2019 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NEURAL THERAPY AND REPAIR

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Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD), acute disorders such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Angelman's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy are amongst a plethora of devastating neurological conditions for which there are little to no treatments. As the incidence of many of these disorders increase with age, the number of patients with these disorders is expected to dramatically increase as the US population continues to age. The financial and emotional burden to patients and their families is indescribable; in addition, the cost of care and lost wages is an enormous financial liability for the US economy. The American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR) is a society focused on basic, translational, and clinical aspects of neurological disorders. The ASNTR membership uses cell transplantation, gene therapy, tissue engineering, neuropharmacology, and other cutting-edge technologies to study, and treat, such disorders. The 2019 annual meeting of ASNTR will be held at Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL. This locale provides for a very unique and intimate setting which promotes interactions between junior trainees and accomplished investigators, as well as fostering unique collaborations. The 2019 meeting will be focused on new directions in neural repair and therapy in the coming decade, and the challenges of translating new therapies. As such, planned sessions will cover the “Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative disease”, “When to intervene in Neurodegenerative disorders”, and “Emerging Neurotechnologies”. A special session (open to patients) will focus on the current directions and challenges in Parkinson's disease therapeutics. This session will also include a Dancing with PD session, which has become a popular session in past ASNTR meetings. Moreover, ASNTR is tremendously committed to trainees. The society encourages trainee participation in the governance of ASNTR and focuses on the development of trainees. The purpose of this R13 is to garner travel support for top trainees (selected from submitted abstracts) to offset their costs to attend the 2019 meeting. Moreover, in 2019 we have several trainee-activities planned. This includes a workshop “Navigating the Role of Industry Partnerships in Academic Research” with confirmed speakers with expertise in therapeutic development for stem cell and gene therapy from both Biotechnology Companies running clinical trials as well as Senior PIs from academic labs focuses on IND-enabling studies. We will also hold a data blitz for trainees as well as meet-the-editor luncheons. Moreover, we have planned social events, aimed at furthering the interaction between faculty and trainees. ASNTR has a strong track record of fostering young investigators, and we aim to continue in this trajectory. Although we always pursue all methods available (i.e. approach the biotech industry and private foundations) in order to provide travel support for trainees, support from the NIH is crucial in order for us to continue on our strong training mission.