Immune Defenses of the Brain

Immunity is fundamental to brain health. From development through aging, immune signaling coordinates tissue maintenance, repair, and adaptation, processes that, when dysregulated, contribute to neurological disease. Mounting evidence shows that immune cells both shape and respond to pathology across brain disorders, influencing disease progression and outcome. Yet the same immune mechanisms that drive inflammation and damage can also promote repair, resilience, and clearance of toxic aggregates. The brain’s immune system is therefore a central player in neurological disorders and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
This Focus Session will unite researchers at the intersection of neuroimmunology, molecular biology, and therapeutic development to explore how immune cells sustain brain function and how they can be harnessed to restore brain health in disease. Talks will highlight emerging strategies to modulate brain immunity and showcase how new multi-omic technologies are redefining our understanding of immune mechanisms in the central nervous system.