Encephalitis 2025
Our Encephalitis Conference 2025 was another success – with over 530 attendees from 78 countries and an excellent line up of speakers and posters.
A full report of the Conference will follow shortly.
Thank you to everyone who attended!
Many congratulations to the Conference Awards recipients
- Best Oral Presentation
Dr Adam Al-Diwani, University of Oxford, UK
Miss Sarah Boardman, University of Liverpool, UK
- Best DataBlitz Presentation
Dr Daniela Esser, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Kiel/Lübeck, Germany
- Best Poster
Ms Ana Vasconcelos, University of Coimbra, Portugal
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Dr Nicoline Schiess, World Health Organization
“WHO Technical Brief on Encephalitis: Ways Forward”
Prof Romana Höftberger, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
” Contributions of Pathology to the Understanding of Antibody-mediated Neurological Diseases”
GUEST SPEAKERS
Prof Tom Solomon CBE, The Pandemic Institute & University of Liverpool, UK
“EAN-ESCMID guidelines on the diagnosis and management of encephalitis in adults caused by infection”
Dr Andreas Pilz, Pfizer Corporation, Austria
“Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) – From Epidemiology to Vaccination – Where Do We Stand”
USE THE ARROWS BELOW TO SEE THE FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME, OR DOWNLOAD: Encephalitis 2025 Conference Programme
DAY 1: Wednesday 3rd December
8:00 Registration
8:55 Welcome
Prof Benedict Michael, Chair Scientific Advisory Panel Encephalitis International & University of Liverpool, UK
Prof Carsten Finke, Chair Conference Committee & Charité Berlin, Germany
9:00 Basic Clinical Introduction to Infectious Encephalitis
Dr Nicholas Davies, Chelsea and Westminster, Charing Cross, and the Royal Marsden Hospitals, London, UK
9:45 Basic Clinical Introduction to Autoimmune Encephalitis
Dr Sophie Binks, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
10:30 BREAK
10:45 Clinical Case Presentation
Infectious encephalitis: Dr Nicholas Davies, Chelsea and Westminster, Charing Cross, and the Royal Marsden Hospitals, London, UK
Autoimmune encephalitis: Dr Matteo Gastaldi, Neuroimmunology Research Unit, Pavia, Italy
11:45 How to Get Your Grant or Fellowship
Prof Tom Solomon CBE, The Pandemic Institute, Academy of Medical Sciences, & University of Liverpool, UK ; Assoc Prof Deanna Saylor, UNC School of Medicine, USA & Dr Saif Huda, Walton Centre Foundation Trust & University of Liverpool
13.15 Satellite Meeting
Advancing Travel Health: Innovations in Vaccination
Against Mosquito-Borne Threats - sponsored by Valneva
14:10 Data Blitz Session (to include 20 minute break)
SEE DATA BLITZ PROGRAMME BELOW
17:00 Drinks Reception/Poster Presentations
18:30 LONDON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS WALKING TOUR
Data Blitz Session (Day 1, 14:10-17:00)
14:10 Clinical and cognitive outcomes in anti- LGI1 encephalitis are linked to multimodal structural MRI changes
Wei Zhao, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
14:20 Cerebrospinal fluid lipidome in central nervous system infections: A study of diagnostic accuracy
Dr Steven L. Staal , Amsterdam UMC & University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
14:30 Cerebrospinal fluid proteomics highlight immune dysregulation and nucleosome involvement in antibody associated autoimmune encephalitis
Dr Chloe Bost, University Hospital of Toulouse, France
14:40 Intrathecal and peripheral molecular profiling of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes
Dr Daniela Esser, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Kiel/Lübeck, Germany
14:50 Pathogen detection in paediatric febrile coma in Malawi: Insights from next-generation sequencing
Dr Stephen Ray, University of California, San Francisco, USA
15:00 HSV-1 infection drives neuronal network hyperexcitability and hypersynchrony in an in vitro model of seizures in herpes simplex encephalitis
Dr Claire D. Hetherington, University of Liverpool, UK
15:10 Combined white matter microstructural damage and hippocampal atrophy in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and multiple sclerosis overlap syndrome
Dr. Joseph Kuchling, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
15:20 BREAK
15:40 Mapping long-term symptoms in paediatric anti-NMDAR encephalitis: strategies for symptomatic management
Dr Alessandro Santagostino Barbone, University of Genoa, Italy
15:50 A clinical and paraclinical overview of patients with autoimmune brainstem encephalitis
Dr Mengzhi Jin, Erasmus Medical Center & the First Affiliated Hospital of NanChang University, The Netherlands/China
16:00 ICU complications in patients with autoimmune encephalitis
Dr Maryam Al Hashmi, University of Toronto, Canada
16:10 Development of a patient reported outcome measure in infectious encephalitis: what matters most to patients
Dr Stephen McKeever, Brain Infection & Inflammation Group, Liverpool, UK
16:20 Psychiatric symptoms and memory dysfunction in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis are linked to altered structural
brain complexity
Dr Stephan Krohn, Charité– Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
16:30 Glutamate receptor antibody-associated encephalitis in children: a systematic review
Mr Iann Messias Lima Eufrasio, Universidade Santo Amaro (UNISA), São Paulo, Brazil
16:40 Autoimmune encephalitis-associated epilepsy: the MAM/Pilocarpine Rat as a new preclinical paradigm
Dr Francesca Colciaghi, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
16:50 Neuroimmunology of catatonia: indirect
immunofluorescence for detecting markers of
autoimmunity
Ms Doyeon Angela Lee, University of
Cambridge & Queen Square Institute of
Neurology, University College London, UK
DAY 2
8:00 Registration
8:30 Poster Presentations
9:15 Welcome
Prof Benedict Michael, Chair Advisory Scientific Panel, Encephalitis International & University of Liverpool
Dr Ava Easton, CEO Encephalitis International & University of Liverpool
SESSION 1 CHAIRS:
Prof Benedict Michael
Dr Ava Easton
9:20 KEYNOTE LECTURE 1
Contributions of Pathology to the Understanding of Antibody-mediated Neurological Diseases
Prof Romana Höftberger, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
9:45 Discussion
9:50 Identification of LGI1-reactive long-lived plasma cells in the bone marrows of patients with LGI1-
antibody encephalitis
Dr Bryan Ceronie, Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group, University of Oxford, UK
10:00 Discussion
10:05 Extensive characterization of HSV1 antibody responses in herpes encephalitis reveals compartmentalization in CSF and predicts development of post-herpes autoimmune encephalitis
Dr Marianna Spatola, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona & Caixa Research Institute, Spain
10:15 Discussion
10:20 Immunological signature to guide treatment in anti-NMDAR encephalitis
Dr T.M. Bienfait, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
10:30 Discussion
10:35 Extent, pattern, and domains of neurological sequelae among pediatric survivors of Japanese Encephalitis and Scrub Typhus Encephalitis in Northern India: Findings from a cohort study
Dr Ashok Kumar Pandey, ICMR-Regional medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, India
10:45 Discussion
10:50 BREAK/POSTER VIEWING
SESSION 2 CHAIRS:
Dr Nicholas Davies, Chelsea and Westminster, Charing Cross, and the Royal Marsden Hospitals, London, UK
Prof Sarosh Irani, Mayo Clinic, USA
11:10 INVITED GUEST LECTURE
Dr Andreas Pilz, Pfizer Corporation Austria
Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) – From Epidemiology to Vaccination – Where Do We Stand
11:35 Discussion
11:40 Seizures, epilepsy und associated factors in 236 patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis
Dr Tobias Baumgartner, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
11:50 Discussion
11:55 The distinctive psychopathology of NMDAR antibody encephalitis by comparison to primary psychoses: an international multi-centre analysis
Dr Adam Al-Diwani, University of Oxford, UK
12:05 Discussion
12:10 Autobiographical amnesia after LGI1-limbic encephalitis results from reduced mnemonic distinctiveness and stability
Dr Tom Miller, UCL, UK
12:20 Discussion
12:25 Executive and attentional impairments in autoimmune cerebellitis: another model of Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome.
Dr Marie Rafiq, Toulouse University Hospital, France
12:35 Discussion
12:40 What can in vitro BBB models teach us about HSV-1 encephalitis?
Miss Sarah Boardman, University of Liverpool, UK
12:50 Discussion
12:55 LUNCH/POSTER VIEWING
13:10 Satellite Meeting
Development of First in Class Precision Medicine for Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis- sponsored by Arialys Therapeutics
SESSION 3 CHAIRS:
Dr Matteo Gastaldi, Neuroimmunology Research Unit & Diagnostic Laboratory, Pavia, Italy
Prof Tom Solomon CBE, The Pandemic Institute,
Academy of Medical Sciences, & University of
Liverpool, UK
14:10 KEYNOTE LECTURE 2
WHO Technical Brief on Encephalitis: Ways Forward
Dr Nicoline Schiess, World Health Organization
14:35 Discussion
14:40 Living with NMDAR encephalitis: caregivers’ insights into long-term challenges and support needs
Dr Marta Duda-Sikula, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland
14:50 Discussion
14:55 Psychiatric and behavioural sequelae following encephalitis: a systematic review and meta analysis
Dr Jack B Fanshawe, University of Oxford, UK
15:05 Discussion
15:10 BREAK/POSTER VIEWING
SESSION 4 CHAIRS:
Prof Carsten Finke, Charité Berlin, Germany
Assoc Prof Kiran Thakur, Columbia University,
USA
15:30 A new Patient-Reported Outcome Scale to assess Encephalitis: the PROSE score
Dr Juliette Brenner, Erasmus University Medical Centre, the Netherlands
15:45 NeuroQuiz
16:30 INVITED GUEST LECTURE
EAN-ESCMID Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Encephalitis in Adults Caused by Infection
Prof Tom Solomon CBE, The Pandemic Institute & University of Liverpool, UK
16:55 Discussion
17:00 Encephalitis International: Our Year
Phillippa Chapman, Encephalitis International
17:05 Awards and call to action
Prof Benedict Michael & Dr Ava Easton
17:15 DRINKS AND NETWORKING RECEPTION