Financial support for the 4th International Symposium on NeuroVirology to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, June 19-22, 2002 is requested. The location has been selected for its central European location with suitable access from the U.S. and Japan (countries with large numbers of neurovirologists). In addition, the large contingent of neurovirologists in Europe and a pressing interest in viral- and prion-induced neurologic diseases in the European community have also guided site selection. To enhance the opportunity for American investigators to attend the meeting, support for travel and lodging expenses, conference organizers, ten invited plenary speakers, and five neurovirologists selected based on abstract quality is requested. Funds for lodging and travel for ten investigators-in-training to attend the Symposium are also requested. In addition, the proceedings of the 4th Symposium will again be published in Journal of NeuroVirology. Funds to cover expenses of abstract submission, processing, and publication are also requested. The 4th Symposium will be a unique opportunity for scientific interchange between basic and clinical scientists in that it will be held conjointly with the 10th Conference on Neuroscience of HIV Infection. It is anticipated that 300-350 individuals worldwide will attend the meeting with 30-40% American participation. The 4-day Conjoint Symposium will be organized by international and local committees which will guide scientific program design, selection of plenary speakers, and selection of basic/clinical science workshop speakers and poster presentations from submitted abstracts. The goal of the 4th Symposium will be to examine the molecular mechanisms associated with viral- and prion-induced neurologic disease in humans and animal models to enhance understanding of common pathogenic themes and facilitate the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurologic disease. The conjoint nature of the 4th Symposium will (1) enhance cross-fertilization of basic/clinical concepts concerning prevention and treatment of neurologic disease caused by HIV and other pathogens, (2) attract young investigators into an important multi-disciplinary field, and (3) stimulate collaborations with an international scope.
