New therapeutic advances in CNS injury and repair

Abstract

9th Global College of Neuroprotection & Neuroregeneration (GCNN) Annual Conference

Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, 4–7 May 2012

The 9th Global College of Neuroprotection and Neuroregeneration annual meeting was held in cooperation with the 5th International Association of Neurorestoratology and the 4th International Spinal Cord Injury Treatment and Trial Symposium in the beautiful city of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, between 4 and 7 May 2012. This trilateral conference was held in the pleasing ambience of the Sofitel Hotel Complex in Renmin Square, Xi’an. Top Chinese government dignitaries including the National Deputy Health Minister, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province, Vice President of Xi’an Jiaotong University and Party Secretary of the Medical Association inaugurated the congress. More than 1000 delegates from across the world, including approximately 600 medical researchers from China, participated in this meeting. The theme of this meeting was ‘neurorestoration and neurorepair’ using stem cell treatment, antibodies and pharmacotherapy, as well as nanomedicine and neurorehabilitation. Preclinical and clinical research was presented and discussed. Use of nanomedicine to enhance neurorepair or diagnosis of neurological diseases in clinical situations was the new attraction in this trilateral meeting. More than 50 leading experts in neuroprotection and neurorestoratology presented their cutting edge research in the area. New features included the Youth Forum in which 12 young scientists presented their innovative results, and more than 30 platform presentations were included. Thus, the trilateral conference of the Global College of Neuroprotection and Neuroregeneration, the International Association of Neurorestoratology and the International Spinal Cord Injury Treatment and Trial Symposium was extremely successful from both the scientific and social perspectives.

Keywords::

• blood–brain barrier
• brain edema
• CNS injury
• nanomedicine
• neuroregeneration
• patient care
• pharmacotherapy
• spinal cord injury
• stem cell therapy

Disclosure

The views expressed in this report are solely of the authors and in no way represent official positions of any granting authority or government organizations listed in the financial and competing interests disclosure.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors’ research was supported by grants from the European Office of Aerospace Research & Development (London, UK), Wright Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, OH, USA), Uppsala University (Sweden), Department of Biotechnology at the Ministry of Science & Technology (New Delhi, India), Medical Research Council (New Delhi, India), Swedish Medical Research Council (Stockholm, Sweden), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Bonn, Germany), Göran Gustafsson Foundation (Stockholm, Sweden) and Astra-Zeneca (Mölndal, Sweden). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.