This application is to request support for the 2016 Myelin Gordon Research Symposium (GRS) and Conference (GRC) to be held at Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy from May 14-20 2016. The 2016 Myelin GRC will bring together researchers at the cutting edge of myelin physiology, pathology and medicine to address key research gaps in the field. The focus of the meeting is important, as myelin related disease represents a frequent cause of long-term disability in the US and elsewhere. The meeting is timely, as the field is very dynamic and there have been major advances in myelin biology since the last meeting in 2014. These advances include i) the use of live imaging, particularly in zebrafish, to reveal the fundamental biology of myelination ii) an increased understanding of environmental effects such as hypoxia on myelin iii) the definition of myelin sheath plasticity throughout life and iv) the appreciation that myelin plasticity plays a necessary role in higher cognitive functions such as learning. Together with technological advances in screening platforms leading to an increasing number of targets for remyelination therapies, these advances position the field to go beyond the molecular and cellular studies of development and repair that have been the principal focus of previous meetings to address key research gaps in our understanding of myelin function, the mechanisms of myelin disease and the development of myelin medicines. The scientific program of the 13th GRC Myelin - rethinking functions, revealing mechanisms, developing medicines is designed to create the best forum to bring together investigators in the field to achieve this advance by fostering a dynamic and vigorous exchange of ideas. We have focused on including newly independent scientists to promote and support the next generations of myelin investigators. A number of young investigators will give regular and short talks, together with more senior investigators who will additionally serve as session chairs. We have made an effort to maintain appropriate gender balance among the speakers. The majority of participants to the GRC will contribute an oral or poster presentation, with the newest and most cutting-edge posters selected for short talks. We will emphasize poster sessions as key elements in nurturing productive interactions among scientists with different skills and backgrounds. This and all other activities included in the GRC program will contribute to reach the main goals of the conference, i.e. to provide stimulate and accelerate progress in the field of myelin biology. The 2016 GRC will also begin with the Myelin Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which builds on the exceptional success of its first two meetings that preceded the 2012 and 2014 GRCs. We expect more than 60 young investigators, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to attend the GRS and the GRC. The GRS will provide a unique venue for young investigators to interact, present their most current research and develop collaborations. As funds will permit, we will offer support for travel and registration to these trainees.
Myelination is a critical specialization of vertebrates, creating the both the white matter tracts of the brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nerves that underpin the rapid and coordinated conduction essential for the function of the nervous system. In the U.S. alone, myelin disorders affect hundreds of thousands of individuals with a variety of neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, leucodystrophies and peripheral neuropathies, and white matter changes are linked to the age-related cognitive decline seen in millions of others. The Myelin Gordon Research Conference is designed to bring together leading senior and junior basic, translational and clinical investigators in the field to highlight the most recent advances in myelin biology, to stimulate a dynamic and vigorous exchange of ideas and to expand research through synergistic interactions among attendees.
