ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Autophagy and Neurodegeneration:
Mechanisms to Therapies, organized by Drs. Ralph Nixon, Ana Maria Cuervo and Gilbert Di Paolo. The
conference will be held in Snowbird, Utah from March 26-29, 2023.
Autophagy is an essential cellular process required for cellular homeostasis and adaptation to stress.
Autophagy malfunction is a common mechanism in the pathogenesis of multiple human diseases including
neurodegenerative conditions. The autophagy field has now matured to support expanding initiatives aimed at
targeting autophagy with therapeutic purpose. This Keystone Symposia conference will highlight the field’s
evolution from an exclusively molecular cell biological focus to one that now also addresses expanding
biological functions and etiological roles in specific neurodegenerative disease states. The program will also
offer initial glimpses of promising clinical translation originating from surging industry interest in autophagy
modulation as therapy in the field of neurodegeneration. This program is designed to be particularly innovative
as the goal was to capture the bench to bedside scope of autophagy research by featuring new findings from a
multidisciplinary panel of academic and industry speakers with a combination of conceptual themes spanning
from basic biology of neuronal and glial autophagy to translational medicine and therapeutics. Appreciation of
the brain’s special vulnerabilities to autophagy dysfunction has grown in the research community. Additionally,
there are promising therapeutic responses to autophagy modulation in major neurodegenerative disorders that
are emerging from preclinical studies, which is a novel concept to address at this conference. Finally, there are
two workshops being developed that will address critical knowledge gaps in the clinical translation of
autophagy fundamental: “Integrated Modulation of Organism Autophagy” and “Monitoring Autophagy:
Biomarkers and Disease-Precision “Omics.” The informal workshop setting will encourage audience
participation along with providing an avenue to brainstorm ideas in these emerging areas.