2026 Myelin Gordon Research Conference and Seminar

About This Grant

Project Summary/Abstract Myelinating glial cells play diverse and essential roles in nervous system development and function throughout life. Disruptions to these cells are increasingly recognized in a wide range of neurological conditions, from neurodevelopmental disorders to age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Our understanding of their functions and interactions is rapidly advancing. For instance, myelinating glia are critical in closing periods of heightened plasticity during neural circuit formation. Oligodendrocyte lineage cells also respond dynamically to neuronal activity, enhancing myelination in ways that can be both beneficial and harmful—supporting neural adaptation but also contributing to addiction and facilitating the integration of cancer cells into neural circuits. Promising clinical trials are underway, driven by extensive research into both central and peripheral myelin disorders. Moreover, these glial cells are now implicated in more diseases than previously appreciated, and ongoing studies are likely to yield novel therapeutic strategies. Cutting-edge research is yielding conceptual, mechanistic, and translational insights, and the objective of the 2026 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS: May 23-24, 2026) and Conference (GRC: May 24-29, 2026) on myelin will provide an interactive platform for the community to share their latest findings and develop essential collaborations to advance the field. Taken together the 2026 Myelin GRC, “Myelinating glia and their interactions in health and disease” and the Myelin GRS, “The Leading Edge: Myelinating Glia at the Forefront of Health and Disease” will accomplish this objective by; 1) convening an international meeting of academic, clinical, and industry scientists studying myelinating glial cells in health and disease; 2) discussing exciting new developments by selecting presenters to share unpublished data, with many presentation slots reserved for talks selected from abstracts; 3) promoting collaborative interactions to accelerate conceptual discovery and therapeutic advances; 4) offering trainees as well as established investigators an opportunity to present their work, engage with other scientists, and foster collaboration among participants.