Brief History of AOSNP

Origins of AOSNP

The Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology (AOSNP) originated as the Asian Society of Neuropathology (ASNP), established in 2007.

The first Asian Congress of Neuropathology was proposed to be held in Tokyo in 2008 during the JSNP Annual Meeting.

1. The Asian Neuropathology Workshop 2007

ASNP was formally established during its preparatory committee meeting in Tokyo on May 31, 2007, held in conjunction with the 48th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Neuropathology (JSNP) (see the image below from the JSNP website at that time). The Asian Neuropathology Workshop 2007 was also held at the same venue, with participation from a small group of neuropathologists representing various Asian countries.

  • Date: May 30 – June 1, 2007 (JSNP 48th Annual Meeting)
  • Venue: Gakushi Kaikan, Tokyo, Japan
  • Chairperson: Dr. Kazuhiko Ikeda  (Chairperson of JSNP 2007; Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry)
The Founding Representatives were:
  • Dr. LuNing Wang (Beijing, China)
  • Dr. Seung U Kim (Suwon, Korea)
  • Dr. Chitra Sarkar (New Delhi, India)
  • Dr. Kazuo Nagashima (Sapporo, Japan)
  • Dr. Thong K. Wong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • Dr. Chin-Chen Lee (Taipei, Taiwan)
  • Dr. Sangruchi Tumtip (Bangkok, Thailand)

Drafting Sentence for Asian Society of Neuropathology (ASNP)

Neuropathology is a scientific field that originated in Europe in the 19th century and it has played an important role in studies of the etiology and pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. Scientists in Asia have assimilated this knowledge and associated techniques, and are now making significant and original contributions to the field in the 21st century. Today, Asian Neuropathologists need an opportunity to present their own results under a society of friendship and to exchange information with each other. This development is very important in the elucidation of both existing and novel neurological disorders and will make a substantial contribution to the development not only of Asian Neuropathology, but also of the discipline worldwide. To achieve this important objective, here we propose to establish an Asian Society of Neuropathology.

  • President of Japanese Society of Neuropathology: Prof. Emeritus Kazuo Nagashima
  • Representative of Chinese Society of Neuropathology: Prof. LuNing Wang
  • Representative of Korean Society of Neuropathology: Prof. Seung U Kim

2. The 1st Congress of the Asian Society of Neuropathology (2008)

  • Date: May 22, 2008
  • Venue: Tower Hall Funabori, Tokyo, Japan
  • President: Dr. Kazuo Nagashima (Emeritus Professor, Hokkaido University; former JSNP President)
  • Vice Presidents:
    • Dr. Atsuo Koto (Director, Yomiuri Land Keiyu Hospital; Chair of JSNP 2007)
    • Dr. Toshiki Yoshimine  (Osaka University; Chair of the 26th JSBTP Annual Meeting)

3. The 2nd Congress of the Asian Society of Neuropathology (2011)

  • Date: November 4 - 6, 2011
  • Venue: China Hall of Science and Technology, Beijing
  • President: Dr. De-Hong Lu (Beijing, China)
  • Vice Presidents: 
    • Dr. Hitoshi Takahashi (Niigata University, Japan)
    • Dr. Seung U. Kim (Korea)
  • Secretary General: Dr. Yue-Shan Piao (Beijing, China)
  • Treasurer: Dr. Yin Wang  (Shanghai, China)

4. The 3rd Congress of the Asian Society of Neuropathology (2014)

  • Date: November 6–8, 2014
  • Venue: Global Convention Center, Seoul National University, Korea
  • President: Dr. Sung-Hye Park (Seoul National University)

This congress was part of Brain Conference 2014, a joint event hosted by the Korean Society of Brain and Neural Science (KSBNS), the Congress of the Asian Society of Neuropathology (CASN), and the Korean Society for Neurodegenerative Diseases (KSND).

Symposium: Brain Tumor
  • Organizer: Dr. Jae-Kyung Myung (Korean Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences)
  • Speakers:
    • Dr. Takashi Komori (Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital): Natural History of Oligodendroglioma: Pathological and Genetic Correlation
    • Dr. Tatsuo Sawada (Tokyo Women’s Medical University): Neovascularization in Brain Tumors and Targeted Therapies
    • Dr. Su-Jae Lee (Hanyang University): Functional Role of Stem-Like Cells in the Glioblastoma Stroma
    • Dr. Ho-Keung Ng (Chinese University of Hong Kong): Molecular Pathology of Lower-Grade Gliomas (KSND)

5. The 4th Congress of the Asian Society of Neuropathology (2018)

  • Date: September 25, 2018
  • Venue: Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo, Japan

This congress was held in conjunction with the 19th International Congress of Neuropathology (ICN2018 Tokyo). The General Assembly was chaired by Dr. Shigeo Murayama, Chief Director of JSNP. At this meeting, Dr. Murayama proposed the inclusion of Oceanian countries, leading to the official transformation of ASNP into AOSNP. India was selected as the host of the 5th Congress following their presentation. Due to the absence of the Korean representative, the vote for the 6th Congress was postponed.

Members of the General Assembly Present:

  • Australia:
    • Dr. Catriona A. McLean (The Alfred, Melbourne)
    • Dr. Glenda Halliday (University of Sydney)
  • China:
    • Dr. Ho-Keung Ng (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
    • Dr. Yue-Shan Piao (Capital Medical University, on behalf of Dr. De-Hong Lu)
  • India:
    • Dr. Anita Mahadevan
    • Dr. Vani Santosh (NIMHANS, Bangalore)
    • Dr. Bishan Dass Radotra (PGIMER, Chandigarh)
  • Japan:
    • Dr. Takashi Komori (Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital)
    • Dr. Shigeo Murayama (Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center)
    • Dr. Hitoshi Takahashi (Niigata University)
    • Dr. Mari Yoshida (Aichi Medical University, Nagoya)
  • Malaysia:
    • Dr. Kum-Thong Wong (University of Malaya)
  • Singapore:
    • Dr. Lai Siang Hui (Singapore General Hospital)
  • Sri Lanka:
    • Dr. Ranil de Silva (University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Colombo)
  • Turkey:
    • Dr. Tarik Tihan (UCSF, representing the Turkish Neuropathology Working Group)

6. The 5th Congress of the Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology (2021)

  • Date: November 24–26, 2021
  • Venue: National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, INDIA
  • Organizing Chairperson (President): Dr. Vani Santosh (NIMHANS)
  • Organizing Secretary: Dr. Anita Mahadevan (NIMHANS)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5th Asian Oceanian Congress of Neuropathology (AOCN) was postponed by one year and held entirely online, in conjunction with the Annual National Conference of the Neuropathology Society of India (NPSICON 2021). The virtual event was hosted by the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, India.

The AOSNP Executive (EC) Meeting was held on September 25, 2021, during the congress. A draft agenda was circulated in advance to all member countries and to the working group representatives who had served at the Executive Meeting in the previous 2018 Tokyo congress. Dr. Sundaram Challa, President of NPSI, formally opened the joint congress, and Dr. Takashi Komori, Honorary Secretary of NPSI, chaired the EC Meeting.

Following the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, new officers were elected: Dr. Chitra Sarkar (India) as President, Dr. Catriona A. McLean (Australia) as Vice President, and Dr. Vani Santosh (India) as Secretary General. These appointments were unanimously endorsed by all executive members present, as well as by those who participated via email.

The formation of the new society was subsequently reported to the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN) and published on the ISN website (link). With this, the AOSNP was officially inaugurated under the new organizational framework adopted at the 2018 Tokyo Congress.

6. Election for the 6th Congress of the Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology

  • During the Tokyo Congress in 2018, both Korea and China expressed interest in hosting the 6th General Meeting. However, after the conclusion of the 5th Congress, Korea withdrew its bid, and China was later chosen as the host country for the 6th Congress.
  • The 6th Congress of the Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology is scheduled to be held on 13th – 14th November 2025 in Chongqing, China.