2026 International Symposium on Neural Regeneration - The 20th in-person meeting of the International Symposium on Neural Regeneration (ISNR) will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, Cambridge, MD, on July 19-23, 2026. ISNR brings together leading scientists, clinicians, and trainees from the US and abroad in the fields of central and peripheral nervous system development/regeneration/plasticity, peripheral nerve injury and repair, neurological conditions and injuries including spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D), visual system biology, bioengineering, and related fields. Since 1985, the ISNR has been held ~ every two years, with outstanding programs of speakers and topics. The meeting is open to all and is held in a single session format, promoting interactions among attendees. The primary aim of ISNR is to highlight and disseminate the latest scientific progress related conditions that impact function of the central and/or peripheral nervous systems including traumatic spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D), multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, peripheral neuropathy, visual system deficits, neuropathic pain and others. The second aim is to support, develop, and engage a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues at all training stages, as well as people with lived experience, to promote collaboration to improve the lives of people living with SCI/D and other neurological conditions. Trainees are invited to present their research at data blitz sessions, poster sessions, and thematic sessions, and to participate in networking and training activities throughout the meeting. This year’s program includes presentations of cutting- edge clinical trials of rehabilitation with neuromodulation (e.g. transcutaneous spinal stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, deep brain stimulation) in SCI/D, presentations by people with lived experience, whole body consequences of SCI/D, advances in mechanistic understanding of regeneration, new analytical approaches and preclinical models of nervous system development and injury, neuroplasticity, cellular and molecular processes that contribute to neuropathic pain, stem cell approaches to promote repair and recovery from CNS injuries, neurovascular crosstalk and circuit development, and advances in bioengineering. These objectives align well with the NINDS mission to deepen knowledge to accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries into strategies that promote recovery, health and quality of life for people living with SCI/D and other neurological conditions.
