The Obesity and Adipose Tissue conference joint with MASH Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Approaches took place from February 24th to February 26th in Banff, Canada. The MicroOrganoLab was represented by Lisa Lazarevski who gave a short talk on „Unraveling the Impact of White Adipose Tissue on Breast Cancer Metabolism and Therapy Resistance Using a Breast Cancer-on-Chip Model“ in the Health Equity Forum.
The three day conference included many diverse sessions including: adipocyte molecular and cellular biology, adipose tissue in organismal metabolism, population biology in obesity, and related diseases. A career round-table with representatives from industry, academia, and journals was held as well. This gave young researchers the opportunity to network, share experiences, and get insights from the experts! Each day was concluded with a Poster Session to expand knowledge and learn about research form all around the world.
While there was a wide range of topics, Lisa found that 98% of the research presented was done in mice, and only 1.9% of studies were done in humans. She found herself alone in the field of Organ-on-Chip. This really goes to show how much more room for growth there is in Organ-Chip research!
Across the entire conference, genome wide sequencing and single nucleus sequencing of adipocytes and other relevant cells was consistently shown. This emphasized the importance of genetics in the understanding of metabolic diseases (including obesity) and tissue remodeling.
Overall, the conference was well organized and structured. With three different days for the three different main topics, it was easy to have an overview. The choice of speakers was excellent. The leading adipose tissue and obesity researchers were present, along with many industry representatives, including Lilly, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk. It was refreshing to see such a great mix of leaders in both academia and industry!
