Falling Walls Conference 2014: On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, top international scientists present their groundbreaking research in Berlin.
Berlin, 27 May 2014. On 9 November 2014, 20 of the world’s most important scientists will once again present an overview of the current state of cutting-edge research in Berlin. More than 10 speakers have already confirmed their participation. An up-to-date list can be found at www.falling-walls.com.
The bioengineer and psychiatrist Karl Deisseroth (Stanford University) is one of the founders of optogenetics, a method through which genetically modified cells can be selectively activated and deactivated using light signals. Applied to neuroscientific research, Deisseroth’s process provides a new and highly detailed view of brain activity and a valuable insight into neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and depression.
After promising developments in recent years, immunotherapy is offering new hope in the fight against cancer. Novel approaches successfully stimulate the body’s own immune system in such a way that it can break through a tumour’s local protective barrier, detect cancer cells and finally destroy them. Suzanne Topalian from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is one of the leaders in this field of research and will be speaking at the Falling Walls Conference about her studies, which have substantially contributed to the development of new therapeutic applications.
Christof Koch, Chief Scientific Officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle is world-renowned for researching one of the most controversial problems in neuroscience – the question of the physical basis of human consciousness. Based on information theory – and using new techniques and imaging technologies to track the activity of individual brain cells – Koch is attempting to unveil the mystery of consciousness by scientific explanation and measurement.
About the Falling Walls Foundation
The Falling Walls Conference was first held in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and has now developed into a highly acclaimed platform for international research. The conference is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Helmholtz Association, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and numerous other academic institutions, foundations and companies.
For preliminary reports or interview requests, please contact Lucie Menz at press@falling-walls.com or on +49-30-60 988 39-74. Accreditation can be obtained online at www.falling-walls.com/press/accreditation.
More information on the Falling Walls Conference on 9 November 2014, as well as on the expanded programme, can be found at www.falling-walls.com.
Press contact
Lucie Menz
Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH
Chausseestraße 8e
D-10115 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 60 988 39 74
Fax: +49 30 60 988 39 79
press@falling-walls.com