PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The funds requested in this application are for partial support of the 6th Molecular Mechanisms of Axon Degeneration Meeting (Axon 6) to be held at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, in September 2016. The Axon 6 meeting gathers senior scientists, junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students for 3 full days of scientific idea exchange. Across ten plenary sessions and two poster sessions ~150 attendees will present work on the basic biological mechanisms underlying axon degeneration and associated disease pathophysiology. The meeting provides an excellent training opportunity for students, fellows and junior investigators to gain expertise, initiate collaborations and share leading-edge research results. The Axon Degeneration meeting is unique because it focuses specifically on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of axon degeneration, potential targets for prevention of degeneration and axon regeneration. Up to ten scholarships and associated travel awards will be given to eligible early-career scientists (junior faculty, post- doctoral fellows and graduate students) who demonstrate need, preference will be given to early career scientists from groups under-represented in the biomedical sciences.

RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH Axon degeneration is a specialized form of neurodegeneration that is a primary pathogenic feature across a range of diseases. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, peripheral neuropathies, both inherited and induced, glaucoma, and motor neuron diseases are united through axon degeneration. This conference grant will provide financial support for a meeting that brings together scientists, fellows and graduate students with a common goal: to understand how axon biology and degeneration affects health and well-being. The aim of the meeting is to facilitate interaction, catalyze collaborative research and provide training opportunity to improve our understanding of axon degeneration and how it influences human health and disease.