ABSTRACT This proposal seeks support for the biennial conference on Neurodegenerative Diseases: Biology & Therapeutics, from November 28 – December 1, 2018 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). The meeting brings together scientists who investigate both basic and translational aspects of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For many of these disorders, the molecular pathways of the disease processes remain unclear and thus few biomarkers have been identified. For other disorders, existing treatments are designed primarily to provide relief from symptoms without addressing the biology underlying degenerative processes. Translational research is therefore needed to develop and validate novel diagnostic strategies as well as new therapeutics that might halt or stem disease progression, rather than simply alleviate symptoms. The conference will advance knowledge in neurodegeneration by providing a forum where scientists from distinct laboratories and institutions, both academic and industry, can exchange findings, ideas, and seek collaborations. It will include sessions on propagation mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, network mechanisms of neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and glial biology of neurodegeneration, APOE and lipid metabolism, RNA metabolism in neurodegeneration, and endolysosome, autophagy, and other targets in therapeutics. For human studies seeking new treatments for neurodegeneration to be informative, it is essential for scientists who research different aspects of those treatments to meet regularly in a setting like CSHL to exchange data and ideas. The 2018 CSHL meeting on Neurodegenerative Diseases: Biology & Therapeutics will build on the successes of prior CSHL meetings to assemble an international gathering of top scientists, discuss new developments in the field, and catalyze innovative research collaborations, all of which will ultimately accelerate the pace of discovery.

PROJECT NARRATIVE Neurodegenerative diseases exert a staggering cost to governments and societies, and thus have become an urgent concern to public health worldwide. The cost of Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. alone in 2017 has exceeded a quarter trillion dollars. Unfortunately, detailed understanding of the disease processes critical for effective therapeutic interventions for many such disorders remains sketchy. Thus, basic research of the disease process is needed to develop novel diagnostic strategies and new therapeutics that might halt or stem disease progression. The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory conference on Neurodegenerative Diseases: Biology & Therapeutics will advance knowledge in the field by bringing together top scientists with expertise in disparate aspects of neurodegeneration in an excellent venue that will provide an ideal forum for catalyzing scientific interactions and collaborations to accelerate discoveries of effective therapeutics for the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases.