Key Interfaces Between the Nervous System and the Rest of the Body in Health and Disease

June 19 - 24, 2016

Chair

Vice Chair

Colby-Sawyer College

541 Main Street

New London, New Hampshire, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Barriers of the CNS GRC has been running since 1999 and brings together a truly unique, multidisciplinary group of scientists and clinicians from around the world. The meeting is focused on the structure, function, and regulation of the specialized barriers that exist between the CNS and the bloodstream, alterations to these barriers that occur with disease and injury, as well as the science of crossing or bypassing these barriers for CNS drug delivery. The goal of the Barriers of the CNS GRC is to bring together international experts, junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows and students working at the forefront of the field in a collegial, supportive environment for the purpose of exchanging new ideas and brainstorming novel solutions to existing challenges. The 2016 meeting will present cutting edge research and provide new perspectives on all aspects of CNS barriers science. Concepts surrounding the neurovascular unit and major barrier systems such as the blood-brain barrier, blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers and blood-retinal barriers will be comprehensively explored in featured talks and daily poster sessions. Specific themes for the meeting will cover the following topics: transport, signaling and junctions at the CNS barriers and beyond; barrier function in stroke, brain trauma, and epilepsy; barrier function in neurodegenerative disease, brain cancer, and drug abuse; immunology of the CNS barriers and related systems; imaging, model systems, and technology; CNS drug delivery and distribution; and new perspectives on the future of the field and academic-industrial partnerships.

The Barriers of the CNS GRC aims to foster interactions between investigators at all career stages and to bring new people and fresh ideas into the field. As such, we are excited to welcome new participants to attend and present their research at the Barriers of the CNS GRC as well as the companion Barriers of CNS GRS that is being organized by Drs. Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke and Holly Johnson. Content from our highly successful GRS, to be held for the fourth time, and selected poster presentations from junior scientists and new GRC attendees will also be featured in short highlight talks at the main conference, facilitating interactions and dialogue across the two related meetings as well as presenting fresh, new perspectives. Please join us at the wonderful and well-equipped Colby-Sawyer College site for a highly enjoyable, interactive, and impactful meeting on the barriers of the CNS and related science.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Barriers of the CNS" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Welcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: New Perspectives on the CNS Barriers
	Discussion Leader: Robert Thorne (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Opening Remarks
7:50 pm - 8:25 pm	Fiona Doetsch (University of Basel, Switzerland) "Regulation of Adult Neural Stem Cells: Life at the Interface of Two Barriers"
8:25 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:15 pm	Costantino Iadecola (Weill Cornell Medicine, USA) "Neurovascular Regulation and Dysfunction in Disease States"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Transport, Signaling, and Junctions at the CNS Barriers and Beyond
	Discussion Leaders: Martha O'Donnell (University of California, Davis, USA) and Lester Drewes (University of Minnesota, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Geoffrey Chang (University of California, San Diego, USA) "P-Glycoprotein: New Insights on Structure/Function"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	Tetsuya Terasaki (Tohoku University, Japan) "Transporter Proteomics at the CNS Barriers"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	Nathalie Strazielle (Brain-i / BIP - Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, France) "Neuroprotective Functions of the Blood-CSF Barrier in Young Animals: Enzymes and Transporters"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	Erin Schuetz (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USA) "Species Differences in Drug Transporters at the Blood-CSF Barriers"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:50 am	Sabina Hrabetova (SUNY Downstate Medical Center, USA) "Diffusive Spread of Substances Through Brain Extracellular Space: Modulatory Role of Astroglia"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Melanie-Jane Hannocks (University of Muenster, Germany) "Molecular Characterization of the Perivascular Space and Its Relationship to the CSF"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Power Hour
	The GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
	Organizers: N. Joan Abbott (King's College London, United Kingdom), Reina Bendayan (University of Toronto, Canada) and Chenghua Gu (Harvard Medical School, USA)
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Late-Breaking Topics
	Session in honor of the contributions of David Miller.
	Discussion Leaders: Stefan Liebner (University of Frankfurt, Germany) and Xavier Decleves (Université Paris Descartes, France)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	Chenghua Gu (Harvard Medical School, USA) "Molecular Mechanisms Governing the Formation and Function of the Blood-Brain Barrier"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	Martin Lauritzen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) "Modification of Brain Microvascular Function In Vivo by Pericytes"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	Benjamin Deverman (California Institute of Technology, USA) "CREATEing AAV Vectors that Cross CNS Barriers"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke (VIB, Ghent University, Belgium) "CNS Barriers Science: New Work and Concepts"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	CNS Barrier Function in Stroke, Brain Trauma, and Epilepsy
	Discussion Leaders: Zena Vexler (University of California, San Francisco, USA) and Richard Daneman (University of California, San Diego, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 am	David Antonetti (University of Michigan, USA) "Retinal Ischemia Reperfusion: A Model of Blood-Retinal Barrier Loss, Neuroinflammation, and Resolution"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	Gregory Bix (University of Kentucky, USA) "A Role for α5β1 Integrin in Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in the Context of Stroke"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	Richard Keep (University of Michigan, USA) "Controversies over the Pathways Underlying Early Disruption in Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Group Photo / Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	Jerome Badaut (CNRS, France) "CNS Barrier Function in Juvenile Traumatic Brain Injury"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:50 am	Bjoern Bauer (University of Kentucky, USA) "Blood-Brain Barrier Function in Epilepsy"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:20 pm	Patricia Dickson (Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, USA) "Intrathecal Enzyme Delivery for MPS Disorders: New Insights"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	CNS Barrier Function in Neurodegenerative Disease, Brain Cancer, and Drug Abuse
	Discussion Leaders: Elizabeth De Lange (Leiden University, The Netherlands) and Jeffrey Iliff (Oregon Health and Science University, USA)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	Anika Hartz (University of Kentucky, USA) "ABCb1 News: The Transporter and the Amyloid"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	Helga De Vries (VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands) "Inflammation of the CNS Barriers in Multiple Sclerosis"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	Richard Egleton (Marshall University, USA) "Opioid Regulation of Brain Endothelial Cell Function"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pm	William Elmquist (University of Minnesota, USA) "Impact of Focal Changes in the BBB in Treating Brain Tumors: Where, When, and How?"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Immunology of the CNS Barriers and Related Systems
	Discussion Leaders: Britta Engelhardt (University of Bern, Switzerland) and Lydia Sorokin (University of Muenster, Germany)
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Aleksandra Deczkowska (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel) "Immune Regulation at the Choroid Plexus and Implications to Brain Ageing and Alzheimer's Disease"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	Roxana Carare (University of Southampton, United Kingdom) "The Perivascular Spaces and Cerebral Lymphatic Drainage Pathways"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	Zsuzsanna Fabry (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) "Discontinuous Distribution of Immune Cell Migration in Response to CNS Autoimmunity, Infection, and Trauma"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	Erlend Nagelhus (University of Oslo, Norway) "Roles of Aquaporins at the Brain-Blood Interface"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Jorge Alvarez (University of Pennsylvania, USA) "The Blood-Meningeal Barrier and Its Role During Homeostasis and Neuroinflammation"
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am	Maria Rosito (University of Bern, Switzerland) "Investigating the Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Mediating the Migration of Human T Cell Subsets Across the Human Brain Barriers In Vitro"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Sunit Singh (Banaras Hindu University, India) "HIV Tat Exploits Cellular microRNA to Hit the Blood-Brain Barrier"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm	Dinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm	Business Meeting
	Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Novel Approaches: Imaging, Model Systems, and Technology
	Discussion Leaders: Michael Taylor (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) and Ethan Lippmann (Vanderbilt University, USA)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	Angela Gelli (University of California, Davis, USA) "Fungi at the Gate: How Does Cryptococcus neoformans Breach the BBB?"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	Maria Deli (Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary) "New Applications of Integrated Microelectronic Lab-on-a-Chip Devices in BBB Research"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:50 pm	Daniela Virgintino (Bari University School of Medicine, Italy) "Cell-to-Cell Communication During Cortical Vascularization"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	Maarja Andaloussi Mae (Uppsala University, Sweden) "Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis of the Role of Pericytes at the Blood-Brain Barrier"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm	Brian Chow (Harvard Medical School, USA) "Gradual Suppression of Transcytosis Governs Functional Blood-Retinal Barrier Formation"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	CNS Drug Delivery and Distribution: New Concepts
	Discussion Leaders: Danica Stanimirovic (National Research Council / University of Ottawa, Canada) and Eric Shusta (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Margareta Hammarlund-Udenaes (Uppsala University, Sweden) "CNS Drug Delivery and Distribution: Across the BBB and into the Cells"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	Frederic Calon (Laval University, Canada) "To Cross or Not to Cross the BBB: The Journey of Antibodies Targeting Transferrin Receptors"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	Reina Bendayan (University of Toronto, Canada) "Regulation of ABC Drug Transporters by Nuclear Receptors: New Ways of Tightening or Opening the BBB"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	Joseph Nicolazzo (Monash University, Australia) "The Role of Intracellular Proteins in Facilitating Molecular Transport Across the Blood-Brain Barrier and Implications for Alzheimer's Disease"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Vijaya Gopal (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CSIR, India) "Targeted Delivery of Short Interfering RNA Across the Blood-Brain Barrier"
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 11:55 am	Dionna Williams (Johns Hopkins University, USA) "Novel Flow Cytometric Analysis of the Blood-Brain Barrier"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Debayon Paul (UConn Health, USA) "Extracellular Vesicles as Conveyors of Tight Junction Protein to Leukocytes in Neuroinflammation"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Evolving Perspectives in CNS Barriers Science: Anticipating the Next Ten Years in Academic and Industrial Partnerships
	Discussion Leaders: N. Joan Abbott (King's College London, United Kingdom) and Axel Meyer (AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co KG, Germany)
7:30 pm - 8:05 pm	Rita Balice-Gordon (Sanofi, USA) "Academic/Industrial Partnerships in CNS Barriers Science: Challenges and Opportunities"
8:05 pm - 8:20 pm	Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Saileta Prabhu (Genentech, USA) "Industrial Perspective on CNS Barriers Science: Considerations for Publishing"
8:30 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Anne Christiansen (Shire, USA) "Industrial Perspective on CNS Barriers Science: Successful Collaborations"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	Quentin Smith (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, USA) "Academic Perspective on CNS Barriers Science: Developing Collaborations Between Institutions and Industry"
9:00 pm - 9:05 pm	Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	General Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Closing Remarks
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure