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2027 Training in Neurotherapeutics Clinical Trials:
Development and Implementation

 View 2026 Course Brochure

FAQs

Format: In Person at Hyatt Regency Bethesda, MD

Tuition: $450 if ONLY attending Clinical Trials Course
If attending ASENT Annual Meeting and the Course, add $200 to annual meeting registration

Requirements: Your CV or Biosketch (for the purposes of workshop assignments) 

Included: Course materials provided onsite

Not Included: Travel and Hotel are NOT included

Credentials Provided: Certificate of Completion

About the Program

ASENT is pleased to offer our 2-day intensive course on Neurotherapeutics Clinical Trials. This year the course will be held March 15 - 16, 2027 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, in Bethesda, MD. The course is designed to introduce those interested in learning the principles of neurotherapeutics clinical trial development and implementation. The course is relevant to anyone interested in effectively conducting neurotherapeutics clinical trials.

The course covers the principles of clinical trials from pre-clinical programs to Phase III design and implementation, including necessary regulatory and IND enabling studies, IRB oversight, adverse event tracking and reporting. The course considers clinical trials in the neurotherapeutic space for both drugs and devices. The course addresses the unique challenges inherent in developing treatments for nervous system disorders.

Course Features

  • Didactic sessions

  • Interactive workshops where participants will work in teams on projects such as drafting protocols and addressing adverse events 

  • Panel discussions with lively Q&A 

  • Networking breaks with industry leaders

We are excited to have the opportunity to offer this course, which we believe will help to advance the availability of new drugs for patients with neurological conditions. 

Participants
This course is designed for those interested in learning more about neurotherapeutic clinical trials. Here is a sense of who you might encounter at the course:

  • Academic Clinicians
  • Clinician-Investigators
  • Clinical Neurologists
  • Clinical Research Professionals
  • Drug Discovery Neuroscientists
  • Clinical Scientists
  • Clinical Trial Unit Directors
  • CROs
  • Industry Clinicians
  • Trainees (Basic, Clinical, Translational)


Learning Objectives

This 2-day course will introduce participants to the principles of neurotherapeutic clinical trial development and implementation. The course is relevant to anyone interested in effectively conducting neurotherapeutic clinical trials.

Students will learn:

  • The history of clinical trials

  • Present-day structure of clinical trials 

  • Overview of preclinical and IND enabling studies

  • Best practices and processes for selecting sites and investigators

  • Steps required to ensure adequate assessment of safety and efficacy within Phase I and II

  • Design and implementation of multicenter trials in Phase III

  • Issues in drafting protocols and assessing adverse events

  • Practical aspects of managing Phase II and III data


Course Design

The course combines didactic lectures with active engagement activities in which the students will be challenged to utilize the lecture material during group workshops on protocol design and adverse events.

This course is designed to provide clinicians, scientists, and clinical research professionals with a knowledge base necessary to lead and conduct neurotherapeutic clinical trials. 

Course Topics

 Some of the topics covered in the course include:

  • Introduction and broad overview of the genesis of clinical trials and the protection of human participants

  • Present structure, with a focus on phases and types of trials, equipoise, oversight, and informed consent

  • Discovery, translation of novel mechanisms into a viable target for treatment, and toxicology studies

  • Process of obtaining investigational new drug and investigational device exemption status for clinical trials

  • Complexities of selecting sites and investigators

  • Phase I - safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics

  • Phase II - demonstrating efficacy

  • Phase III - implementation of multicenter trials

  • Adverse Events -  recognition, evaluation, and reporting

  • Critical elements of protocol design

  • Practical aspects of phase III data, including data capture and reporting

Faculty

The course faculty consists of leaders in the field of neurotherapeutics in industry, academia, and government, with combined decades of experience in clinical trials. Participating faculty include:

  • Debra Ehrlich, MD, MS, Director of the Parkinson's Disease Clinic, Intramural Research, Program Director for the Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowship Program, NINDS, NIH
  • Gail Farfel, PhD, Board Director of Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics
  • W. Douglas Figg, Sr., PharmD, MBA, Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, NIH
  • Nichol McBee, MPH, Research Associate, Project Lead, Johns Hopkins University Trial Innovation Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • W. Andrew Mould, MPH, Research Associate, Associate Director,  BIOS Clinical Trials Coordinating CenterJohns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Michael Rogawski, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology, UC Davis


Continuing Engagement Activities Following the Course

Students will be encouraged to connect with faculty mentors following the course. In an effort to facilitate these connections both students and faculty will have several opportunities to network during the ASENT Annual Meeting immediately following the course. These networking opportunities will help foster these connections to ensure they are lasting relationships that course participants can access in the future. 

Course Venue

The 2027 offering of ASENT’s Clinical Trials Course will be held Monday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 16, 2027 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, Maryland. The course will be held in person only - no virtual option is available at this time. 

    Course Location

    Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Bethesda, MD

    How to Register

    See upcoming events below to register for the Clinical Trials Course in addition to or separate from the Annual Meeting registration.





    Upcoming events

    • 2027 ASENT Annual Meeting Abstract Submissions

      • September 07, 2026
      • November 13, 2026
      • 11:59 PM
      • Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Bethesda MD
      Register

      Submitting Your Abstract to ASENT 2027

      Deadline: November 13, 2026 at 11:59PM ET

      The Abstract Review Committee is committed to presenting the best in neurotherapeutics research at the ASENT Annual Meeting. All abstracts are evaluated by experts in neurotherapeutics according to the following criteria and overall merit:

      1. Scientific or clinical impact
      2. Quality of data, analysis, and presentation
      3. Relevance to the discovery and/or development of neurotherapeutics and inclusion of novel targets or new initiatives.
      4. Abstracts must be submitted, presented, and cited in English.

      The abstract should describe original research broadly relevant to the goal of ASENT, which is to encourage and advance the development of improved therapies for diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Please check your abstract carefully for typographical errors, misspellings, etc. Be sure to include data or results when available.

      Please note: Once you have registered on the asent.org website, you will receive an email which contains the link to Oxford Abstracts, our abstracts management vendor.

      FAQs on Eligibility

      • ASENT welcomes encore abstracts, or those abstracts that have been previously presented at other recent scientific meetings, or submitted for consideration to other scientific meetings.
      • Trainees and early career researchers are highly encouraged to submit
      • All sectors (academic, industry, government, etc.) are welcome to submit
      • Trial designs or trials-in-progress are welcome and considered 
      • Case studies or case reports will not be considered

      If Accepted

      One presenting author must be designated to attend the Annual Meeting in person. All attendees must register to attend the meeting via www.asent.org.

      Poster Presentations

      If your abstract is selected for a poster, you will need to be available to participate in our poster presentation at the annual meeting. This is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 18th, 2027. Award winners for outstanding posters will be announced during the annual meeting.

      Oral Presentations

      Submitted abstracts that most closely conform to the above criteria may also be selected for a 10-minute oral presentation (including 2 minute Q&A) at our Oral Presentation session. ASENT encourages abstracts from privately or publicly-held startup companies, in addition to government or academic labs that conduct neurotherapeutics research.

      About the Meeting

      The ASENT Annual Meeting attracts a broad spectrum of researchers, clinicians, investors, and other leaders in neurotherapeutics from all over the world, across all neurologic disease areas. Oral presentations increase exposure to strategic partners in life sciences who have supported novel approaches through partnerships or strategic investments.

      For questions regarding abstracts, please email office@asent.org.

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    • 2027 ASENT Annual Meeting and Clinical Trials Course

      • March 15, 2027
      • 8:00 AM
      • March 19, 2027
      • 1:00 PM
      • Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
      Register

      Neurotherapeutics Clinical Trials Course: March 15-16, 2027
      ASENT 2027 Annual Meeting: March 17-19, 2027

      The ASENT 2027 Annual Meeting and Clinical Trials Course, the premier neurotherapeutics conference will take place March 17-19, 2027 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, MD. This scientific meeting is where senior leaders from leading payers, providers, employers, investors, fast-growing startups, pharma, policymakers, funders and innovation centers gather with one central focus, improving the process of bringing neurotherapeutics to market.

      Advance Program Submit an Abstract Register Clinical Trials Course Exhibit Opportunities


      ASENT's popular Neurotherapeutic Clinical Trials Course runs March 15-16. Followed by the ASENT 2027 Annual Meeting, which runs March 17-19, all in the same location.

      Attendees interested in participating in both the Clinical Trials Course and Annual Meeting are encouraged to select the appropriate registration level and then add on the clinical trials course during the registration process for an additional $150.

      The plenary sessions, panel discussions, outstanding pipeline presentations and poster sessions focus on the latest science in neurotherapeutics. The conference content will focus on the latest science in neurotherapeutics including innovations across disease states, novel delivery systems, gene therapy and biomarkers, and of course the latest drug therapies and devices. The event features plenary sessions, panel discussions, satellite luncheons, networking meetings, pipeline presentations and poster sessions.

      WHO ATTENDS

      Chief Medical Officers | Chief Scientific Officers | Clinician-Investigators | Clinical Research Professionals | Clinical Scientists Clinical Trial Unit Directors | CROs | Drug Discovery Neuroscientists  Founders | Funders | Innovation Centers | Investors / Venture Capital | Journal Editors | Medical Directors | MSLs | Patient Advocates | Regulatory Science Professionals | Research Scientists | Trainees (Basic, Clinical, Translational)

      Show details

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