The Exploratório - Centro de Ciência Viva de Coimbra will host a public event, on November 19 at 2 pm, which aims to bring together people with Machado-Joseph Disease. This event, entitled “European Initiative for Machado-Joseph Disease: past, present and future”, is promoted by the Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC) within the scope of the European network ESMI – European Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado-Joseph Disease Initiative.

Machado-Joseph Disease is a rare, hereditary genetic disease that affects about 1 to 2 people in every 100,000 worldwide. In Portugal, it is more prevalent, namely in the Azores, where the highest number of patients per inhabitant is reported.

The ESMI initiative started in 2016, with the aim of recruiting the largest number of patients, at European level, for the study of Machado-Joseph Disease and preparing future clinical trials. The Gene and Stem Cell Therapies for the Brain CNC group, led by researcher and president of CNC-UC, Professor Luís Pereira de Almeida, has been part of this initiative for several years and has Machado-Joseph Disease as its focus of study.

The meeting aims to bring together researchers, patients and families with the aim of discussing the “past, present and future” of this project, as well as promoting community awareness of this disease.

Admission is free and open to all interested parties upon prior registration.

This event takes place within the scope of the activities of the Science and Technology Week 2022, promoted by Ciência Viva.

Carolina Caetano