Conference: Canadian Association for Neuroscience, May 13-16, 2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Conference Highlight: This conference highlighted hot topics in Canadian cellular, experimental model, and systems neuroscience.
Conference Summary: The poster presentations and plenary talks provided an opportunity to hear about the latest developments in Canadian neuroscience. However, the event that stood out was the science policy session. The goals of this event were to initiate a discussion on federal support of science between scientists and elected officials, to inform scientists of the decision-making process in Parliament, and for the elected officials to learn more about the perspective of scientists. Canadian Association for Neuroscience leadership and members of all major political parties were present. Government representatives from a variety of political leanings made presentations about their vision for Canada’s role in promoting and supporting scientific research. This was followed by an engaging discussion panel with the audience of scientists. All groups present benefited from a productive discussion.
In addition to the science policy session, the keynote address was enthralling. Dr. Freda Miller, Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children and Professor at the University of Toronto, gave a talk on how neurons grow and develop. By identifying the factors involved in neural development, Dr. Miller’s lab has shown that adult mammalian skin cells can be converted to neurons in specific conditions, which opens new avenues for investigation for possible therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. Of particular interest was when she detailed her pilot clinical trial, repurposing metformin, a diabetes drug, for children with acquired brain injury from cancer treatment. Although the results haven’t been published yet and she couldn’t show them to the audience, she enthusiastically exclaimed that they are promising!