Maria Salvadó, neurologist and researcher of the Pheripheral Nervous Diseases group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), won the Scientific Poster Prize at the "http://www.mndassociation.org/research/International+Symposium" 25th International Symposium on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).The researcher of the group led by Dr. Josep Gámez presented in a poster the results of the role of the microloglia CX3CR1 gene as a modifying factor in the progression of the symptoms and the survival of ALS patients. According to one of the members of the jury, Prof. Linda Greensmith, “it was a clearly presented and well conducted study which identified a new genetic factor that influences the rate of disease progression and survival time in patients”.More than 800 international experts participated on December in this symposium which took place in Brussels, in order to present and discuss the latest advances in the fight against ALS. The cause of this disease is unknown and there is no cure or treatment available. It is characterized by the loss of motor neurons which cause rapidly progressive weakness, muscle atrophy and the death of the patients by breathing failure.