Members of the Scientific advisory board arrived early from all over France and Europe to start the meeting at 9.30 am. Dr Laurent Meijer opened the day with a presentation on the progress of his quest of a pharmaceutical inhibitor of the DYRK1A protein. He was followed by Prof. Csaba Szabo, a world-renowned expert of CBS who unveiled the research he’s been carrying out with his team and partners over the last 4 years, research that holds great promise for the future. The Foundation and Institute staff was welcome for these two presentations, allowing them to get a clearer picture of the progress being made in these research programmes.

This was followed by a presentation of T21 learning by the Institute’s communications team. It is a tool designed for healthcare professionals, relatives and patients, bringing together training, testimonials and videos on health topics, preparation for a consultation, etc.

After those lectures finally came the time for discussion of evaluated projects. 38 were submitted for this autumn call. Scores of selected projects were not below 4.5/5, as previously scored in the last spring call, reflecting their scientific excellence. Lively discussions emerged during the session, allowing various opinions to be heard and the coming to a common decision. Around a dozen projects were selected, before final approval by the Board of directors in a month (stay tuned). Thanks to the expertise of the scientists and clinicians brought together, the Foundation is proud to support innovative projects!