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ADA highlights new trial data, cutting-edge research at annual meeting
New and emerging concepts in the field of diabetes will be a common theme at this year’s American Diabetes Association’s 77th Scientific Sessions, which will feature a mix of breakthrough trial data and presentations ranging from precision medicine and genome-wide studies to psychosocial health and the prevention of type 1 diabetes, according to the meeting’s organizers.
The annual meeting, taking place from June 9 to 13, will bring together more than 16,000 attendees from 120 countries at the San Diego Convention Center to hear from experts spanning the rapidly growing diabetes field. This year’s schedule includes nearly 2,500 original research presentations, including symposia, oral abstract sessions, interest group discussions, meet-the-expert sessions, and special lectures and addresses.
“The thing that really sets [this meeting] apart is the late-breaking science, both in clinical and basic,” William T. Cefalu, MD, chief scientific, medical, and mission officer for ADA, told Endocrine Today. “That really sets it apart from other endocrine meetings — the quality of the science and the depth of the science. In addition, this session also provides clinical guidance and clinical education. It covers the gamut of research topics for diabetes, so it offers a diversity of interests.”
“One of the things I like best about the scientific sessions is the ability of the basic researchers to make the connections between what is going on at the bench and what is happening with patient care, and back again,” Maureen Gannon, PhD, chair of the Scientific Sessions Meeting Planning Committee, told Endocrine Today. “It’s being able to go to those different sessions and learn about the artificial pancreas, and how those new drugs are impacting beta cells — really going back and forth between basic molecular research and patient care.”
This year’s program will include results from several highly anticipated clinical studies, including findings from TrialNet’s international Oral Insulin Prevention Trial, and its companion study, Immune Effects of Oral Insulin. The double blind, placebo-controlled study is the largest and longest oral insulin prevention trial ever conducted, according to a press release from ADA. Other data being presented include additional analyses of the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide (Victoza, Novo Nordisk) from the LEADER trial, including new cardiovascular findings and an updated analysis of safety outcomes, results from the JDRF Reducing with Metformin Vascular Adverse Lesions in Type 1 Diabetes (REMOVAL) trial, and findings from an international trial assessing the cardiovascular safety of insulin degludec (Tresiba, Novo Nordisk) vs. insulin glargine (Lantus, Sanofi) in patients with type 2 diabetes (DEVOTE).
This year’s program is grouped into eight theme areas: Acute and Chronic Complications; Behavioral Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Education and Exercise; Clinical Diabetes/Therapeutics; Epidemiology/Genetics; Immunology/Transplantation; Insulin Action/Molecular Metabolism; Integrated Physiology/Obesity; and Islet Biology/Insulin Secretion.
“We tend to go to very specialized meetings, and this gives you an appreciation of where your little piece of the pie fits into a bigger context of the broader diabetes research going on,” Gannon said. “I really like my trainees to go to this meeting. I tell them, even though it can seem a little overwhelming, it’s an exciting meeting to go to, to get out of your comfort zone.”
Other highlights include the following:
- A symposium on genome-wide association studies revealing therapeutic links between type 1 and type 2 diabetes will held Friday, June 9, from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. “There are emerging concepts that there are more similarities [between type 1 and type 2] than what was previously thought, that might characterize both diseases,” Gannon said.
- The Foot Care Interest Group, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will hold a symposium Saturday, June 10, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., reflecting on the evolution of diabetic foot treatments and where the field is heading.
- The Pathways to Stop Diabetes symposium, taking place Saturday, June 10, from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., will feature six ongoing research projects funded by the ADA. “Their research runs the gamut of what the ADA research program supports — talks on pregnancy and gestational diabetes, obesity and inflammation, clinical therapeutics and new technologies, including nanoparticles, macrovascular and microvascular complications and integrated physiology,” Gannon said.
- The President’s Oral Session will take place on Tuesday, June 13, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The eight included oral presentations — selected by the planning committee as the best among the submitted abstracts — are typically presented by students and postdocs, Gannon said. “They highlight the breadth of research going on, from diabetic nephropathy, to behavioral medicine and new technologies,” Gannon said.
“I’ve been going to scientific sessions for over 30 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever been to one with so much exciting new science,” Cefalu said. “It’s going to be one of the better ones.”
The Endocrine Today and Healio.com staff will provide coverage from ADA 2017, including reports on the sessions, onsite video interviews and much more. For more information on the ADA agenda and registration, visit https://professional.diabetes.org/meeting/scientific-sessions/77th-scientific-sessions. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosures: Cefalu is chief scientific, medical and mission officer for the ADA. Gannon is chair of the Scientific Sessions Meeting Planning Committee.