The 2026 Crnic Institute Down Syndrome Research Symposium on September 16, 2026 was a celebration of research breakthroughs and collaboration, featuring insightful presentations and exciting new research from experts across the field.
The symposium began with remarks from Crnic Institute Executive Director Joaquín Espinosa, PhD, who reflected on the remarkable progress in Down syndrome research and its role in helping people with Down syndrome live longer, healthier lives.
“At a time when research funding is increasingly uncertain, the Crnic Institute, with the support of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s advocacy, has remained well positioned to advance research that could lead to more targeted medical care for people with Down syndrome,” Espinosa shared.
We were thrilled to have Sophia Whitten, a self-advocate and Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) Ambassador, present at our symposium, as well as Michelle Sie Whitten, MBA, president and CEO of GLOBAL. GLOBAL, the founding organization of the Crnic Institute, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with Down syndrome through research, medical care and advocacy. With updates on research funding advocacy, new legislation and upcoming ways to get involved, GLOBAL reminded our audience of the heart of our mission: people with Down syndrome.
"I like being an advocate because I like to show people with Down syndrome can achieve whatever they put their mind to," said Sophia Whitten.
The Crnic Institute was honored to have Anna Molofsky, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and Samuel Barondes Chair in Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, as the first keynote speaker. Her talk, entitled “Type I interferons shaping brain development,” discussed how immune signals may affect the way brain cells are shaped and removed during development. She also presented early findings from a mouse model of Down syndrome and explored how this research might help us better understand brain development in Down syndrome.
The day wrapped up with a second keynote presentation from Ukpong Eyo, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia, on “Glial-glial interaction regulate excitatory synapse development.” Eyo discussed how sex hormones influence microglia, immune cells in the brain, and how these cells help guide brain development.
The Crnic Institute would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all our speakers for their invaluable contributions:
Jennifer Lawrence (PhD Candidate, CU Boulder): APP-independent sleep disturbances in aged Dp16 mice
Cayla Jewett, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, CU Anschutz): Trisomy 21 disrupts respiratory multiciliated cell development in mouse models of Down syndrome
Micah Donovan, PhD (Research Instructor, CU Anschutz): Progressive deterioration of adaptive immune memory in Down syndrome linked to interferon hyperactivity and lymphoid tissue disorganization
Deirdre Logsdon, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, CU Boulder): Defining the link between trisomy 21 and placentation defects
Abby Cozart (PhD Candidate, CU Anschutz): TNF-IFN crosstalk in Down syndrome
Each year, the symposium includes a poster session that allows collaboration across the research community, and attendees vote for their favorite posters to celebrate the work of their colleagues.
Congratulations to this year’s poster session winners!
First place: Ranga Dissanayake, PhD (CU Anschutz) for T21 Atlas: iPSC-Derived Bone Marrow, Skin, and Intestinal Organoids as 3D Models of Trisomy 21
Second place: Madison O'Callaghan (CU School of Dental Medicine) for Special Care at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Dental Care for People with Trisomy 21
Third place: Zaria Jackson (CU Anschutz) for Investigation of NAD+ Biosynthetic Metabolites On Trisomy 21 Neurodifferentiation
The Crnic Institute team thanks all speakers, presenters and attendees for making this year’s symposium such a success and looks forward to what the next year holds for Down syndrome research.