ECCO’19 Scientific Programme Preview
Pieter Hindryckx, ECCO News Associate Editor
 Pieter Hindryckx © ECCO |
For the 14th edition of the ECCO Congress we return to the venue of the 2014 Congress: the Bella Center in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The central theme of the 2019 Congress is “Research drives clinical care”, reflecting a well-balanced cocktail comprising the latest advances in basic and clinical research in IBD and their (potential) implications for daily clinical practice.
The therapeutic armamentarium of IBD is rapidly expanding and we have become more ambitious in our treatment goals. A first session entitled “Silencing of IBD” will therefore tackle the question of whether we can expect to prevent or cure IBD in the near future.
Given that therapeutic options are increasing, the identification of treatment response predictors is an absolute research priority. Hence, another session will focus on system biology as a potential tool to select the right drug for the right patient.
A complete session will be dedicated to complementary medicine. Patients sometimes seek refuge in alternative medicine, on which the knowledge of their treating physician is usually limited. What are the different forms of complementary medicine and why do patients believe in them?
Day 2 starts with a session on “Best practice in UC”, covering several relevant aspects in the medical and surgical management of UC.
It is well known that the incidence of IBD is increasing globally, including in Eastern countries. In the second session of day 2, an update will be provided on vaccination and travelling with IBD and the experiences of non-European countries with regard to IBD incidence and management will be shared and discussed.
Major advances in endoscopic and cross-sectional imaging have been made over the last few years and their relevance in IBD will be addressed in another session.
Towards the end of day 2, a basic science session will take place, entitled “Immune cells and microbes: A happy marriage?” Three keynote lectures and four high-quality scientific abstracts will elaborate on the major advances in this field.
The third day will offer practical recommendations for IBD treatment in the elderly and during the reproductive phase. Emphasis will also be put on the cancer risk in paediatric IBD patients. This will be followed by future perspectives on artificial intelligence, robot surgery and the impact of “big data” on IBD research.
As is traditional, the Congress will end with the ECCO Lecture (this year on tuberculosis) and the ECCO Film, which in the meantime has become well known.
In conclusion, the 12 scientific sessions spread over 3 days again include carefully selected key lectures and top-ranked abstracts that together cover very topical subjects in IBD. The ECCO Congress has grown into the most important IBD congress in the world and is not to be missed by anyone involved in the care of IBD patients!
See you all in Copenhagen!!