(30 lines max): The purpose of this R13 submission is to request funds for trainees and for a limited number of junior investigator speakers and those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields to participate in the 2018 FASEB summer research conference: Translational Neuroimmunology: from mechanisms to therapeutics. This will be the 14th FASEB Neuroimmunology conference and will be held at the Village Conference Center in Snowmass, CO from July 8-13, 2018. The last FASEB meeting was also held in Big Sky, MT in 2016, where Dr. Thomas Lane was elected as co-chair to work with Dr. Monica Carson who was the 2016 co-chair and is the 2018 chair. The 2018 conference is distinct in its bringing together a diverse group of neuroscientists, immunologists, microbiologists, toxicologists, vascular biologists, clinicians, translational and basic research scientists at a venue and with a program fostering interaction between individuals with different expertise and at different career stage. Previous evaluations have ranked this conference highly for ample presentation and discussion time, for high impact speakers who remain for the duration of the conference, oral presentations, selection of abstracts from junior scientists and graduate trainees for short platform presentations, well attended poster sessions, time for free and open discussions between speakers and attendees aimed at fostering new and ongoing collaborations. The 2018 program is aimed not only at defining the contributions of neuro-immune interactions in CNS health and disease. It also seeks to explore the opportunities and challenges for harnessing neuroimmune interactions as therapies for classic neurologic and neurodegenerative diseases including neurodevelopmental disorders, TBI, spinal cord injury, stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease. In response to evaluation requests from trainees and junior investigators attending the 2016 conference, new this year are addition of two workshops discussing pragmatic issues and careers aimed at bridging the well-known ?valley of death? between seminal research discoveries and development of approved and available therapies. In aggregate, the specific goals of this conference are to: 1) provide a forum for the presentation of unpublished, cutting-edge research by investigators from diverse fields applicable to neuroimmune regulation of CNS health and disease; 2) provide forums for both formal and informal discussions on how results from complementary fields advance our understanding of how neuroimmune interactions support CNS function and health lifelong and can be modified by genetics, pathogens, toxicants and behavior to drive disease pathology, 3) ensure development and integration of young investigators from diverse backgrounds and those traditionally under-represented in these fields into the broader research community in a meaningful and interactive way. Altogether, attendees will enjoy a multidisciplinary group of researchers not found together at other specialized conferences and will benefit from the focus on the opportunities & challenges in translating research discoveries to therapies. ! !
The goal of the 2018 FASEB Translational Neuroimmunology: From Mechanisms to Therapeutics conference is two-fold. First, to bring together members from diverse scientific communities to bridge and foster translational research in the field of neuroimmunology. Second, to provide a supportive interactive platform for trainees and junior investigators from diverse backgrounds who will ultimately make up the next generation of investigators to engage with those more established in their fields. !
