American Society for Neurochemistry

The Glut1 Deficiency Foundation had the chance to take part in the American Society for Neurochemistry annual meeting for the first time. It was a wonderful opportunity to host an exhibit table and get the chance to meet some of the more than 450 attendees who came to get the latest updates in molecular and cellular neurobiology to understand the development, growth, function, and pathology of the nervous system. Participants included research scientists across all career stages from all across the world, and the meeting also included a unique experience for local high school students interested in careers in neuroscience to come as guests for a special lecture and a guided tour of the exhibits and posters.

The meeting was held in Lexington, Kentucky, which isn’t far from home for Executive Director Glenna Steele. She hosted the booth with some help from her husband, John, and got the chance to talk with some who didn’t know about Glut1 Deficiency and others who are doing related research where there are opportunities to learn from the overlaps. Brain glucose metabolism was a very popular topic in the lectures and the posters with focus on diseases and conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and TBI (traumatic brain injury). The relationship between astrocytes and neurons (two types of cells in the brain) was also a very popular theme, and this is an area of focus for Glut1 Deficiency research as well.

Hopefully, participating in this meeting will help encourage more scientists to think about our disease from their unique perspectives and expertise and will lead to more collaborations across our research network. Opportunities like this would not be possible without the support from our donors, and we are grateful to all those who are helping with our mission of increased awareness, improved education, advocacy for patients and families, and support and funding for research.