Proceedings of the 27th Princeton conference: preface.

The 27 th Princeton Conference was held in Boston, Massachusetts on April 22 to 24, 2010. This year’s Conference focused on translational research in the field of cerebrovascular disease. Representatives from academia, industry, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the FDA participated in the robust discussion. The invited speakers were required to present new, late-breaking and often unpublished data to stimulate energetic discussion. The Conference is designed as a symposium in order to allow for substantial time for moderated general participant discussion. The proceedings of these talks and the subsequent discussion are summarized in this supplement. The Princeton Conference was first held in 1954, and was initially conceived as a forum to bring together leaders in the field of stroke research to review current scientific work and formulate new directions in research and therapies. The tradition has continued with a biennial meeting. The unique composition of this Conference allows for cross-fertilization between basic and clinical scientists, both young and established. It capitalizes on the interdisciplinary experience of the invited participant body and seeks to elucidate the evolution of a few major themes integral to the field. The Princeton Conference is a unique forum for the presentation and discussion of the “state of the art” and future directions of stroke research. The topics for the individual talks and debates were chosen for their strategic impact on furthering understanding of underlying mechanisms and the development of innovative treatments for stroke. Publishing the proceedings in Stroke augments the power of the Conference through peer review and dissemination to all Stroke subscribers, rather than just the conference attendees.