For the first time in history, a conference solely dedicated to scientific collaboration for Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Spectrum Disease was hosted by The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation on Nov. 17 – 18, 2008.

Researchers and clinicians from international institutions and from across United States gathered in Los Angeles, CA, to attend the NMO Fall Roundtable Conference.

Scientific and clinical experts who have specific knowledge and experience relevant to NMO were brought together in an informal forum to discuss and collaborate on NMO research. During the meeting, attendees addressed the current status of scientific research and clinical approaches for NMO. Researchers presented their current projects and ideas to their peers, and discussed how best to further the study of NMO research in an effort to initiate multi-institutional collaboration to advance the scientific knowledge of and work toward a potential cure for NMO.

Institutions represented at the roundtable were Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Mayo Clinic, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Stanford University, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), The University of Texas (UT Southwestern), The Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) and The Transverse Myelitis Association (TMA).

The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation would like to thank all of the NMO Fall Roundtable Conference attendees for their valued contribution to this historic benchmark in medical history and looks forward to advancing the collaboration of scientific research in NMO.