Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and Parkinson?s disease (PD), acute disorders such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke, are amongst a plethora of devastating neurological conditions for which there are no treatment. As the incidence of many of these disorders increase with age, the number of patients with these disorders is expected to dramatically increase as the US population continues to age. The financial and emotional burden to patients and their families is indescribable; in addition, the cost of care and lost wages is an enormous financial liability for the US economy. The American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR) is a society focused on basic, translational, and clinical aspects of neurological disorders. The ASNTR membership uses cell transplantation, gene therapy, tissue engineering, neuropharmacology, and other cutting-edge technologies to study, and treat, such disorders. The 2017 annual meeting of ASNTR will be held at Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL. This locale provides for a very unique and intimate setting which promotes interactions between junior trainees and accomplished investigators, as well as fostering unique collaborations. The 2017 meeting will be focused on challenges facing neural repair and therapy in the coming decade. As such, planned sessions will cover biomarker discovery, disease etiology, imaging, pediatrics (Zika), amongst others. Moreover, ASNTR is tremendously committed to trainees. The society encourages trainee participation in the governance of ASNTR and focuses on the development of trainees. The purpose of this R13 is to garner travel support for top trainees (selected from submitted abstracts) to offset their costs to attend the 2017 meeting. Moreover, in 2017 we have several trainee-activities planned. This includes a workshop (Navigating the NIH and Private Foundations Funding Opportunities) with confirmed speakers from the NIH, DOD, and private foundations such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation. We will also hold a data blitz for trainees as well as meet-the-speaker luncheons. ASNTR has a strong track record of fostering young investigators, and we aim to continue in this trajectory. Although we always pursue all methods available (i.e. approach the biotech industry and private foundations) in order to provide travel support for trainees, support from the NIH is crucial in order for us to continue on our strong training mission.
of this research to public health This application seeks funding for travel awards for graduate students and postdocs to attend the upcoming 24th annual meeting of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair. This meeting will promote the interaction between young and senior scientists, as well as clinicians, to jointly discover and develop new treatments for neurological disorders. Commonly at this meeting novel collaborations emerge out of these discussions. This interactive approach between basic scientists and clinicians cultivates a culture of translational research for neurological disorders.
| (2017) Abstracts for the 24th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair. Cell Transplant 26:730-759 |
