Insulin resistance meeting features latest research, experts in cardiometabolic health
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LOS ANGELES — Experts in the fields of insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and liver and kidney disease will lead an international program this week designed to bridge the latest developments across the multiple specialties, explore new research in metabolic diseases and gain new insight on cutting-edge therapeutic discoveries.
The World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (WCIRDC), now in its 17th year, is a unique multidisciplinary CME program taking place at the Hilton Universal City in Los Angeles through Saturday. The congress, featuring 80 faculty members from eight countries, is dedicated to diabetes, obesity, lipids, CVD and energy balance, linking basic research to clinical practice.
“When we established this meeting with Gerald Reaven, MD, around the insulin resistance concept, we realized that insulin resistance impacts every aspect of metabolism,” Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FNLA, FASCP, MACE, medical director and principal investigator of the Metabolic Institute of America in Tarzana, California, an Endocrine Today Editorial Board Member and conference chair, told Healio. “Insulin resistance is involved in obesity and, clearly, diabetes, but also in polycystic ovary syndrome, certain cancers, fatty liver, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis,or NASH, kidney disease, and adipose tissue. Participants include endocrinologists, cardiologists, pediatricians, liver specialists, nephrologists, basic scientists, and specific experts in the circadian field and the field of insulin resistance who are leaders in the respective fields.”
The program, Handelsman said, is designed to evaluate clinical and basic science aspects of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, heart failure, CVD, chronic kidney disease and related cardiometabolic conditions by also focusing on insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, fat inflammation and energy metabolism. There are multiple interactive sessions focusing on state of the art clinical management of diabetes, dyslipidemia, CKD and CVD. The goal is to understand the pathophysiology of each condition and develop appropriate comprehensive clinical management plans, he said.
“In just over 3 days, we provide 32 CME credits,” Handelsman said. “That is unprecedented for a meeting of this size. The congress offers something for everyone — physicians, dietitians, pharmacists, nurses. We believe that what we do today here will impact what you do tomorrow.”
Researchers at the congress present their latest data and findings on everything from biomarkers to new physiologic insights to new ideas for therapies. The meeting also offers attendees the chance to network face-to-face with global faculty, Handelsman said.
The congress offers several highlights this year:
- New this year, a special session on "insulin resistance 101" will explain the "nuts and bolts" of insulin resistance and its relationship to obesity, with Ralph DeFronzo, MD, and Tracey McLaughlin, MD, MS, among others, as well as a joint session with the journal Metabolism chaired by Christos Mantzoros, MD, DSc.
- A Thursday morning “emerging science” session, chaired by Derek LeRoith, MD, PhD, and W. Timothy Garvey, MD, will include presentations on the role of leptin in starvation and diabetic ketoacidosis, associations between clusterin and hepatic insulin sensitivity and the sarcopenia of aging.
- Robert P. Giugliano, MD, and Erin Bohula May, MD, DPhil, will chair a special TIMI group session beginning at 2:30 p.m. Thursday outlining findings from large CV trials, such as ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48, CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 and the latest updates from DECLARE-TIMI 58.
- The Salk Institute Symposium, taking place Friday from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m., will feature cutting-edge research on the origin and treatment of insulin resistance, chaired by Ronald M. Evans, PhD.
- Paul Zimmet, AO, MD, PhD, and Robert H. Eckel, MD, will take opposing sides in a debate on whether to change the name of metabolic syndrome to circadian syndrome on Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by a panel discussion.
- Zachary T. Bloomgarden, MD, recipient of the Gerald Reaven Distinguished Leader in Insulin Resistance Award, will present the meeting’s keynote discussion, “Insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease: Looking back, looking forward,” on Saturday at 10:35 a.m.
For primary care clinicians, the congress will feature a series of workshops and “meet the expert” panels addressing the clinical prevention and management of cardiometabolic conditions. Each series of sessions — including basic science presentations —is followed by expert commentary on the clinical implications in daily practice. The congress will also feature a welcome and posters reception Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., as well as the top six abstract oral presentations Friday starting at 6:45 p.m. Abstracts will be published in Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.
Healio will provide coverage from the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease 2019, including reports on the sessions, on-site video interviews and much more. For more information on the conference and registration, visit www.wcir.org. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: Handelsman is chair of the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.