Call for Travel Fellowship Applications: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy

Call for Travel Fellowship Applications: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy June 19 - 20, 2013 The New York Academy of Sciences Presented by the Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Consortium and The New York Academy of Sciences Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) is, in the general population, a rare but serious demyelinating disease of the brain, often resulting in severe disability or death and is caused by infection of oligodendrocytes by the JC polyomavirus (JCV). It is believed that fifty to sixty percent of the population is sero-positive for JCV, indicating exposure to the virus. Despite the high prevalence of JCV infection in the human population, which typically leads to a chronic, asymptomatic infection, incidence of PML in the general population is very low. The pathogenesis of PML is not well understood. It is believed that the development of PML, while dependent on the presence of JCV, is the result of a confluence of viral and host risk factors, which may include an altered or compromised immune system such as in individuals with HIV-1 infection/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or patients undergoing chronic immunosuppressive therapies after organ transplantation, for treatment of lymphomas, or for autoimmune conditions, such as MS. This 2-day conference will bring together basic science researchers, clinicians, physicians, epidemiologists, and regulatory experts from academia, industry, and government to a...

Source: ScanGrants feed - February 6, 2013 Category: Research Authors: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Consortium/New York Academy of Sciences Source Type: funding