Junko Shiozawa, Advisory Board Member for CureDRPLA, has played an important role in bringing together Japanese people living with DRPLA and their families. Through her leadership within the DRPLA Family Network (DFN), she continues to strengthen the partnership between CureDRPLA and the Japanese DRPLA community, helping foster collaboration across families, clinicians, researchers, and industry partners.
From May 20 to 23, Junko attended the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology in Yokohama, where she hosted the DFN exhibition booth. The meeting’s theme, “Strategies for the Future,” reflected the forward-looking discussions taking place across the field of neurology and attracted approximately 9,600 attendees.
Throughout the meeting, many clinicians and researchers stopped by the DFN booth to learn more about DRPLA. Since the N-of-1 trials for DRPLA began in the Unites States in 2024, interest has continued to grow. For Junko, the conversations at the booth highlighted both the increasing awareness of DRPLA and the growing interest in potential new treatment approaches.
During her time in Japan, Junko gave presentations at two Japanese pharmaceutical companies currently developing therapies for DRPLA. These visits provided valuable insight into ongoing research efforts. The meetings offered a firsthand look at the dedication and sense of urgency driving the development of new therapies for DRPLA.
As research continues to advance, collaboration between CureDRPLA, the DRPLA Family Network, and colleagues across Japan remains more important than ever. Looking ahead to next year’s meeting, Junko remains committed to supporting the DRPLA community in Japan and helping ensure that advances in research and therapeutic development benefit the global DRPLA community.