Fiona Copeland attended the Ciliopathy Alliance 10th Annual General Meeting on Monday, 7th March 2022. The Ciliopathy Alliance was formed in the UK in March 2010 and launched at a Cilia Awareness Day in November 2010. The aim of the alliance is to improve the lives of children and adults affected by ciliopathies – syndromes, diseases, or conditions caused by dysfunctional or defective cilia.
Due to Covid the activities of the alliance have been minimal for the past two years. A new set of trustees have been appointed (including Fiona) and a strategy meeting is due to be held soon to plan activities for the next 2-3 years. Views of the members will be sought via an online survey.
The Ciliopathy Alliance is part of the organising committee for Cilia 2022. This will be the 5th European Cilia Conference and will be held in Cologne, Germany from 4-7 October 2022. This event is open to any researchers with an interest in cilia. There will also be an opportunity for patients with ciliopathies to be involved.
We were treated to an excellent presentation from Dr Barbara Tanos from Brunel University, London on her work looking at the role of cilia in kidney disease. Her presentation included some really useful diagrams to explain the difference between motile vs non-motile cilia and the different types of role of cilia in the body.