The International Congress for Neuroimmunology will take place in Mainz
from the 9^th until the 13^th of November. Under the organization of the Conference Chairpersons, Prof. Frauke Zipp, Director of the Department of Neurology of the University Medical Center Mainz and Prof. Ari Waisman, Head of the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University Medical Center Mainz, approximately 1000 scientists from around the world will meet to exchange ideas about inflammation of the nervous system and other neurological topics. In addition to Alzheimer’s Disease, stroke and brain tumors, multiple sclerosis will have a particularly central role. At the Official Opening, a representative of the state government, Hans Beckmann (State Secretary in the Ministry for Education, Science and Culture), as well as the President of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Prof. Georg Krausch and the Medical and Scientific Directors of the University Medical Center Mainz, Prof. Babette Simon and Prof. Ulrich Förstermann, will welcome the delegates to the conference.

After Boston in 2012, this year the 12^th biannual International Congress for Neuroimmunology will take place in Mainz. The Rhine-Main metropolitan region with its centers in Mainz and Frankfurt a.M. including the Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network (rmn²) of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Goethe University Frankfurt a.M. belongs to the most active research and treatment centers in the areas of neurosciences and immunology in Germany. The transregional collaborative research center (CRC-TR-128) funded by the German Research Council (DFG) with the title “nitiating/effector versus regulatory mechanisms in Multiple Sclerosis – progress towards tackling the disease” together with research institutes in Münster and München has its center in Mainz. Prof. Zipp is the chairperson of this initiative. The International Congress for Neuroimmunology is focused on the newest discoveries and most recent developments in neuroimmunological diseases. During plenary lectures, focused symposia and workshops, international experts will discuss advances in, for example, immunotherapies and new research technologies. 

Multiple Sclerosis is the most commonly occurring chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in the western world. In Germany alone, more than 120,000 people suffer from the disease. In this illness, the protective myelin sheath, which surrounds nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, is damaged, affecting signal conduction. The nerve fibers themselves are also damaged. Depending on which area of the nervous system is attacked, this can lead to disability, numbness and visual disorders.

 
Further Information: www.isnicongress.org/

Contact
Dr. Darragh O’Neill,
Forschungskoordinator am Forschungszentrum Translationale Neurowissenschaften (FTN) der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz,
Telefon 06131  17-2224, Fax 06131  17-5697,
E-Mail:  darragh.oneill@unimedizin-mainz.de

Press Contact
Barbara Reinke, Stabsstelle Kommunikation und Presse Universitätsmedizin Mainz,
Telefon 06131  17-7428, Fax 06131  17-3496,
E-Mail:  pr@unimedizin-mainz.de

About the University Medical Center Mainz
The University Medical Center Mainz is the only medical facility of its kind in Rhineland Palatinate and is an internationally recognized research center. It includes more than 60 clinics, institutes and departments which work together in an interdisciplinary manner. Highly specialized patient care, research and teaching are inseparable at the University Medical Cemter Mainz. Around 3300 medical and dental students are trained in Mainz. With approximately 7500 employees, the University Medical Center Mainz is one of the largest employers in the region and is an important center for growth and innovation. More information can be found at www.unimedizin-mainz.de