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2025 ALS Network Research Summit & Barber Award Winners

Barber Awardees 2025 V3

The 15th annual ALS Network Research Summit (formerly the California ALS Research Summit) convened more than 200 researchers, investigators, clinicians, biotech companies, government representatives, partner organizations, and advocates in ALS and related fields.

Held in San Francisco from January 16-18, the Summit’s 2025 theme centered on “what can we learn about ALS from other neurologic diseases?” The event was filled with dynamic presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics, from genetics and clinical trials, to the development of new treatments and advances in AI to support patient communications needs. 

Nearly 40 guest speakers conducted special lectures, panel discussions, and scientific presentations. The Summit included participants from California, Hawaii, the U.S., and beyond. View the schedule to see a complete list of speakers and their presentation titles.

A highlight of the Summit included a presentation by 2013 Nobel Laureate Thomas Sudhof, MD, PhD, titled Synaptic Plasticity in Alzheimer’s Disease – Lessons for ALS. In addition, the 8th annual Barber ALS Research Award winners were announced. The recipients are:

  • Olatz Arnold-Garcia, UCSD
    • Identifying disease mechanisms in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD and sALS using spatial transcriptomics with single cell resolution
  • Jasper Rubin-Sigler, USC
    • VAV2 suppression mitigates disease processes in models of diverse forms of ALS/FTD
  • Vladimir Zhemkov, Cedars-Sinai
    • Axonal Splicing Dysregulation in C9ORF72-driven Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The Barber Family and ALS Network annually present three awards of $1,000 to each of the top Summit poster presenters, along with a special memento recognizing their accomplishments. Jim Barber was committed to the mission of the ALS Network and held a deep passion for advancing scientific achievement by fostering early-career researchers and developing new ideas. It was his desire that the annual Summit would encourage this scientific collaboration and professional recognition.

In coming weeks we will share additional outcomes from the Summit and highlight the continued national and global collaborations that drive our cutting-edge research efforts. 

For updates from the 2025 ALS Network Research Summit and the impact on care and research in 2025, please join us virtually on Tuesday, February 25 for ASK ME: ALS Research and Care in 2025 at 5:00pm PST / 3:00pm HST. You will hear from Clive Svendsen, PhD, Executive Director, Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Chair, ALS Network Scientific Advisory Committee, along with Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, MD, PhD, Clinic Director, ALS Treatment and Research Center at UCSF Medical Center.

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