News from the schools of ISNI

We are pleased to report on the activities of the Global Schools of Neuroimmunology (GSNI). It has been very busy!

GSNI encompasses the regional schools of the European School of Neuroimmunology (ESNI), Americas School of Neuroimmunology (ASNI), Asia-Pacific School of Neuroimmunology (APSNI) and the African School of Neuroimmunology (AfSNI).  All four schools have been very active which we are delighted to report on.

ESNI has been hosting regular virtual journal clubs that have been very well attended. A paper is chosen and discussed by a volunteer junior researcher, and the author of the paper is on hand to answer questions. This innovative format is organized and moderated by Dr. Maja Jagodic of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and we thank her for that. The next (18^th) ESNI course is on July 7 – 10, 2024, in Hasselt, Belgium, hosted by Jeroen Bogie, Jerome Hendriks and colleagues. Please sign up on the ESNI site to attend.  

During the limited travel period of the pandemic, ASNI held monthly virtual seminars that saw up to 300 in attendance – these seminars were given by a world expert in neuroimmunology and a trainee member of the expert’s laboratory, highlighting our commitment to mentorship. The unique format, funded by ACTRIMS, was roundly praised. In-person, ASNI held its 4^th school in Columbus, Ohio (co-organizers Jonathan Godbout, Tika Benveniste and Wee Yong) from July 11 to 14, 2022, which was attended by about 200 individuals from across the Americas and beyond. The 5^th ASNI will occur from July 22-25, 2024 in Toronto, led by Drs. Veronique Miron and Olga Rojas of the University of Toronto, and ASNI Co-directors Dr. Tika Benveniste (USA) and Wee Yong (Canada). We have an exciting program, and look forward to hosting over 200 attendees. Please check the ASNI site.

The 3rd APSNI was held in Westmead (Sydney) from February 14-16, 2023. This APSNI school, held in conjunction with Neuroimmunology Australia, was organized by Fabienne Brilot, Judith Greer and David Brown, and we are very grateful for their leadership. The 4^th APSNI will be held in Beijing, China, on November 16 and 17, 2024. The school is co-hosted by the Neuroimmunology Committee of the Chinese Society of Immunology (leads: Fu-Dong Shi and Bo Huang) and ISNI (lead: Wee Yong). We have formalized a program of top Chinese neuroimmunologists and immunologists, and several prominent neuroimmunologists from North America and Europe. If you have always wanted to see the Great Wall of China and other delights, the 4^th APSNI is your destination. The website for the 4^th APSNI will be launched shortly.  

The AfSNI has been very active under the leadership of Willias Masocha (Kuwait) and Roberto Furlan (Italy). We are very grateful for their leadership. The third AfSNI will be in Morocco in October 2024 as part of the IBRO proceedings. Please stay tuned.

Finally, the various schools come together during the first day of ISNI’s binennial congresses. The 4^thGSNI was on August 20^th 2023 in Quebec City where we had over 400 attendees, our largest ever! The 5^th GSNI will take place on the first day of ISNI’s 17^th Congress in Chiba, just outside Tokyo in Japan. We shall see you there!

Overall, it has been delightful to watch the schools of ISNI prosper, and to meet its main goal of exposing a large and global audience to the learnings of neuroimmunology. We thank all our colleagues and you for the successes of GSNI and the regional schools. 

From:

Wee Yong (Canada) and Gianvito Martino (Italy)

Co-directors, Global Schools of Neuroimmunology