2012 Barriers of the CNS Gordon Research Conference & Gordon Research Seminar

描述(由申请者提供)：本提案请求为2012年“中枢神经系统障碍”戈登研究会议(GRC)和随之而来的戈登研究研讨会(GRS)提供部分资金，该会议将于2012年6月16-17日(GRS)和2012年6月17-22日(GRC)在新罕布夏州科尔比·索耶学院(Colby Sawyer College)举行。本次国际会议的总体目标是加深对健康和疾病中血脑屏障(BBB)系统(即脑血管、脉络丛上皮、蛛网膜层)结构和功能的基本机制的了解，并探索克服这些障碍的策略，以改进人类疾病的治疗。本次会议的主要讨论主题之一是屏障系统如何通过阻止许多潜在的中枢神经系统药物在其作用部位达到活性浓度来限制其治疗效果。屏障系统的破坏也在许多中枢神经系统疾病过程中发挥关键作用，包括中风、脑肿瘤、脑创伤、中枢神经系统感染、自身免疫性疾病和神经退行性疾病。“障碍”GRC的具体目的是聚集国际专家以及对障碍问题有广泛兴趣的世界各地的年轻研究人员、博士后和学生，举行为期五天的会议，重点讨论科尔比索耶学院与世隔绝的障碍领域的前沿话题。该计划将包括2场主旨讲座和8场会议，内容涉及：屏障结构和功能、屏障通透性和信号、屏障转运体、药物输送、疾病中的屏障改变、血管生成和脑瘤、屏障成像和其他屏障系统。“障碍”GRC填补了一个关键的利基，否则这在其他主要的国际和国家会议中是不存在的，它将来自不同领域和国家的障碍科学家聚集在一起，就障碍问题举行重点会议。“障碍”GRC将伴随着为期两天(星期六/星期日)的“障碍”GRS，由博士后级别的初级研究人员组织，旨在向年轻科学家(研究生、博士后、初级教员)介绍该领域的相关方法和问题，并促进初级和高级研究人员之间的联系。关于这一主题的第一次全球研究报告于2010年举行，非常成功。这次戈登会议是仅有的两个关于这一特定主题的国际会议之一，每隔几年举行一次，这一事实突显了这一申请的重要性。这项应用与健康有重大关系，因为介绍和讨论将有助于确定障碍在中枢神经系统疾病的发展和进展中的作用，并将确定克服障碍系统的新战略，以改进神经疾病的治疗和预防。 与公共健康相关：“中枢神经系统障碍”戈登研究会议和随之而来的研究研讨会将帮助来自世界各地的科学家更好地了解脑屏障系统在健康和疾病中的功能，并通过这些知识制定改进的战略，以克服治疗人类中枢神经系统疾病的障碍。据估计，98%的治疗脑部疾病的潜在候选药物由于血脑屏障的限制性运输特性而无法到达大脑。这次会议将允许科学家在有重点的讨论中挑战既定的教条，探索未来前景或需求的新领域，并指导该领域的新科学家以促进未来的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests support for partial funding for the 2012 "Barriers of the Central Nervous System (CNS)" Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that will be held at Colby Sawyer College, New Hampshire, on June 16 -17, 2012 (GRS) and June 17 - 22, 2012 (GRC). The overall goal of this international conference is to increase understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) systems (i.e., brain vasculature, choroid plexus epithelium, arachnoid membrane) in health and disease and to explore strategies for overcoming these barriers to improve treatment of human disease. One of the major discussion topics covered by this conference is how barrier systems limit therapeutic efficacy for many potentially active CNS drugs by preventing them from reaching active concentrations at their sites of action within the CNS. Disruption of barrier systems also plays critical roles in many CNS disease processes, including stroke, brain tumors, brain trauma, CNS infection, autoimmune disease, and neurodegenerative disease. The specific aim of the "Barriers" GRC is to bring together international experts as well as young investigators, postdocs, and students from across the world with a broad range of interests in barrier issues for a five-day conference focused on cutting edge topics in the barriers field in the isolated setting of Colby Sawyer College. The program will include 2 Keynote Lectures and 8 sessions that address: Barrier Structure and Function, Barrier Permeability and Signaling, Barrier Transporters, Drug Delivery, Barrier Alterations in Disease, Angiogenesis and Brain Tumors, Barrier Imaging, and Other Barrier Systems. The "Barriers" GRC fills a critical niche which otherwise does not exist among other major international and national conferences to bring together barrier scientists from diverse fields and countries for a focused meeting on barrier issues. The "Barriers" GRC will be accompanied by a 2-day (Saturday/Sunday) "Barriers" GRS, organized by junior investigators at the postdoctoral level, which is intended to introduce younger scientists (postgraduate students, post-docs, junior faculty) to the relevant methods and issues of the field and to facilitate networking between junior and more senior researchers. The first GRS on this subject was held in 2010 and was very successful. The importance of this application is highlighted by the fact that this Gordon Conference is one of only 2 international conferences held on this specific topic, in a cycle of alternating years. The application has significant relationship to health, in that the presentations and discussions will help to define te role of the barriers in the development and progression of CNS diseases and will identify novel strategies to overcome barrier systems to improve treatment and prevention of neural disorders. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The "Barriers of the CNS" Gordon Research Conference and accompanying Research Seminar will help scientists from across the world to better understand the function of the brain barrier systems in health and disease, and, through this knowledge, to develop improved strategies to overcome the barriers for the treatment of human CNS diseases. It is estimated that >98% of potential drug candidates for treatment of brain diseases are prevented from reaching the brain by the restrictive transport properties of the blood-brain barrier. This conference will allow scientists to challenge established dogmas in focused discussions, explore new areas of future promise or need, and to mentor new scientists in the field for future development.