As the largest encephalitis-focused meeting worldwide, the Encephalitis Conference 2025 brought together a vibrant international community of clinicians, researchers, and advocates for two days of scientific exchange and collaboration. Delivered in a hybrid format at the Royal College of Physicians in London and online, the conference welcomed over 531 delegates from 80 countries and showcased cutting-edge developments across infectious and autoimmune encephalitis.
On the morning of 3rd December, the conference opened with welcome remarks from Prof Benedict Michael (Chair Scientific Advisory Panel, Encephalitis International & University of Liverpool, UK) and Prof Carsten Finke (Chair Conference Committee & Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany).
The first session began with two introductory lectures designed to provide delegates—particularly those new to the field—with a structured overview of infectious and autoimmune encephalitis. Dr Nicholas Davies (Chelsea and Westminster, Charing Cross, and the Royal Marsden Hospitals, London, UK) delivered a clinical introduction to acute infectious encephalitis (IE) in adults and Dr Sophie Binks (University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), focused on the surface antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis (AE).
A dual-format clinical case presentation followed, offering educational insights through interactive exploration of real clinical scenarios. Dr Nicholas Davies and Dr Emer O’Connor (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK) presented a case of measles inclusion body encephalitis, underscoring the importance of functional immunity assessment in immunosuppressed individuals, while Dr Matteo Gastaldi (Neuroimmunology Research Unit, Pavia, Italy) presented a primary central nervous system lymphoma, revealing the diagnostic pitfalls in AE.
The “How to Get Your Grant or Fellowship” workshop returned as a highly anticipated feature, with Prof Tom Solomon CBE (The Pandemic Institute, Academy of Medical Sciences & University of Liverpool, UK), Assoc Prof Deanna Saylor (UNC School of Medicine, USA), and Dr Saif Huda (Walton Centre Foundation Trust & University of Liverpool, UK) sharing practical advice for early-career researchers and clinicians worldwide, drawing on their own career trajectories.
The afternoon featured a data blitz session chaired by Prof Carsten Finke, Dr Sophie Binks, and Dr Thomas Pollak (Kings College London, UK). Topics included morphological brain changes in anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis (LGI1E); cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lipidome for the diagnosis of central nervous system infections; CSF proteomics in AE; intrathecal and peripheral molecular profiling of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes; pathogen detection using metagenomic next-generation sequencing in paediatric febrile coma; neuronal network changes in an in vitro model of seizures in herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE); structural and microstructural brain changes in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDARE) and multiple sclerosis overlap syndrome; long-term symptoms and management in paediatric NMDARE; clinical and paraclinical features of autoimmune brainstem encephalitis; intensive care unit complications in AE; development of a patient reported outcome measure for IE; structural brain complexity changes in NMDARE; autoimmunity detection using indirect immunofluorescence in catatonia; and a new preclinical MAM/Pilocarpine rat model of AE–associated epilepsy (AEAE).
The first day concluded with poster presentations and judging, featuring 43 posters from 41 researchers across 23 countries, followed by a drinks and networking reception.
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Day two opened with greetings from Prof Benedict Michael and Dr Ava Easton (CEO Encephalitis International & University of Liverpool, UK), who also chaired the first session.
The first keynote lecture was delivered by Prof Romana Höftberger (Medical University of Vienna, Austria), who presented neuropathological findings across multiple intracellular and surface antibody-mediated neurological diseases, explaining their distinct underlying pathomechanisms and corresponding treatment responses. She also illustrated how neuropathology can contribute to guiding appropriate future therapeutic strategies.
In the next talk, Dr Bryan Ceronie (University of Oxford, UK) identified LGI1-reactive long-lived plasma cells in the bone marrows of patients with LGI1E, suggesting that the bone marrow serves as a source of ongoing autoantibody production and may underlie persistent disease activity and relapse risk.
Next, Dr Marianna Spatola (IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona & Caixa Research Institute, Spain) profiled herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) antibody responses in patients with HSE, revealing compartmentalised antibody response within the brain and enabling the prediction of subsequent brain autoimmunity.
Dr T.M. Bienfait (Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, The Netherlands) then reported preliminary CSF cytokine data, identifying tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 and its associated immunological pathways as potential prognostic markers, with implications for new targeted therapies in NMDARE.
Closing the first session, Dr Ashok Kumar Pandey (ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, India) described distinct extents, patterns, and domains of neurological sequelae among paediatric survivors of Japanese encephalitis and scrub typhus encephalitis in Northern India.
The second session was chaired by Dr Nicholas Davies and Prof Sarosh Irani (Mayo Clinic, USA).
Opening the session, Dr Andreas Pilz (Pfizer Corporation Austria) delivered an invited guest lecture summarising the infection risk for tick-borne diseases, the epidemiology of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme borreliosis, the clinical manifestations and diagnostic confirmation of TBE, the effectiveness and impact of TBE vaccination, and the associated public health challenges.
Subsequently, Dr Tobias Baumgartner (University Hospital Bonn, Germany) reported seizure outcomes and associated clinical and paraclinical factors in an international multicentre study of patients with LGI1E presenting with seizures.
Dr Adam Al-Diwani (University of Oxford, UK) also presented an international multicentre study revealing the distinct psychopathology of NMDARE compared with primary psychoses. He illustrated that NMDARE is characterised by a rapid-onset, complex, and dynamic neuropsychiatric phenotype, accompanied by overt cognitive dysfunction and a predominance among younger individuals.
Continuing the session, Dr Tom Miller (UCL, UK) investigated autobiographical amnesia using representational similarity analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with LGI1E, demonstrating that hippocampal damage impairs mnemonic representational distinctiveness and stability within a limited neural network.
Next, Dr Marie Rafiq (Toulouse University Hospital, France) showed that the cognitive profile of autoimmune cerebellitis is characterised by prominent executive and attentional deficits, highlighting the importance of careful cognitive screening and the need for systematic prospective studies.
Before lunch, Miss Sarah Boardman (University of Liverpool, UK) showed, using in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models, that HSV1 causes a dose-dependent disruption of BBB integrity, that HSV1-infected astrocytes produce interleukin-6 and cause a larger impact on BBB integrity when co-cultured with endothelial cells, and that interleukin-6 blockade preserves BBB integrity following exogenous interleukin-6 exposure.
In the afternoon, the third session was chaired by Dr Matteo Gastaldi and Prof Tom Solomon CBE.
Dr Nicoline Schiess (World Health Organization) delivered the second keynote lecture on the WHO technical brief on encephalitis launched in 2025, introducing its target audience, methods, and key actions related to diagnostics, access to medicines, and coordinated health and social care. She also outlined the global burden, action plan, mandates, and status report with relevance to encephalitis, and highlighted the key role of Encephalitis International in collaboration with WHO.
In the subsequent talk, Dr Marta Duda-Sikula (Wroclaw Medical University, Poland) presented long-term psychosocial outcomes in patients with NMDARE and their caregivers across the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and healthcare system domains, providing qualitative insights into the subjective experience of symptom progression and highlighting the need for dedicated psychosocial support.
Dr James Marsh (University of Oxford, UK) virtually presented a systematic review and meta-analysis showing that psychiatric and behavioural sequelae after encephalitis are common and persistent across aetiologies, with similar symptom profiles between AE and IE.
The final session of day two was chaired by Prof Carsten Finke and Assoc Prof Kiran Thakur (Columbia University, USA).
Dr Juliette Brenner (Erasmus University Medical Centre, the Netherlands) introduced the development of the PROSE score, a newly validated 40-item patient-reported outcome scale for encephalitis and demonstrated its robust psychometric performance in patients with NMDARE, LGI1E, and anti-contactin-associated protein-like 2 encephalitis.
Delegates then took part in the NeuroQuiz, a light-hearted and interactive activity featuring three clinical cases—cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 deficiency, cytomegalovirus encephalitis, and rabies—presented by Prof Sarosh Irani, Dr Anlys Olivera (Columbia University, USA), and Dr Stephen Ray (University of Oxford, UK).
The final invited guest lecture was delivered by Prof Tom Solomon CBE, who presented the EAN-ESCMID guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious encephalitis in adults. Using a case-based approach, he illustrated key clinical questions covering clinical features, aetiology-specific risk factors, lumbar puncture, multiplex CSF polymerase chain reaction testing, brain biopsy, imaging, electroencephalography, aciclovir treatment, corticosteroids, prophylactic antiepileptics, autoantibody testing in HSE relapse, and rehabilitation
Phillippa Chapman (Encephalitis International) began the conference closing by sharing a video summarising Encephalitis International’s achievement over the past year, which was warmly received by delegates.
This was followed by the awards. The Best Oral Presentation prizes were awarded to Dr Adam Al-Diwani and Miss Sarah Boardman. The Best Data Blitz Presentation award was presented to Dr Daniela Esser (University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Kiel/Lübeck, Germany), while the Best Poster prize went to Ms Ana Vasconcelos (University of Coimbra, Portugal).
The closing remarks reaffirmed the mission of Encephalitis International and called for sustained partnership, advocacy, and support.
The next Encephalitis Conference will take place on 7th – 8th December 2026, hosted at the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK and online. Join the Encephalitis International community (www.encephalitis.info) through free professional membership to receive updates on research, campaigns, funding opportunities, and early-bird access to future conferences.
Event Sponsors: Arialys Therapeutics, Argenx, Svar Wieslab, Euroimmun, Valneva, ACNR, The Lancet Neurology, IBRO, Camino Communications, Routledge, Thriplow Charitable Trust, Roche.
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