Prof. Thomas Kirste and the PhD candidate João Saraiva of the Hybrid Methods in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (HAIML) group took part in the 3rd China-Europe Alzheimer's Disease Symposium in Beijing, China, held from 20 to 24 April, joining an international audience focused on advances in Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative research. The conference brought together strong attendance from neuroscience, computer science and neurology, creating a lively interdisciplinary setting for discussion. Across the programme, participants highlighted a series of engaging talks, with particular attention to the growing role of artificial intelligence, data-driven modelling and clinical research in understanding disease progression and improving patient care.
As part of the visit, Kirste, Saraiva and colleagues from the University Medicine of Rostock (UMR) also toured the Capital Medical Univeristy (CMU) university facilities and local neurodegenerative research laboratories, gaining insight into the datasets and infrastructure supporting collaborative work at the intersection of computation and medicine. The trip offered valuable opportunities to exchange ideas with researchers, explore future partnerships and strengthen HAIML’s international links in AI-assisted health research. The conference closed with a clear sense of momentum, underscoring the importance of collaboration between technical and clinical communities in tackling biomedical research problems.