Thank You for an Incredible TGS 2026
Thank you so much for attending the 2nd Annual Translational Glial Sciences (TGS) Conference! We were delighted to welcome a full house. Thank you for being part of our growing glial community.
Held on October 7, 2026, at Case Western Reserve University, TGS brought together researchers, clinicians and trainees for a day of scientific presentations, discussions and collaboration focused on advancing translational glial science.
TGS 2026 at a Glance
2nd Annual Translational Glial Sciences Conference
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Tinkham Veale University Center
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Registration & Breakfast: 8:00 a.m.
Scientific Program: 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
2026 Keynote & Conference Leadership
The 2026 conference featured a keynote address by Sally Temple, PhD, Co-Founder and Scientific Director of the Neural Stem Cell Institute and a pioneer in developmental neuroscience and stem cell therapies.
Sally Temple, PhD
Neural Stem Cell Institute
Keynote Speaker
Modeling, Targeting and Healing: Stem Cell Strategies to Combat Neurodegeneration in the Brain and Eye
Conference Chairs
Paul J. Tesar, PhD
Institute for Glial Sciences
Conference Chair
Raeka Aiyar, PhD
Institute for Glial Sciences
Conference Chair
TGS 2026 Scientific Program
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Tinkham Veale University Center
Keynote Lecture
Sally Temple, PhD (Neural Stem Cell Institute)
Modeling, Targeting and Healing: Stem Cell Strategies to Combat Neurodegeneration in the Brain and Eye
Session 1: Glial Defects in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Chair: Benjamin Clayton, PhD (Institute for Glial Sciences)
10:00–10:25 a.m. | Brittany Needham, PhD (Indiana University)
Gut bacterial signals that influence myelination patterns
10:25–10:50 a.m. | Amy Waldman, MD (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
Zilganersen for the treatment of Alexander disease
Short Talks Selected from Abstracts
10:50–11:00 a.m. | Kate Letai, PhD (Institute for Glial Sciences)
Specialized enteric glial cells coordinate intestinal motility
11:00–11:10 a.m. | Xiaotian Liu, PhD (UT Southwestern)
Genetic Labeling and Functional Interrogation of Border-Associated Astrocytes
Session 2: Inflammatory Regulation of Glia in Disease
Chair: Tyler Miller, MD, PhD (Case Comprehensive Cancer Center)
11:40 a.m.–12:05 p.m. | Justin Lathia, PhD (Cleveland Clinic)
How can we leverage sex differences to understand novel mechanisms of glioblastoma growth and identify next-generation therapeutic opportunities?
12:05–12:30 p.m. | Ying Xiong (Institute for Glial Sciences)
Pathological Inflammation Alters Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Function
Short Talks Selected from Abstracts
12:30–12:40 p.m. | Chien Wen Chen (Case Western Reserve University)
Osmoresilience Underpins Glioblastoma Environmental Fitness
12:40–12:50 p.m. | Elen Ziroyan (Cleveland Clinic)
A Cx43-WNK1-C-MYC signaling axis drives glioblastoma cancer stem cell growth and survival
Session 3: Glia in CNS Degeneration and Regeneration
Chair: Nikhil Panicker, PhD (Cleveland Clinic)
2:15–2:40 p.m. | Valentina Fossati, PhD (Jackson Laboratories)
Advances in Human iPSC-Derived Glial Models for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Research
2:40–3:05 p.m. | Stefan Irion, MD (GC Therapeutics)
Rewriting Glial Identity: Transcription Factor Programming from Cell State to Therapy
Short Talks Selected from Abstracts
3:05–3:15 p.m. | Jeffrey Atkinson, PhD (Ohio State University)
Grey Hair & White Matter - Aging promotes chronic neuroinflammation in CNS autoimmune demyelinating disease
3:15–3:25 p.m. | Maria Habean (Cleveland Clinic)
Astrocytic NLRC5 suppresses CASP1 activation and inflammasome responses during neuroinflammation
Panel Discussion: Accelerating the Path of Glial Medicines to the Clinic
Moderator: Raeka Aiyar, PhD (Institute for Glial Sciences)
Panelists:
- Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health)
- Richard Ransohoff, MD (Third Rock Ventures)
- Stefan Irion, MD (GC Therapeutics)
- Amy Waldman, MD (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
Conference Speakers
TGS 2026 featured scientists and leaders from academic research, medicine and biotechnology working to advance the understanding of glia and their therapeutic potential.
- Keynote Speaker: Sally Temple, PhD – Neural Stem Cell Institute
- Valentina Fossati, PhD – The Jackson Laboratory
- Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH – Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
- Stefan Irion, MD – GC Therapeutics
- Justin Lathia, PhD – Cleveland Clinic
- Brittany Needham, PhD – Indiana University School of Medicine
- Richard Ransohoff, MD – Third Rock Ventures
- Paul Tesar, PhD – Institute for Glial Sciences
- Amy T. Waldman, MD, M.S.C.E. – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Ying Xiong – Institute for Glial Sciences
TGS 2026 Sponsors
We gratefully acknowledge the sponsors whose support helped make the 2nd Annual Translational Glial Sciences Conference possible.
Looking Ahead to TGS 2027
Thank you for being part of our growing glial sciences community. We look forward to continuing the scientific exchange and collaboration at TGS 2027.
Visit our main conference page for information about upcoming TGS events and highlights from previous conferences.