Healio Neurology prepares for ANA2020, first-ever virtual ANA Annual Meeting

The scientific sessions of the Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association, or ANA, begin on Sunday, Oct. 4, and will be held virtually for the first time in the meeting’s 145-year history.

The scientific program will begin with a day-long plenary session on Oct. 4 that features two major themes: the role of digital technologies in neurology and the potential of glia cells as targets for therapy. A second plenary session on Monday, Oct. 5, will highlight the role of genetics in advancing personalized medicine and the role of the microenvironment in brain tumor pathogenesis.

The Sunday plenary session will also include the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar symposium. That symposium features presentations on the genomics of Alzheimer’s disease, the diagnosis of autoimmune myelopathies, the impact of dietary-based weight loss on progression of polyneuropathy and more.

A new feature at the ANA meeting this year is the Emerging Scholars sessions, which are meant to provide early-career investigators with a platform for presenting.

“The Emerging Scholar sessions represent some of the most exciting research presented by junior and early career members,” ANA2020 Meeting Chair Conrad “Chris” Weihl, MD, PhD, said in a press release from the ANA. “What is particularly impressive is that this work has taken place under extraordinarily difficult circumstances this year, in the midst of a challenging pandemic that disrupted work for so many.”

The ANA expects more than 1,200 attendees from around the world to participate, according to the press release.

The scientific program will be preceded by a career development symposium, translational and clinical research courses and a social justice symposium on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3. The meeting concludes on Friday, Oct. 9.

For the latest news, video interviews and presentation coverage from ANA 2020, visit Healio.com/Neurology.