The 27th Annual Providence Blood-Brain Barrier Consortium Meeting will take place in-person at The Benson Hotel from May 15-16, 2025. You may also register to view this event virtually via livestream on Zoom Webinar.

Overview

The 27th Annual Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) Consortium Meeting will be hosted by the Neuro-Oncology Program at Providence Brain and Spine Institute on May 15 and 16, 2025, at The Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon.  The Scientific Advisory Board has assembled an exceptional group of speakers from a variety of disciplines with ample time for group discussions and networking.

Goals: The primary goal of this meeting is to foster translational interactions between scientists and clinicians focused on the BBB, the neuro-vascular unit (NVU), and specialized neural barriers in central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The aim is to translate basic and preclinical research advances into clinical trials in neuro-oncology. A related goal is to disseminate meeting findings to the scientific community. Previous meetings have resulted in publications in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, and NeuroOncology, as well as a chapter in Advances in Pharmacology.

Content: This meeting will highlight advancements in BBB Consortium clinical research, including new treatment and neuro-imaging protocols, and the translation of research from the lab to the clinic. Presentations by experts in neuro-oncology, neuro-infectious disease, neuro-immunology, neuro-cognitive science, and neuroimaging will be followed by group discussions, panel discussions, and poster sessions. 

Learning Objectives

1. Breakdown of the NVU in Neuro-Oncology: Discuss preclinical, clinical, and safety data on techniques to enhance the delivery of therapeutic agents and systemic immune cell migration to brain tumors and the tumor microenvironment. This includes methods such as intra-arterial delivery and focused ultrasound.
2. Impact of the NVU in Neuro-Infectious Disease: Examine preclinical and clinical studies on neurological complications of systemic viral infections. Topics include improving delivery methods, novel therapeutic and imaging modalities, and the need for chemoprotection.
3. Role of the NVU in Emerging Real-Life Scenarios: Explore the NVU’s role in scenarios with significant human health impacts, such as weightlessness and space exploration, climate change, and microplastic pollution.

Target Audience

Academics, industry professionals, clinicians, physicians and researchers with programs in BBB, NVU, and neuro-oncology, with an emphasis on translational research.

For more information please visit the official event page.