AGEM has organized a multitude of successful symposia over the years, starring well-known lecturers from Amsterdam UMC and beyond. We proudly present an overview of AGEM symposia over the years here.
2024
On March 21 the third edition of the MASLD symposium was organized. The evening covered the full translational spectrum focused on ‘MASLD: gearing up for an ever more prevalent liver disease’. During this symposium, five renowned speakers in the MASLD field shared their research, from MASLD and insulin resistance, to organoids as disease models, to the available therapeutics and more. The rest of the program was filled with talks by other junior experts in the field and a delicious networking dinner.
2023
The annual ImmunoMetNet symposium was organized in June and was again visited by over 100 researchers from institutes all across the country. The day featured sessions on metabolic control of the immune system, molecular immunometabolism, immunometabolism in health and disease and immunometabolites. During lunchtime the speakers and the attendees had ample opportunity to network. To close the meeting, keynote speaker Randall S Johnson (University of Cambridge, UK) provided an overview on the role of oxygen and immunometabolites in shaping immune function.
The HPBeter symposium was organized on December 8.
2022
With COVID-19 restrictive measures coming to an end, a series of succesfull symposia were organized in 2022. The annual ImmunoMetNet symposium was again co-organized by AGEM. With over 100 participants and renowned international speakers, the symposium was a great success. Keynote speaker David Sancho (CNIC, Madrid, Spain) presented unpublished work on the role of oxidative phosphorylation in maintaining tissue macrophage homeostasis. The invited speakers as well as the short pitches by PhD candidates highlighted that immunometabolism research is booming in and around Amsterdam UMC and that there is a need for more regular local ImmunoMetNet symposia allowing young researchers to present their ongoing immunometabolism-related work across the borders of the different research institutes.
On May 18, the second edition of the AGEM NAFLD symposium took place. The program consisted of a Meet-the-Expert lunch, presentations from international speakers and a presentation session featuring four young investigators from Amsterdam UMC and beyond. After a networking dinner, the symposium was concluded by two keynote speakers: prof. Paul Yen, who explained the importance of vitamin B12 and folate, and prof. Patrick Rensen, who spoke about three potential therapeutic targets to treat NAFLD/NASH.
In June, seven of the eight research institutes of Amsterdam UMC jointly organized the symposium Animal (free) research in Amsterdam UMC – Where are we now?. This symposium was the start to be more transparent about the use of laboratory animals within Amsterdam UMC to address specific research questions. From each research institute, one researcher presented their research and clearly indicated for which part no laboratory animals are necessary and for which part they still are used. At the end of the symposium there were two panel discussions, each with its own main question: 1) Is animal testing still necessary?, and 2) What is needed from Amsterdam UMC to be more transparent/open about the use of laboratory animals?. The symposium was very successful and received well by the audience. There was an interesting discussion and points were raised for us as Amsterdam UMC to improve. This meeting will be an annual event to show society and politics what we are doing, and to discuss with them the challenges that exist to replace research in laboratory animals with animal-free models.
The second edition of the HPBeter symposium took place on December 9. HPB refers to disorders that affect the hepato-(liver)-pancreato-biliary organs. A diverse group of medical professionals and researchers from across the Amsterdam region gathered to learn about the latest developments and current state of practice in the field of HPB medicine, including both benign and malignant disorders. A recurring theme was the importance of cooperation between hospitals, research institutes, and sponsors. It was frequently mentioned that without this cooperation, much of the research discussed at the symposium would not have been possible. Overall, the HPBeter Symposium 2022 was a highly successful and engaging event, providing attendees with a wealth of interesting and motivating information and insights.
2021
Similarly, on December 10, the newly merged hepatopancreaticobiliary (“HPB”)
departments of the AMC and VUmc organized their first joint syposium: HPBeter. The aim of the symposium was to familiarize researchers with each other’s research
activities and stimulate collaboration between all disciplines involved in HPB research. Although unable to meet physically due to COVID-19 restrictions, the “hybrid” HPBeter symposium was an inspiring day and a success.
2020
In 2020, AGEM helped organize the ImmunoMetNet symposium, focused on immunometabolic research performed in the Netherlands. Keynote speaker Maxim
Artyomov (Washington University, St Louis) explained the fundamentals of RNAsequencing and metabolomics by using paintings of Rembrandt and other Dutch painters. Despite the virtual set-up of the meeting, there were still numerous interesting discussions due to the meet-the-speaker sessions in the small breakout rooms and the possibility to ask questions after each talk.
2019
In 2019, AGEM organized three interesting symposia on different themes across AGEM's research programs.
The first symposium, "Complex Genetics of Metabolic Disease" simulated in-depth discussions among the participants, due to the wide variety of inspiring lectures. Again, lecturers were scholars from both Amsterdam UMC as well as beyond. Professor
Johan Auwerx (École Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne), for instance, shared his groups data on system genetics approaches in exploring mitochondria and aging. And PhD candidate Marte Molenaars (Amsterdam UMC), talked about how mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomes stoichiometric balance links two longevity pathways.
This symposium was followed in June by a symposium on "Hormones & Digestion", which focused on a wide variety of topics with lectures from both fundamental and clinical research. To conclude the day, Prof. Inge Depoortere gave an excellent key note lecture on the role of gastrointestinal hormones in the regulation of food intake. The lively discussions after each lecture were strinking and, according to the organizing committee, the elaborate interaction between the speakers and the audience resulted in new fruitful ideas for future research and possibly even new collaborations.
Towards the end of the year, AGEM's third symposium of 2019 was centred around the wide array of possibilities of imaging in gastroenterology and metabolism. Nine lecturers from UMCs in the Netherlands brought the theme of the symposium, "Imagine the Image", to life by speaking about their experience with different imaging techniques and their relevance for gastroenterology and metabolism research. The
symposium on innovative imaging techniques was deemed interesting and inspiring and will most likely serve as a base for new research ideas and collaborations.
2018
In 2018, AGEM organized two successful symposia. The first one was centred around the theme "Nutrition", in which lecturers discussed the relevance of nutrition and its relevance to their own research. The symposium was concluded by keynote speaker Prof. Jaap Seidell, who discussed that unhealthy food patterns and obesity may contribute to systemic low grade inflammation and that this chronic inflammation may lead to a host of metabolic derangements and noncommunicable diseases.
The second symposium was on Obesity, with special quest Prof. dr. William Dietz, from Washington, DC. Prof. dr. Dietz gave an inspiring lecture on the paradigm changes in obesity prevention and care. This, together with a 'Meet the expert session' and various interesting lectures, made the Obesity symposium a great success.
Another highlight of 2018 was the collaboration between AGEM and Cancer Center Amsterdam, on the "Colorectal Cancer" symposium. With over 200 guests, the symposium was strongly focused on collaboration and knowledge sharing. Plans were made for an optimalization of collaboration between the region (Noord-West Nederland) and the recently harmonized Amsterdam UMC, and preclinical and clinical rsearchers from AMC and VUmc were encouraged to cross-poliinate between the two Amsterdam UMC locations. The day was concluded by key note speaker Prof. dr. Hans Clevers (UMC Utrecht) with a lecture on his world famous stem cell research.
