s Associations to discuss the progress and challenges in the treatment and management of the neuromuscular diseases.

The event concluded again this year with the awarding of 10 prizes to young researchers (Fig. 2) for the best oral communications or posters in the various sessions of neuromuscular diseases. The winners were: 

Valeria Balmaceda (University of Padua): MITOCON AWARD (for the best work relating to Mitochondrial Diseases)
Francesca Beretta (University of Florence): AIM AWARD (for the best Oral Communication on Myasthenia)
Alberto Benetollo (University of Padua): GFB AWARD from Beta-sarcoglycanopathy Family Group (for the best Poster on Beta-sarcoglycanopathy)
Sara Bortolani (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome): AIM AWARD (for the best Oral Communication) 
Giuliana Capece (University of Padua): AIM AWARD (for the best Poster) 
Maria Francesca Di Feo (University of Helsinki): OTHER TOMORROW AWARD (for the best Oral on DMD/BMD)
Lucia Ferullo (University of Brescia): AIM AWARD (for the best Oral Communication on Glycogenosis - Metabolic Myopathies) 
Erica Frezza (University of Rome): «GIOVANNI NIGRO» AWARD from the Gaetano Torre Center Association for Muscular Diseases (for the best Oral Communication on Muscular Dystrophies) 
Arianna Iosca (University of Pavia): PARENT PROJECT AWARD (for the best Poster on DMD/BMD): 
Maria Sframeli (‘G. Martino’ University Hospital, Messina): AIM AWARD (for the best Oral Communication on SMA)

ANIL

The Association of the Italian Network of Laminopathies (ANIL) was established as a legal entity in Bologna on July 14, 2023, with the aim to promote biomedical and clinical research on Laminopathies. The Association is open to all those who want to share its perspectives, statute and regulations. 

The XXVIII Congress of the Network was held in Bologna, last 12 April 2024. The conference presented the state of the art and innovations in the field of laminopathies addressing the clinical, genetic and research aspects of the different forms, as well as the needs/expectations of the patients’ Associations. On that occasion, the Scientific Council of the Association was also presented, currently made up of seven members experts in the various aspects of laminopathies such as Elena Biagini (Cardiologist, Bologna), Adele D’Amico (Pediatric Neurologist, Rome), Maria Rosaria D’Apice (Molecular Biologist, Rome), Elisa Di Pasquale (Research Biologist, Milan), Ferruccio Santini (Endocrinologist, Pisa), Gaetano Vattemi (Neurologist, Verona), Rogier Veltrop (Patient Association Contact, LMNA-Cardiac Network, Maastricht).

The next congress of the Network will be on next October ( date to be established).

Further information is available at the Association website: https://www.igm.cnr.it/laminopatie

e-NMD

The 5^th eNMD conference in E-health & innovation to Overcome Barriers in Neuromuscular Diseases will be held in Taormina, Italy, in November 2025.

MSM

The 14^th Meeting of the Mediterranean Society of Myology (MSM) will take place in 2025. Proposals to organize and host the event are welcome.

WMS 

The 29^th International Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society will be held in Prague (Czechia), from 8 to 12 October 2024.

The conference will, once again be a hybrid event, offering the flexibility of virtual participation, but we encourage personal attendance to maximize the benefits of networking and scientific exchange. Both oral presentations and e-posters will be available via the platform and app for delegates who wish to participate virtually. The main thematic topics of this congress focused on acquired myopathies are: 

• Topic 1 - Acquired muscle disorders
• Topic 2 - Neuromuscular disorders around the world
• Topic 3 - RNA in NMD: clinical insights, pathomechanisms and treatments

Each day a plenary session will be dedicated to the selected topics. Speakers will summarize the state of the field on the selected topics, covering clinical, molecular and other aspects.  

Further information is available at the WMS website: https://www.wms2024.com