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ADA spotlights key trial data, latest research at annual meeting
Attendees heading to this year’s American Diabetes Association 76th Scientific Sessions can expect to learn about the latest cutting-edge science in a number of emerging research areas, as well as gain insight into the results of two noteworthy clinical trials that have surprised researchers with unexpected cardiovascular benefit in high-risk populations.
The annual meeting, taking place from June 10 to 14, will bring together more than 14,000 attendees from 120 countries to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans to hear from experts spanning the rapidly growing diabetes field. This year’s schedule includes nearly 2,800 presentations, including symposia, oral abstract sessions, interest group discussions, meet-the-expert sessions, and special lectures and addresses. Topics will touch on everything from the clinical and metabolic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors, the latest research on the microbiome, a special focus on heart failure and diabetes, and the debate surrounding the cost of care.
“I believe that meetings like this — and in the diabetes world, this is the main one — are central to what we’re trying to do,” Matthew Riddle, MD, chair of the 2016 Scientific Sessions Meeting Planning Committee, told Endocrine Today. “It provides a forum for scientific presentation, new information presented in a very formal and rigorous way, and people look forward to it all year. It’s a big deal.”
The meeting also offers an opportunity to bring together different voices in the diabetes community who may not typically cross paths, Riddle said.
“Clinicians and people working on epidemiologic projects predicting where to allocate resources, people who are working in health systems and government agencies trying to figure out the problem of diabetes, they benefit hugely from this because they get to hear the conversation between the scientists and the clinicians,” he said. “The people seeing the patients get to have their say and point out what they need. So, it serves the needs of several different communities, including basic science, the clinical science community, the epidemiologists and health planners. It’s the only time when everybody gets together in the same venue.”
The highlights at this year’s meeting will center on the anticipated results of two major clinical trials shown to reduce the risk for CV death in high-risk populations: the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER) trial, and an update from the EMPA-REG outcome trial. Preliminary results from LEADER, released in March, showed the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist Victoza (liraglutide, Novo Nordisk) reduced the risk for CV death, nonfatal MI and nonfatal stroke in patients. New data from EMPA-REG, which in September revealed an unexpected CV benefit with the SGLT2 inhibitor Jardiance (empagliflozin, Boehringer Ingelheim), will provide further analysis of the findings, Riddle said.
Several other special sessions are on the program:
The president’s oral sessions will include abstracts on cumulative life stress and islet autoimmunity, T-cell mitochondrial dysfunction in type 1 diabetes, brain gray matter volume changes in children with type 2 diabetes, and closed-loop glucagon administration to prevent hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes.
The ADA will hold an open-access session to feature the latest findings from six of the ADA’s Pathway to Stop Diabetes grant recipients from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday, June 13.
There will be special programming for primary care providers Saturday, June 11. “Diabetes Is Primary” will highlight the key guidelines that are most useful in day-to-day primary practice and will provide information on delivering quality care and improving patient outcomes.
On Thursday, June 9, the ADA will host “Focus on Fellows,” a 2-day program targeting early-career diabetes professionals with small-group learning experiences, followed by support throughout the meeting.
“For the trainees — the younger people just entering careers in diabetes, nursing, clinical research or endocrine practice — this is your introduction to the big field of diabetes,” Riddle said. “It’s almost too big a specialty to get your head around. Meetings like this have a central role, and I’m grateful that the ADA has put a lot of resources behind it and made it part of their mission to make this a success.”
The Endocrine Today and Healio.com staff will provide coverage from ADA 2016, including reports on the sessions, onsite video interviews and much more. For more information on the ADA agenda and registration, visit www.professional.diabetes.org/meeting/scientific-sessions/76th-scientific-sessions. – by Regina Schaffer