This proposal is requesting partial funding support for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty to participate in the inaugural Gordon Research Conference (GRC) entitled ?Neuroimmune Communication in Health and Disease,? which will be held in Ventura, CA from January 15-20, 2017. The overall goal of this international conference is to increase our understanding of mechanisms that regulate neuro-immune interactions during homeostasis and neurological disorders. The field of neuroimmunology has evolved considerably over the past two decades and emerged as one of the fastest moving disciplines in biomedical research. This inaugural GRC is specifically designed to capture the breadth of the field through cutting-edge sessions focused on how the immune system helps maintain and shape a healthy CNS, as well as how it participates in various pathophysiological conditions, such as autoimmune disease, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders, infections, CNS injury, and cognitive dysfunction. This meeting will represent a blend of immunology and neuroscience, and will congregate top tier scientists operating at the nexus between these two disciplines. Novel concepts pertaining to the complexities of the neural-immune interface will be explored and discussed in featured talks and daily poster sessions. An intended strength of this meeting will be the lively discussions and support / encouragement of young scientists in the field, especially trainees. The program will open with a keynote session focused on lessons learned from the study of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The meeting will then proceed with 8 focused sessions that explore the contemporary field of neuroimmunology with topics that include: 1.) microglial functions during homeostasis and neurological diseases, 2.) immune signaling in the CNS, 3.) immune system in support of brain function, 4.) immunity and neurodegeneration, 5.) DAMPs, PAMPs and alarmins that regulate immunity in the CNS, 6.) microbiome-brain communication, 7.) impact of infectious immunity on CNS function, 8.) PNS-immune interactions. There will also be a special workshop dedicated to the challenges facing women in science. Having a dedicated GRC that delves into diverse aspects of the neural-immune interface fills a critical niche not provided by other neuroimmunological meetings, which are often more narrow in scope. With this meeting, we intend to reflect the full diversity of global neuroimmunology research by hosting a group of scientists and clinicians that are breaking new ground in the field. We believe that a balanced meeting bridging the fields of neuroscience and immunology is the best way to promote cross- disciplinary interactions and fuel the next generation of first rate neuroimmunological research. Lastly, this GRC is highly translational and is of great relevance to human health. Nearly all neurological disorders trigger an immune response, and it is now recognized that disequilibrium in the neural-immune interface can trigger a plethora of diseases in the CNS and periphery.
This inaugural 2017 Gordon Research Conference on Neuroimmune Communication in Health & Disease is highly translational and is of great relevance to human health. Nearly all neurological disorders stimulate an immune response, and it is now recognized that disequilibrium in the neural-immune interface can trigger a plethora of diseases in the CNS and periphery. The ultimate goal of this conference is to help fulfill the missions of the National Institutes of Health by providing detailed understanding and stimulating discussions of these complex interactions, which will improve our ability to diagnose, prevent, and treat human diseases with a neuro-immune component.
