Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors Study Section – CNBT
The Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT) study section reviews applications of discovery, preclinical, and human research investigating immunological, autoimmunological, infectious, and the associated inflammatory responses involved in the injury and dyshomeostasis of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems. Applications reviewed by CNBT include studies targeting molecular and cellular mechanisms, developing preclinical cellular and animal models, developing and testing therapeutic strategies modulating or modifying immunological and inflammatory processes, and clinical studies defining biomarkers and pathological processes and outcomes in humans. Additional approaches considered by CNBT include genetic, epigenetic, imaging, neuromodulatory, and immunomodulatory approaches to understanding and impacting the pathophysiology of neuroimmunological processes. CNBT also reviews applications concerning studies of primary and secondary brain tumors including glioma, glioblastoma, medulloblastoma. These include mechanistic studies of cellular and molecular changes in tumors and surrounding brain in preclinical animal and in vitro models as well as human subjects and human biosamples.
The List of Reviewers lists all present, whether standing members or temporary, to provide the full scope of expertise present on that date. Lists are posted 30 days before the meeting and are tentative, pending any last minute changes.
Review Dates
Topics
- Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- Immunological processes in the pathophysiological of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
- Autoimmune, paraneoplastic, and immunomodulatory therapy-induced pathophysiological processes in the nervous system.
- Viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal infections, reactivations, and host-pathogen interactions in the CNS.
- Neuroimmunological and inflammatory effector mechanisms in microglia, astrocytes, other neural cells.
- Nervous system infiltration of peripheral immune cells (T cells, B cells, and monocytes) and their interactions with CNS immune cells contributing to the immune-regulatory mechanisms in the nervous system.
- Modulatory and electrophysiological strategies for altering the autonomic-immune axis in neuroimmunological and inflammatory diseases.
- Long COVID associated with immune-induced CNS damages and chronic inflammation. Investigations of pathophysiological processes in the tumor microenvironment, brain tumor – host interactions, tumorigenesis, tumor migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
- Studies related to paraneoplastic phenomenon and their mechanisms, detection, and treatment, as well as studies related to secondary consequences of cancer and its therapies.
Shared Interests and Overlaps
There are shared interests in neuroimmunology in the CNS with Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Neuroimmunology, Rhythms, and Sleep Study Section (BNRS). Applications that emphasize investigative neuroimmunology in disease are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize basic neuroimmunology are reviewed by BNRS.
There are shared interests in the role of glia and blood-brain barrier in the mechanisms underlying neuroimmunological and autoimmune responses in neural diseases including demyelinating diseases, inflammatory neuropathies, and neurodegenerative disorders with Cellular Molecular Biology of Glia (CMBG). Applications that emphasize the pathogenesis, progression, and treatment of CNS autoimmune demyelinating diseases are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize basic science and mechanistic studies focused on the role of glia and blood-brain barrier in the mechanisms underlying these diseases are reviewed in CMBG.
There are shared interests in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with Chronic Dysfunction and Integrative Neurodegeneration (CDIN), and the Clinical Neurodegeneration Translational Neuroscience (CNTN). Applications that emphasize the neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation in these CNS degenerative diseases, rather than the diseases themselves or are focused on neuroimmune cells and pathways in these diseases are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize using molecular and vertebrate animal model experimental approaches primarily focused on the pathogenesis, mechanisms, structural and functional alteration, as well as the treatment of different CNS degenerative diseases are reviewed in CDIN. Applications that emphasize addressing the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and progression of these disorders and/or their functional consequences and the mechanisms and management of human chronic neurodegenerative diseases are reviewed in CNTN.
There are shared interests in bacterial and viral infections of the central nervous system with Bacterial Virulence (BV) and Bacterial-Host Interactions (BHI). Applications that emphasize CNS infectious diseases due to bacterial infection and bacterial-host immune or inflammatory interactions relevant to CNS diseases or disorders are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize molecular mechanistic models of bacterial infection or pathogenesis and immunity emphasizing the bacterial perspective are reviewed in BV or BHI.
There are shared interests in bacterial and viral infections of the central nervous system with Molecular and Cellular Biology of Virus Infection (MCV) and Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity (VPI). Applications that emphasize CNS infectious diseases from viral infections are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize addressing fundamental aspects of non-HIV and non-bacteriophage viral genetics, infection and replication are reviewed in MCV or VPI.
There are shared interests in neural and brain tumors with Cellular Immunotherapy of Cancer (CIC). Applications that emphasize immunological aspects of brain tumors are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize cellular therapy, including stem cell transplantation, adoptive cellular therapies and their toxicities, as well as therapeutic combinations that employ adoptive and allogeneic cell transfer immunotherapy for CNS tumors (glioma, medulloblastoma, etc.) are reviewed in CNBT or CIC (if focus is on cellular therapies).
There are shared interests in the areas of neural and brain tumors with study sections in the Basic and Translational Cancer (BTC) review branch. Applications that emphasize immunological aspects of neural tissues and/or brain tumor/host interactions where the primary focus and readout are neurological function or brain pathology are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize basic mechanisms of tumor initiation, progression, metastasis and interactions between tumor cells and cells in the brain tumor microenvironment where the primary readout is tumor growth or metastasis may be reviewed in the appropriate BTC study section.
There are shared interests in the areas of neural and brain tumors with Translational Immuno-oncology (TIO). Applications that emphasize the immunopathology and immunotherapy of CNS tumors (glioma, medulloblastoma, etc.) are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize the immunopathology and immunotherapy of CNS tumors (glioma, medulloblastoma, etc.) with the focus on non-cellular therapeutics are reviewed in TIO.
There are shared interests in the area of brain tumor therapy with Therapeutic Immune Regulation (TIR). Applications that emphasize solely the immunopathology and immunotherapy of central nervous system tumors (glioma, medulloblastoma, etc.) are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize the immunopathology and immunotherapy of central nervous system tumors (glioma, medulloblastoma, etc.) with focus on therapeutic immune regulation and resistance are reviewed in TIR.
There are shared interests in treatment of glioblastomas, medulloblastomas, neuroblastomas and gliomas with Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics B (MCTB), and Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics C (MCTC). Applications that emphasize the central nervous system consequences due to brain tumors are reviewed in CNBT. Applications that emphasize the mechanism(s) of action of anti-neoplastic agents in brain tumors are reviewed in MCTB or MCTC (early preclinical investigations of efficacy and toxicity). n treatment of glioblastomas, medulloblastomas, neuroblastomas and gliomas. Applications that focus on mechanism(s) of action of anti-neoplastic agents in brain tumors may be reviewed in MCTB. Applications that focus on the central nervous system consequences due to brain tumors may be reviewed in CNBT.
There are shared interests with Adaptive Immunity (AI), Innate Immunity A (IIDA (81)), and Innate Immunity B (IIB). Applications with a greater focus on fundamental aspects of the adaptive immune response or innate immune response may be reviewed in AI or IIDA (81)/IIB, respectively. Applications addressing impacts of the adaptive or innate immune system on the function and pathology relevant to diseases or disorders of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous system may be reviewed in CNBT.
There are shared interests with the Mechanisms of Autoimmunity (MAI). Applications that focus on autoimmune mechanisms of neurologic damage may be reviewed in MAI. Applications examining neural tissue and processes associated with neural diseases may be reviewed in CNBT.
