Neuroinflammation in Health and Disease (N4)
June 22-25, 2026  | Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Whistler, BC, Canada
Michael V. Sofroniew, Maria de Lourdes Gamez G Tansey and Robyn S Klein
Scholarship Deadline: Mar. 19, 2026 | Abstract Deadline: Jun. 2, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Apr. 24, 2026
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of May 16, 2026 7 PM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Monday, June 22, 2026
4:00–8:00 PM Registration Macdonald Foyer
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer Macdonald Foyer
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald EF
8:00–8:10 AM Welcome Remarks (Joint) Macdonald ABCD
8:10–9:30 AM Keynote Session (Joint) Macdonald ABCD
  Christian Haass, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich
Modulation of Microglial Function
 
  Astrid Iversen, University of Oxford
Genomic Risk for Neuroinflammation
 
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
9:50–11:30 AM Integrating Degeneration and Inflammation (Joint) Macdonald ABCD
  Maria de Lourdes Gamez G Tansey, Indiana University
Role of Central-Peripheral Neuroimmune Cross-Talk in Neurodegeneration
 
  Bart De Strooper, University College London
Key Inflection Points in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis
 
  Naresha Saligrama, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis
Short Talk: Specificity of CD4 T Cell Response in Parkinson Disease and in a Mouse Model of Synucleinopathy
 
  Pengjiao Wang, Boston University
Short Talk: Unique Progenitor Cells in the APOE3 Christchurch Brain and Their Potential Resilient Roles in Alzheimer’s Disease
 
11:30–1:00 PM Poster Setup Macdonald EF
11:30–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Macdonald EF
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight: Inflammation and Neurodegenerative Disease MacDonald CD
  Juan E Maldonado Weng, Eli Lilly
Mapping Inflammation in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: AI-Accelerated Spatial Omics Reveals Complement-Driven Vascular Signatures in Alzheimer's Disease
 
  Henrike K Grosshans, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
The Interferon-Stimulated Gene Apolipoprotein L6 Demonstrates an Evolutionary Trade-off between Host Defense and Neurodegeneration
 
  Julio Aguado †, University of Colorado
Virus-Induced Senescence as a Driver of Neuroinflammation and Brain Aging
 
  Zoe Moore, The University of Sheffield
Systemic Infection Significantly Impacts the Astrocyte Phenotype in Alzheimer’s Disease
 
  Leah Beauchamp, Brigham & Women's Hospital
Dissecting Immune Mechanisms by Which Gut Microbes Contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease Using Closely Related Bacterial Strains
 
  Adeline Walsh, University of Virginia
Loss of the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Risk Factor CASS4 Disrupts Neuroprotective Microglial Responses and Promotes Amyloid Beta-Driven Pathology
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM Targeting Retrotransposable Elements to Reverse Brain MacDonald CD
  Susanna Rosi, Altos Labs
Targeting Retrotransposable Elements to Reverse Brain Aging
 
  Josephine W Thinwa, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Protection Against Neurotropic Viruses
 
  Robyn S Klein, Western University, London, Ontario
Host-Pathogen Neuroimmunology Gone Wrong
 
  Sydney A Labuzan, University of Virginia
Short Talk: Astrocytic but not Microglial Antigen Presentation Shapes Protective Immunity to Toxoplasma gondii Neuroinfection
 
  Casey Mahoney-Crane, NIH National Institute of Aging
Short Talk: LRRK2 Activity Increases Release of Cathepsins from Human-iPSC-Derived Microglia
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald EF
7:05–8:00 PM Women in Science Networking Event Macdonald EF
  * Julia TCW, Boston University
 
  * Christian Haass, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich
 
  * Emma Mead, Oxford Drug Discovery Institute
 
  * Robyn S Klein, Western University, London, Ontario
 
  * Maria de Lourdes Gamez G Tansey, Indiana University
 
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 1 Macdonald EF
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald EF
8:00–9:00 AM CNS Glia and Neuroinflammation MacDonald CD
  Michael V. Sofroniew, University of California, Los Angeles
Astrocytes and CNS Innate Immunity
 
  Ukpong B Eyo, University of Virginia
Microglia and Neuroinflammation
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
9:30–11:00 AM CNS Glia, Neuroinflammation and Behavior MacDonald CD
  Jennifer Felger, Emory University
Inflammation and Anhedonia in Depression: Biomarkers, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Implications
 
  Marie-Ève Tremblay, University of Victoria
Microglia, Sex Differences, Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric Disorders
 
  Diala El Masri, Research Center du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
Short Talk: Glial-derived Stress Ligand MULT1, an NKG2D Ligand, Modulates Neuroinflammation in MS Model Through Immune-Glial Cell Crosstalk
 
  Urjashi Laha, University of Western Ontario
Short Talk: Sex-Specific Microglial Transcriptional Programs Promote Synapse Loss and Impaired Cognitive Recovery in Malesafter West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease
 
11:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup Macdonald EF
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Macdonald EF
1:15–2:45 PM Health Equity Panel (Joint) sponsored by The Burroughs Wellcome Fund MacDonald CD
  Jennifer Manly, Columbia University
 
  Maria de Lourdes Gamez G Tansey, Indiana University
 
  Kate Monroe, Denali Therapeutics
 
  Dennis J. Selkoe, Harvard Medical School
 
  Jamaine Davis, Belmont University
 
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable (Joint) Macdonald AB
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM Gut and Systemic Influences on CNS Inflammation, Neurodegeneration and Behavior MacDonald CD
  Laura M Cox, Harvard Medical School
Gut Microbiome, Autoimmunity and Neurodegeneration
 
  Andrea Merchak, Indiana University
Microbial Metabolites and Immune Regulation
 
  Eleonore Beurel, University of Miami
Stress, Inflammation, Microbiome and Depression
 
  Laura H. Corbit, University of Toronto
Short Talk: Diet-Induced Activation of Striatal Microglia Contributes to Impairments In Cognitive Control and Flexible Decision-Making
 
  Claire Young, Baylor College of Medicine
Short Talk: Leptin Directly Modulates Microglia Cytokine Response in the Arcuate Nucleus of the Hypothalamus
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald EF
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 2 Macdonald EF
Thursday, June 25, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald EF
8:00–11:00 AM Drug Delivery (Joint) Macdonald ABCD
  Fiona C. Elwood, Janssen R&D
Developing Drugs for CNS Disorders: Considerations for Therapies That Cross the BBB
 
  Kate Monroe, Denali Therapeutics
Human Genetics Identifies Novel Microglial Targeting Therapeutic Approaches for Alzheimer's Disease
 
  Sebastian Boland, Prevail Therapeutics, Eli Lilly
Talk Title to be Announced
 
  Christopher J. Barnum, INmune Bio Inc.
Selective Targeting of Soluble TNF to Mitigate Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases
 
  Emily Han, University of Pennsylvania
Short Talk: Understanding the Chemical and Biological Phenomena That Drive mRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery to the Brain
 
  Urs Langen †, Roche Innovation Center Basel
Short Talk: Beyond the Shuttle: Advances in Brain Delivery of Biologics for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
9:20–9:25 AM Award Recipient Acknowledgement Macdonald ABCD
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Roundtable Discussion: Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric/Behavioral Disorders MacDonald CD
  Marie-Ève Tremblay, University of Victoria
 
  Eleonore Beurel, University of Miami
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–6:15 PM Blood-Brain Barrier and Inflammation MacDonald CD
  Catherine Hall, University of Sussex
Neurovascular Function and Neuroinflammation
 
  Andy Shih, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington
Brain Capillaries, Pericytes, and Neuroinflammation
 
  Jorge I. Alvarez, University of Pennsylvania
Short Talk: Vascular Control of NeuroInflammation: A Nanoparticle Based Approach to Probe BBB–Immune Interactions
 
6:15–7:00 PM Closing Keynote Address MacDonald CD
  Jenny P Ting, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Innate Immune Receptors in Neuroinflammation
 
7:00–7:15 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions MacDonald CD
7:45–8:45 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald EF
8:00–9:30 PM Entertainment
8:00–9:30 PM Cash Bar Macdonald EF
Friday, June 26, 2026
12:00–11:59 PM Departure