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30 years of glia research programs in Germany

In December 1990 the senate of the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG) approved funding a priority program (Schwerpunktprogramm – SPP) focusing on „Functions of Glial Cells“ and launched the call of proposals. As stated in the letter of approval, the DFG wanted to emphasize „the pivotal role of glial cells in the functioning of the entire nervous system during development and regeneration, in ion transport and metabolism, in immune responses and diseases. This program is designed to supporting basic research in anatomy, zoology, developmental biology, cell biology, pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology and to fostering the scientific interaction among these fields.“

This was the starting signal for the first funding program focusing on glial research supported by the DFG. Since then so-called coordinated research programs supporting glia researchers such as Collaborative Research Centers (Sonderforschungsbereiche (SFB) or Transregio (TRR)), Priority Programs (Schwerpunktprogramme (SPP)) and one Research Unit (Forschergruppe (FOR)) have been funded in succession.

SPP 288: Properties and Functions of Glial Cells (1991 – 1997)
SFB 507: The role of non-neuronal cells in neurological diseases (1995 – 2007)
SPP 1029: The role of microglial cells in nervous system disorders (1997 – 2003)
SPP 1172: The role of neuroglia in the formation, function and plasticity of synapses (2004 – 2010)
FOR 1336: From Monocytes to Brain Macrophages - Conditions Influencing the Fate of Myeloid Cells in the Brain (2010 – 2017)
SPP 1757: Functional specializations of neuroglia as critical determinants of brain activity (2014 – 2021)
TRR 167: Development, function and potential of myeloid cell in the central nervous system (NeuroMac) (2017 – )
SPP 2395: Local and Peripheral Drivers of Microglial Diversity and Function” (2022 - )

Glia meetings in Germany

During the first 30 year of glial research funding, i.e. from 1991 to 2021, 40 meetings focusing on glia research have been organized in Germany, from small workshop up to the European Meeting on Glial Cell Function in Health and Disease with more than 1.500 participants. This international meeting has been held in Germany three times already. A fourth Berlin European Glia Meeting took place in 2023.

1991

Symposium “Signal transfer between neurons and glial cells”
September 16 – 20, 1991
Castle Ringberg
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann, Jutta Schnitzer und Hans Werner Müller

1992

First Symposium of the SPP 288 „Functions of Glial Cells – Regeneration“
May 7 – 9, 1992
Max Planck House Heidelberg
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann, Georg Kreutzberg, Jutta Schnitzer

Methods in Microglia Research – 15^th Annual Meeting of the European Neuroscience Association (ENA)
September 13 – 17, 1992
Munich
Organization: Jochen Gehrmann, Richard Banati, Georg W. Kreutzberg

1993

Workshop of the SPP 288 „Functions of glial cells:
expression and function of receptors in glial cells“
February 12 – 13, 1993
House Buhl Heidelberg
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Colloquium of the review panel of the SPP 288 „Functions of glial cells“
May 9 – 11, 1993
Max Planck House Heidelberg
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Workshop of the SPP 288 „Functions of glial cells:
molecular biological methods and how to apply them in glial research“
September 9 – 10, 1993
Castle Mickeln/Düsseldorf
Organization: Hans Werner Müller

3. Leipzig Symposium „Glia & Neuroontogenesis (Meeting of the SPP 288 „Functions of glial cells“)
September 23 – 25, 1993
Leipzig
Organization: Andreas Reichenbach und Gerd Brückner

Preparatory meeting of the SFB 507
„The impact of non-neuronal cells on the pathogenesis of cerebral disorders“
October 1 – 2, 1993
Berlin
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

1994

Glio-neuronal und glio-vascular interactions
February 18 – 20, 1994
Blaubeuren
Organization: Hartwig Wolburg

1. European Meeting on Glial Cell Function in Health and Disease
March 24 – 27, 1994
Physics Auditorium Heidelberg
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Human Frontier Science Program “Transmitter receptors and ion channels in glial cells”
May 15 – 18, 1994
Castle Eckberg Dresden
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Minisymposium „Genes and neurotrophins in myelin-forming cells“
July 7, 1994
Osnabrück
Organization: G. Jeserich und Hans H. Althaus

The role of glia in synapse development, synapse loss, and synaptic plasticity
September 11 – 14, 1994
Castle Ringberg, Tegernsee
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann und Georg W. Kreutzberg

1995

Colloquium of the review panel of the SPP 288 „Function of glial cells“
May 17 – 19, 1995
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

International Symposium on cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration and functional repair in the CNS
August 28 – September 2, 1995
Osnabrück
Organization: Hans H. Althaus, Rolf Heumann, Gunnar Jeserich, Christiane Richter-Landsberg

1996

SFB 507 – Symposium “Physiology and interference in glia tumors“
July 11, 1996
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Symposium “The role of microglial cells in health and disease”
September 11 – 14, 1996
Castle Ringberg
Organization: Georg W. Kreutzberg und Helmut Kettenmann

1997

First colloquium of the review panel of the SPP 1029
„The role of microglia cells in central nervous system disorders“
February 19 – 20, 1997
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Final colloguium of the SPP 288 „Functions of Glial Cells“
June 7 – 10, 1997
Congress Center Bogensee
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

1998

Intermediate Colloquium of the SPP 1029
„The role of microglia cells in central nervous system disorders“
September 21 – 23. 1998
Congress Center Bogensee
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

2000

Intermediate colloquium of the SPP 1029 „The role of microglia cells in central nervous system disorders“
September 11 – 13, 2000
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

2003

VI European Meeting on Glial Cell Function in Health and Disease
September 3 – 6, 2003
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

Abschlusskolloquium des SPP 1029 „Functions of microglial cells in diseases of the central nervous system“
(Satellite symposium of the VI European Glia Meeting)
September, 2002
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

2004

1^st Meeting of the DFG-Priority Programme 1172
“The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
October 14 – 16, 2004
Kaiserslautern
Organization: Joachim Deitmer

2005

2^nd Meeting of the DFG-Priority Programme 1172
“The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
September 22 – 24, 2005
Kaiserslautern
Organization: Joachim Deitmer

2006

3^rd Meeting of the SPP 1172 “The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses“
September 28 – 30, 2006
Bonn
Organization: Christian Steinhäuser

2007

4^th Meeting of the DFG-Priority Programme 1172
“The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
October 14 – 16. 2007
Bad Dürkheim/Pfalz
Organization: Joachim Deitmer

2008

5^th Meeting of the SPP 1172 “The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
September 18 -20, 2008
Hegel Auditorium Building Berlin
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

2009

6^th Meeting of the DFG-Priority Programme 1172
“The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
October 2 – 3, 2009
Frankfurt/M.
Organization: Herbert Zimmermann

2010

Final Meeting of the DFG-Priority Programme 1172
“The role of neuroglia for the formation, function and plasticity of synapses”
August 26 – 29, 2010
Kaiserslautern
Organization: Joachim Deitmer

2011

FOR 1336 International Symposium „Brain myeloid cells: New light on old friends“
September 10 – 12, 2011
Potsdam
Organization: Jasmin Jamal El-Din, Josef Priller

2013

XI European Meeting on Glial Cell Function in Health and Disease
July 3 – 6, 2013
Estrel Hotel Berlin
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann

2014

First Meeting of the SPP 1757: “Functional Specifications of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity”
October 12 – 14, 2014
Düsseldorf
Organization: Frank Kirchhoff, Christine Rose

2015

The Role of Glial Cells in Physiology and Pathology
September 12 – 16, 2015
NH Collection Hotel Berlin
Organization: Helmut Kettenmann, Liping Wang, Frank Kirchhoff

Annual meeting of the SPP 1757 “Functional Specialisations of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity”
October 8 – 10, 2015
Homburg
Organization: Ute Legler, Frank Rhode, Laura Caudal, Alyssa Price

2016

Annual meeting of the SPP 1757 “Functional Specialisations of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity”
October 9 – 11, 2016
Berlin
Organization: Frank Kirchhoff, Christine Rose

2017

Annual meeting of the SPP 1757 “Functional Specialisations of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity”
October 26 – 28, 2017
Dormagen-Zons
Organization: Frank Kirchhoff, Christine Rose

2018

New Developments in Microglial Research
September 20 – 21, 2018
Munich
Organization: Christian Haass, Helmut Kettenmann

Annual meeting of the SPP 1757 “Functional Specialisations of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity and Japanese-German YoungGlia and collaborative meeting for mutual research exchange”
September 30 – October 5, 2018
Speyer
Organization: Hiroaki Wake, Christine R. Rose, Frank Kirchhoff

2019

Annual meeting of the SPP 1757 “Functional Specialisations of Neuroglia as Critical Determinants of Brain Activity”
September 30 – October 2, 2018
Düsseldorf
Organization: Frank Kirchhoff, Christine Rose

2022

Kick off Meeting of the SPP 2395 „Local and peripheral drivers of microglial diversity and function“
November 10 – 11, 2022
Berlin
Organization: Susanne Wolf

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