In the past, consensus dictated that nerves or neural activity were not involved in cancer development and progression. However, recent high-profile studies have revealed that neurons may in fact play roles in all aspects of cancer progression, from inception to metastasis. These insights suggest that manipulating the nervous system may provide novel therapeutic strategies against cancer.

This meeting has been designed to explore these emerging findings, specifically addressing:

1. How do nerves contribute to cancer initiation, growth and metastasis?
2. How do neuro-immune interactions shape the tumor microenvironment?
3. Are there current neuron-targeted therapeutics that can be repurposed as adjuvant cancer therapies?

Additional goals of this meeting are to provide a forum for new investigators in this emerging field to present their most recent findings, recruit trainees and participate in workshops that will help them build a successful research program to drive the field forward. Most importantly, this meeting is designed to provide a supportive environment that will stimulate cross-pollination by experts from established disciplines (e.g., oncology, immunology, neuroscience) and to facilitate the development of networks and collaborations that will serve these scientists and the field for years to come.  Ultimately, the goal is to catalyze interdisciplinary advances and translational insights in neuro-oncology to support transformative clinical impacts.

This conference will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposium on Tumor Microenvironment: Metastasis and the Host to enable cross-disciplinary insights and collaborations towards identification and targeting of neural drivers and/or suppressors of metastatic disease.