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Barriers of the CNS

Gordon Research Conference

Dynamic Regulation of CNS Barrier Function and Communication in Health and Disease

June 14 - 19, 2026

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GRC Education Requirements: Undergraduates or those who have not obtained a bachelor's degree in science/engineering (or acceptable equivalent) are not eligible to apply to attend Gordon Research Conferences or Seminars.

Chair

Vice Chair

Colby-Sawyer College

541 Main Street

New London, New Hampshire, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Application Information

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by May 17, 2026. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Note: Applications for oversubscribed meetings will only be considered by the conference chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.

Conference Description

The Barriers of the CNS GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

Topics to be discussed will center on identifying mechanisms of regulating CNS barrier functions, including the blood-brain barrier, blood-spinal cord barrier, blood-retina barrier, neurovascular unit, and blood-CSF barrier, in health. This will be coupled with translational efforts to identify novel mechanisms facilitating drug delivery to the brain to treat neurologic diseases.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Barriers of the CNS" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Getting Through the Barrier in Health and Disease Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:15 pm	"Decades at the Gate: The Evolution of CNS Barrier Research and Future Challenges"
8:15 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:05 pm	"The Failing Interface: Neurovascular Dysfunction and Repair in Alzheimer’s Disease"
9:05 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	CNS Barriers in Infection and Rare Diseases Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Impact of Sex Hormones on Bacterial Disruption of the Blood Brain Barrier"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:45 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:10 am	"Understanding Malaria Brain Microvascular Disruption in a 3D-BBB Model"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"A Multipronged Approach to Crossing the BBB: Stem Cell Gene Therapy for Childhood Dementias"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:30 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"The Impact of Antigen Presentation by Neurovascular Unit Cell Types on Immune Cell Trafficking and Blood-brain Barrier Disruption"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Understudied CNS Barriers Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"The Choroid Plexus: A Strategic Immune Interface between Blood and Brain"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Regulation of Claudin-5 at the Blood Brain and Blood Retina Barriers"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"Microglia Regulate Endothelial Properties in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Emerging Technologies in CNS Barriers Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Elucidating Mechanisms of Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption Using hiPSC-Derived BBB Models Generated by the Extended Endothelial Cell Culture Method (EECM)"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:45 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:10 am	"Spatial Multiomic Analysis of Neurological Systems"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"What Can We Find Inside a Barrier Cells?"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:30 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"Empowering the Blood-Brain Barrier: VCAM‑Guided Nanomedicine to Repair, De‑Edematize, and Immune‑Modulate the Post‑Stroke Brain"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	CNS Barriers and Neuropsychiatric Complications Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Role of Prefrontal Cortical Endothelial Junctional Adhesion Molecules in Relapse to Ethanol Seeking in Animal Model of Ethanol Dependence"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"From Barrier Breakdown to Cellular Dysfunction: Protease-Dependent Responses to BBB Disruption"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:55 pm	"Altered Neuronal Firing and Neurovascular Coupling in Reward Circuitry During Chronic HIV Infection in Awake Animals"
8:55 pm - 9:05 pm	Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:10 pm	General Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:25 pm	Late-Breaking Topic
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	CNS Barriers Across the Lifespan Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Endothelial and Mural Cell Heterogeneity Define Blood-brain and Blood-spinal Cord Barrier Permeability in Developing Mouse"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:45 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:00 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:35 am	Coffee Break
10:35 am - 10:55 am	"Perivascular Microglia in the Dahl-SS/Jr Hypertensive Model"
10:55 am - 11:05 am	Discussion
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:15 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"Source Tissues for Early Life Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Solutes"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	"Effects of Fetal Growth Restriction and Gestational Drug Exposure on the Developing Choroid Plexus in Rats"
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	General Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Cell-Cell Communication at the CNS Barriers Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Peripheral Regulation of Brain Development via the Choroid Plexus"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Interactions Between Microglia, Pericytes and the Cerebral Vasculature in Health and Alzheimer's Disease"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"Sex-related Cerebrovascular Dysfunction as a Pathway to Neurodegeneration"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Transporters At the CNS Barriers Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Timing Drug Delivery Across the Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier: Improving the Efficacy of Conventional Therapy"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Circadian Rhythm Regulation of Transport at the BBB"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"Deficiency of the Thyroid Hormone Transporter MCT8 (Monocarboxylate Transporter 8): Implications for Brain Barrier Dysfunction and Therapy"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"Transporters at the Blood-brain Barrier Involved in the α-Synuclein-related Pathology"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:10 pm	"Targeting Folate Transporters at Brain Barriers: Novel Therapeutic Approach for Cerebral Folate Deficiency"
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Cellular Heterogeneity at the CNS Barriers Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:10 pm	"Regulation of the Blood-brain Barrier in Health and Disease"
8:10 pm - 8:25 pm	Discussion
8:25 pm - 8:55 pm	"Development and Function of Fibroblasts at CNS Barriers"
8:55 pm - 9:10 pm	Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	General Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Closing Remarks
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Barriers of the CNS (GRS) Contribute Financially to This Conference

Conference Fees

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Poster Information

Poster sessions are an integral part of the our conferences, and offer all conferees an opportunity to discuss their research.

Preparing your GRC poster

Funding Opportunities

Financial assistance is available beginning in 2026 for qualified applicants through the Carl Storm Opportunity Fellowships program. Learn more.

Registration Fees

Conferee Single Room:

$1,030.00

Conferee Shared Room:

$975.00

Conferee Off-Site:

$820.00

Guest Single Room:

$810.00

Guest Shared Room:

$755.00

Guest Off-Site:

$600.00

Child 4-12 yrs Shared Room:

$378.00

Child 4-12 yrs Off-Site:

$300.00

Child Under 4 yrs Shared Room:

Free

Child Under 4 yrs Off-Site:

Free

Bus Arriving:

$65.00

Bus Departing:

$65.00

Additional Fee Info

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