CTAD 2012 in Monte Carlo : Getting Preclinical

Turning the Ship Around Toward Early Trials In a place where yachts sit jammed side by side in the harbor like so many gilded peas in a pod, a marine metaphor seems fitting. The conference showcased a field trying to steer therapy development out of the doldrums of the past decade and into swifter waters. Organized by Bruno Vellas of the University of Toulouse, Jacques Touchon of Montpellier University Hospital, with Paul Aisen of the University of California, San Diego, and Mike Weiner of the University of California, San Francisco, the conference drew a record 660 attendees from around the world to this city-state nestled against a hilly spit of land along the French Riviera. CTAD has become a magnet for scientists spanning the waterfront of AD therapy development, from preclinical to regulatory science.