Thursday 23 October
Session 1
Steatotic liver disease – Leveraging genetics for therapeutic insight
The lectures in this session illustrate the pathway from the discovery of genetic factors underlying the development of steatotic liver disease (fatty liver) towards the employment of this genetic information for the design of new therapies alleviating the increasing disease burden.
13:00
Opening of the symposium
Vesa Olkkonen, Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
13:05
Chairperson Hannele Yki-Järvinen
Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
13:10-13:35
Hepatic mitochondrial reductive stress – from genetics via bench to bedside
Panu Luukkonen, Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
13:40-14:15
Reductive stress in steatotic liver disease – focus on GCKR
Russell Goodman, Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
14:20-14:55
Intermediary metabolism in steatotic liver disease – focus on ACC
Shawn Burgess, UT Southwestern, USA
15:00-15:20
Functional characterization of protective gene variants in steatotic liver disease
Sami Qadri, Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
15:20-15:50
Coffee break
Session 2
Incretins – Bench to bedside
Incretins are a group of intestinal-derived hormones that decrease blood glucose levels. They are released after eating, and augment the secretion of insulin released from pancreatic beta cells by a blood-glucose-dependent mechanism. Incretin receptor agonists are at present successfully applied as drugs for diabetes and obesity. In this session leading experts elucidate the biology of incretins and their therapeutic potential in distinct disease settings.
15:50
Chairperson Daniel Gordin
Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
15:55-16:30
Incretins – Gut to brain, and back
Petter Bjornstad, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
16:35-17:10
Incretins in patients with type 1 diabetes
David Cherney, University of Toronto, Canada
17:15-17:50
Incretins in the kidney guidelines 2027
Ian de Boer, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
18:00-19:30
Wine and snacks
Friday 24 October
Session 3
Bone and mineral metabolism, its genetic components and therapeutic approaches
This session outlines genetic discoveries in the field of bone and mineral metabolism, and how they are employed in various clinical applications and in understanding population-level health issues.
08:30
Chairperson Heikki Koistinen
Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
08:35-09:10
The road from the discovery of sclerostin mutations to clinical applications
Wim van Hul, University of Antwerp, Belgium
09:15-09:50
The clinical landscape of parathormone signaling
Harald Jüppner, Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
09:55-10:20
Monogenic osteoporosis – lessons from rare phenotypes to population health problems
Outi Mäkitie, Folkhälsan, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
10:25-10:50
Kidney stone disease and genetics of hypercalciuria
Heikki Koistinen, Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
10:50-11:20
Coffee break
Session 4
Genetics and pharmacogenetics in personalized medicine
In this session leading experts address a number of genetic discoveries that help develop new, personalized therapies, as well as genetic variations that give rise to differential responses to drugs.
11:20
Chairperson Miina Ollikainen
Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research
11:25-12:00
Genetic and functional analysis of Raynaud’s syndrome implicates loci in vasculature and immunity
Vilma Lammi, FIMM, University of Helsinki and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, US
12:05-12:40
Splicing defect as a cause of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA): Therapy with a splicing-correcting antisense oligonucleotide
Adrian Krainer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA
12:40-13:30
Lunch
13:30-13:55
Pharmacogenetics in personalized medicine
Mikko Niemi, University of Helsinki, Finland
14:00-14:25
Inherited infertility – mapping loci associated with impaired female reproduction
Elisabeth Widen, FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland
14:30-15:30
Panel discussion
Emerging new therapies: The path from innovation to cost-effective benefit to the patients
The meeting is closed by a panel discussion on the long and challenging path from genetic and biological discoveries to medical innovations and finally to novel forms of therapy. How can this process be accelerated, and how can new therapies be made affordable to the patients and the national health care systems?
Moderator
Sami Pakarinen, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Panelists
Ian de Boer, Petter Bjornstad, Daniel Gordin, Harald Juppner, Adrian Krainer and Wim van Hul
