15th International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias – Oct. 8-11, 2026

Workshops

State-of-the-Art Technologies to Advance the Next Generation of FTD Researchers

Thursday, October ​​​​​​​8, 2026, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a highly heterogenous neurodegenerative dementia which can manifest with a range of clinical features that span across medical subspecialties with complex care paradigms. Moreover, the molecular causes of FTD are diverse and include various genetic and pathologic subtypes of tauopathies, TDP-43 and FET proteinopathies. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach is essential to develop quantitative clinical metrics of disease severity and disease-specific biomarkers for the diverse spectrum of FTD disorders. Digital techniques to quantify and measure both clinical features and biologic signatures from tissue are emerging to accelerate discoveries in FTD. Moreover, it is important that researchers entering the field of FTD research are knowledgeable of the biological and clinical heterogeneity of FTD. Thus, this multidisciplinary workshop will include two parallel tracks: Track A: “An Introduction to FTD” for clinicians and researchers new to the field of FTD and Track B “Advanced Techniques in FTD Research” focused on new state-of-the art technologies for tissue-based and clinical research in FTD. The comprehensive multidisciplinary overview will be valuable for all attendees at ISFTD, and an emphasis is given to early and mid-career researchers (EMCR), who can apply for a travel stipend award to attend the workshop and ISFTD 2026.

Track A “An Introduction to FTD”

Track A “An Introduction to FTD” in Part 1 will provide an overview of the main clinical FTD syndromes, including diagnostic criteria and clinical assessments. Part 2 will focus on biology of FTD in a series of talks reviewing the main genetic and pathologic subtypes of FTD, with interactive pathology digital slide review.

Track B “Advanced Techniques in FTD Research”

Track B “Advanced Techniques in FTD Research” Part 1 will include talks on cutting-edge approaches to interrogate cellular features of FTD tissues with an interactive session for hands-on training with open-source tools for digital pathology. Part 2 will include tissue-guided imaging and expert guidance on best practices for the acquisition and analysis of digital clinical assessment.