New Frontiers in Neuroinflammation: What Happens When CNS and Periphery Meet?

Keystone Symposia, Silverthorne CO

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled New Frontiers in Neuroinflammation: What Happens When CNS and Periphery Meet, organized by Drs. Marco Prinz, Jonathan Kipnis and Irene Knuesel. The conference will be held June 17 -21, 2018 in Keystone, Colorado. As the Greek name implies, glia are commonly known as the glue of the nervous system but, as non-neuronal cells, they essentially shape many key functions of the central nervous system (CNS). In contrast to other glial cells, microglia are more closely related to the peripheral immune system than to the neuroectoderm, making them unique within the CNS. Recent data suggest that brain-resident microglia are functionally distinct from the bone marrow-derived macrophages that invade the CNS under pathological conditions. During the last few years, the advent of novel tools in imaging, genetics and immunology, in particular high-throughput sequencing methods, has dramatically advanced research into microglial biology. Recent studies utilizing these new methodologies have yielded unexpected results that challenge the traditional view of microglia as simply scavengers of the diseased CNS. This conference will highlight the latest developments in the function of microglia for the CNS during health and disease.