Neuropathology Grants

Society for Neuro-Oncology International Outreach Research Fellowship

Supported by the American Brain Tumor Association and EMD Serono

Purpose
With generous support from the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) and EMD Serono, the Society for Neuro-Oncology has established a $50,000 International Outreach Research Fellowship. The purpose of this one-year fellowship is to provide a program for professionals from outside North America to perform clinical, translational or basic research in the area of pediatric or adult neuro-oncology in a clinical and/or laboratory setting in the United States or Canada. One fellowship award was made in 2009, and SNO is now accepting applications for the 2010 Fellowship.

Eligibility
The fellowship is open to post graduate medical professionals working in the following areas: neurosurgery, neurology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, pathology, radiology, neuropsychology, allied health or basic science at the post-doctoral level. The applicant must be living outside of North America when the application is submitted and must not be a citizen of the United States or Canada. The applicant must be from an emerging or developing nation as classified by the International Monetary Fund.

Investigative Categories
All categories of investigative studies will be considered eligible for this fellowship, including (but not limited to) basic science, epidemiology, anatomic studies, preclinical or translational studies, and clinical trials. Areas of study may be within any subspecialty of neuro-oncology, including (but not limited to) primary brain tumors, metastatic brain tumors, spine and spinal cord tumors, peripheral nerve tumors, and skull base tumors. The awarded Fellow will not provide any direct patient care, and contact with patients will be limited to an observational basis only.

Award
SNO will provide the host institution with $50,000 in salary support and travel expenses for a one-year period. Institutional overhead and indirect costs are not provided with the award.

Host Institutions
The Society for Neuro-Oncology has established a list of host institutions in North America who are interested in hosting the SNO International Outreach Research Fellow. This list is posted on the SNO website.

Application Process and Review
The application process consists of the following elements:

1. Fellowship Application & Biographical Data
The application includes a formal proposal that outlines the aims of the project, the background/rationale for the work, any preliminary results or supporting data for the project, and a detailed study design. The applicant must also submit a personal biographical sketch, a description of future academic plans, and a statement of why studying in North America will be important for the completion of the work.

2. Letters from Home Institutions

* Letter of reference from your current department chair (or institutional supervisor) outlining what skills are lacking in the area, and how the knowledge gained from the Fellowship will make a positive impact in the department and the region upon your return home.
* Letter of reference from a mentor or independent professional who is familiar with your work in the field of neuro-oncology.

3. Host Letter of Support
The applicant must also include a letter of support from one of the participating host institutions.

4. Review Process
A SNO review committee will examine all submissions. The fellowship will be awarded based on the novelty and scientific merit of the proposed study and the credentials of the applicant.

Awarded Fellows
At the completion of the project, the winning fellow will be required to submit a written Summary Report describing the results of the study. The applicant may also present an oral summary of the project at the Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting.

Important Dates
Call for Applications: June 23, 2010
Application Deadline: October 18, 2010
Application Awarded: December 1, 2010
Fellowship Commencement: July 1, 2011

Society for Neuro-Oncology
4617 Birch Street
Bellaire, TX 77401-5509

John Dystel Prize For Multiple Sclerosis Research

In conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society established the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research in 1994 for the purpose of recognizing outstanding contributions to research in the understanding, treatment or prevention of multiple sclerosis. This annual prize is funded through the John Dystel Multiple Sclerosis Research Fund at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

All investigators who are actively engaged in fundamental or clinical research related to multiple sclerosis are eligible for nomination for this prize. The annual award will be made in the amount of $15,000, to be used at the discretion of the winner. The selection of the prize winner will be in the hands of a special joint committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Academy of Neurology. The award will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, during an MS research symposium which will include a presentation by the winner on his/her research. Full recognition of the award will be made in Society publications and to the media.

All nomination materials must be submitted by November 1, annually. The Prize winner will be notified by February 1, annually. Further information is available from the Research and Clinical Programs Department of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or from the "John Dystel Prize Subcommittee" at the American Academy of Neurology, 1080 Montreal Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55116, (800) 879-1960 or (651) 695-1940.

Conference Student Scholarships: Genetics, Immunology and Repair in Multiple Sclerosis

Scholarship Deadline: October 18, 2010 (Midnight US Mountain Standard Time)

Although the specific etiology of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains unknown, important insights into the genetics and environmental triggers underlying the disease have been made. This conference will discuss advances in MS genetics, epigenetics and the interaction of genetics with the environment, particularly with vitamin D metabolism and Epstein Barr Virus. There will be a focus on the immunopathogenesis of MS, including pre-active MS lesions, mechanisms of lymphocyte activation, the B cell and trafficking of cells across the blood brain barrier. The application of new imaging methods and therapeutic strategies that target the immune system and promote remyelination will be discussed. The challenge of integrating emerging insights in the basic mechanisms of myelination, autoimmune demyelination, and neurodegeneration with translational science will he discussed. The goal of this meeting is to provide a broad spectrum of MS researchers with a forum to discuss recent advances, and to foster cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations.

Keystone Symposia is offering scholarships to students and post-docs this conference season. These scholarships, of up to $1000 each, are to be used to help defray the expenses associated with conference attendance, including air (on a U.S. air carrier), ground transportation and lodging costs. Receipts will be required to receive reimbursement.

Abstracts submitted for poster presentation will be used as the basis for awarding the scholarships. Conference organizers will select the scholarship recipients based on the quality of science of the abstract and the relevance of the abstract to the conference topic. Only one application per abstract is accepted.

Keystone Symposia
221 Summit Place #272
PO Box 1630
Silverthorne, CO 80498
www.keystonesymposia.org

Financial Assistance / Student Scholarships
Phone: +1 (800) 253-0685 or
Ksenia Shambarger - +1 (970) 262-1230 extension 140
Fax: +1 (970) 262-0311

Conference Student Scholarships: Neurodegenerative Diseases: The Molecular and Cellular Basis for Neurodegeneration

Scholarship Deadline: October 20, 2010 (Midnight US Mountain Standard Time)

Neurodegenerative diseases are chronic age-dependent progressive disorders that are substantial and growing health problems, which exert a tremendous toll on the patient, family, health system and society as a whole. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to identify therapies that slow and/or reverse the progression of these disorders. Research in neurodegenerative disorders is providing tremendous advances in the molecular understanding of these disorders. New insights in cell biology, biochemistry, genomics and proteomics into these illnesses are leading to mechanism based therapies and new tools and biomarkers to study disease progression and therapeutic efficacy. In this meeting an emphasis will be placed on understanding new molecular and common mechanisms of disease in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), triple repeat diseases, frontotemporal lobar dementia and others.

Keystone Symposia is offering scholarships to students and post-docs this conference season. These scholarships, of up to $1000 each, are to be used to help defray the expenses associated with conference attendance, including air (on a U.S. air carrier), ground transportation and lodging costs. Receipts will be required to receive reimbursement.

Abstracts submitted for poster presentation will be used as the basis for awarding the scholarships. Conference organizers will select the scholarship recipients based on the quality of science of the abstract and the relevance of the abstract to the conference topic. Only one application per abstract is accepted.

Keystone Symposia
221 Summit Place #272
PO Box 1630
Silverthorne, CO 80498
www.keystonesymposia.org

Financial Assistance / Student Scholarships
Phone: +1 (800) 253-0685 or
Ksenia Shambarger - +1 (970) 262-1230 extension 140
Fax: +1 (970) 262-0311

Conference Student Scholarships: Adult Neurogenesis

Scholarship Deadline: September 16, 2010 (Midnight US Mountain Standard Time)

The ability to generate new neurons in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus provides the adult mammalian brain an important level of plasticity for maintaining cellular homeostasis under physiological conditions, and potentially underlies an injury response under pathological contexts. Yet a full understanding of the neural stem cell niche, basic molecular mechanisms that ultimately dictate the fate of neural stem/progenitor cells, and intrinsic properties that guide the functional integration of newborn neurons in the existing circuitry is still in its infancy. The goal of this Keystone symposium is, by presenting novel mechanistic insights into the regulation and functional implications of adult neurogenesis, both the speakers and audience will gain further understanding, initiate extensive discussion, and promote scientific collaboration regarding the control of self-renewal, survival, and fate specification of neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain.

Keystone Symposia is offering scholarships to students and post-docs this conference season. These scholarships, of up to $1000 each, are to be used to help defray the expenses associated with conference attendance, including air (on a U.S. air carrier), ground transportation and lodging costs. Receipts will be required to receive reimbursement.

Abstracts submitted for poster presentation will be used as the basis for awarding the scholarships. Conference organizers will select the scholarship recipients based on the quality of science of the abstract and the relevance of the abstract to the conference topic. Only one application per abstract is accepted.

Keystone Symposia
221 Summit Place #272
PO Box 1630
Silverthorne, CO 80498
www.keystonesymposia.org

Financial Assistance / Student Scholarships
Phone: +1 (800) 253-0685 or
Ksenia Shambarger - +1 (970) 262-1230 extension 140
Fax: +1 (970) 262-0311

Conference Student Scholarships: MicroRNAs and Human Disease

Scholarship Deadline: October 12, 2010 (Midnight US Mountain Standard Time)

MicroRNAs have emerged as key regulators of numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and vascular abnormalities. This meeting will bring together international leaders in the field of microRNA biology and its relationship to human disease. Because the meeting will be concurrent with the Keystone meeting on non-coding RNAs and cancer, we will focus on diseases other than cancer. There will be combined plenary sessions focusing on microRNA mechanisms of action and the identification of microRNA targets. Subsequent sessions will cover the latest advances on the roles of microRNAs in stem cells, cardiovascular, muscle, infectious, and neurological diseases. The meeting will conclude with combined sessions on recent advances in microRNA therapeutics. Keystone Symposia is offering scholarships to students and post-docs this conference season. These scholarships, of up to $1000 each, are to be used to help defray the expenses associated with conference attendance, including air (on a U.S. air carrier), ground transportation and lodging costs. Receipts will be required to receive reimbursement.

Abstracts submitted for poster presentation will be used as the basis for awarding the scholarships. Conference organizers will select the scholarship recipients based on the quality of science of the abstract and the relevance of the abstract to the conference topic. Only one application per abstract is accepted.

Keystone Symposia
221 Summit Place #272
PO Box 1630
Silverthorne, CO 80498
www.keystonesymposia.org

Financial Assistance / Student Scholarships
Phone: +1 (800) 253-0685 or
Ksenia Shambarger - +1 (970) 262-1230 extension 140
Fax: +1 (970) 262-0311

Epilepsy Research Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Pharmacology of Antiepileptic Drugs

(Deadline for submission of nominations is September 15, 2010)

The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has sponsored an award of $2,000 and a Certification of Citation to be awarded by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, for the purpose of recognizing and stimulating outstanding research leading to better clinical control of epileptic seizures. This research may include the basic screening and testing of new therapeutic agents, studies on mechanisms of action, metabolic disposition, pharmacokinetics, and clinical pharmacology studies.

The recipient will be selected by the Epilepsy Award Committee appointed by the President of ASPET, with representation of ILAE. Judgment will be based upon the significance of the candidate’s contribution to the treatment of epileptic seizures in human subjects. Selection will be free of restrictions on age, sex, nationality, institutional affiliation, or membership in scientific societies. The nominee must be actively engaged in research for which the Award is made, and primary emphasis will be placed upon work accomplished in the five-year period prior to each Award.

Nominations for the Award may be submitted by members of any recognized scientific association, domestic or foreign.

Nominations shall be submitted electronically to jane.nelson@aspet.org and shall consist of:

1. A summary describing the nominee’s major achievements.
2. Candidate’s curriculum vitae and bibliography.
3. Six of the nominee’s most significant papers, published or accepted for publication (provided as PDFs or as hyperlinks to the article). Submit each manuscript PDF as a separate attachment.

The biennial award shall be presented to the recipient at the annual meeting of ASPET. Hotel and economy airfare to the annual meeting for the recipient and his/her spouse will be provided.

Receipt date for nominations for the Epilepsy Research Award will be 5:00 pm on September 15, 2010 for an award to be presented at Experimental Biology ’11 in Washington, DC.

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995
(301) 634-7060 info@aspet.org