Affected by millions of people worldwide, CNS diseases have continued to be one of the major challenges faced by researches and experts in the industry, academia and government affiliations. Fortunately, recent years has shown much progress in drug discovery efforts, especially in the CNS fields of neuropsychiatry, behavioral neurology, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, depression, schizophrenia and much more.

The increased access to imaging and analytic techniques has enabled the development of novel on- and off-label treatment options, which are emerging on a near-monthly basis. Experts are also working on various novel therapeutics and approaches such as biomarkers, stem cell therapy, protein misfolding and aggregation, immunotherapy, vaccines for Alzheimer's, BACE inhibitors and much more. Also, there has been rapid growth in the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), mGluR’s, allosteric modulators, treatment refractory disorders, fragile X, among others.

GTC's CNS Diseases World Summit, which will take place on September 22-23, 2011 in San Francisco, CA, gives global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as leading experts in the field an opportunity to learn about relevant CNS Disease drug discovery efforts that will affect the industry, network with high-level executives from top pharma and various biotech/pharmaceutical companies and explore potential collaborations. The intimate setting of GTC conferences enables such interaction and networking, by bringing together speakers and attendees, by allowing the exchange of different ideas, and allowing the variety of perspectives at a given topic, whether it be from a pharmaceutical, academic, or governmental stand point.

The summit consists of three concurrent tracks. Those tracks are Advances in Neuropsychiatric Treatment, Neurodegenerative Conditions Research and Development, and CNS Partnering and Deal-making. By registering for a summit, an attendee has the ability to attend all three tracks. Registering for a summit enables one to pick and choose the talks he most wishes to hear, and to attend each track whenever his desired talk is scheduled to commence. Students and post-docs are also encouraged to attend. They can register for a discounted rate.