COPSAC Retreat summer 2013

The Vision

The vision is to stimulate clinical based translational research, applying novel basic research methods analyzing the genome, the human microbiome and other environmental exposures, as an integrated approach across the traditional clinical presentations of diverse lifestyle related disorders in order to search for commonalities of the underlying molecular mechanisms defining unique endotypes. Only interdisciplinary research in this intersection between clinical and basic sciences can provide the truly groundbreaking discoveries needed to understand the rising disease prevalence of lifestyle related disorders and the deliverables is therefore build on 5 pillars:

(1) Pre- and Perinatal Programming: It is the fundamental hypothesis that the fetus and the infants in the first months of life are immunologically immature. This period represents an ‘open window’, where diseases are programmed as the results of complex gene-environment interactions causing the underlying immune dysfunction.

(2) Deep phenotyping in early life will be shared across clinical subspecialties emphasizing human data and biobanks as the underpinning for the clinical translational research process. Synergy will emerge from this translational process by sharing methods and knowledge.

(3)Endotyping across diseases: Traditional disease classification is symptom-driven, based on common symptom patterns covering a number of different disease mechanisms. In contrast, an endotype is a subtype of disease defined by the underlying molecular mechanisms, distinct clinical features and individual treatment responses defined by disease mechanism building on genetics and systems biology. Effective preventive measures and individualized treatment must be based on insights into specific endotypes and search for mechanistic commonalities between current symptom based disease categories requesting closer research collaboration between clinical subspecialties.

(4) The exposome: Gene-environment interactions are driving lifestyle related disorders in children. The exposome (human microbiome, diet, endocrine disrupters, toxins etc.) interacts with the genome on immune maturation as well as sex differentiation and maturation potentiating lifestyle related disorders. Timing of exposure is paramount and may be critical in early life when the affected systems are immature while the same exposures may be innocent later in life, here focusing on the microbiome.

(5) Human genomic research has provided insight into the genetic variants causing of a multitude of disorders and developmental traits often crossing classical disease definitions, and this has led to breakthroughs in the understanding of common etiology and architecture of such traits.

Scientific Programme

The programme can be downloaded as a pdf file here
Wednesday June 19th 2013

THE OPEN WINDOW
Chair, morning session: Susan Prescott and Hans Bisgaard
09.50-10.00
Welcome
Hans Bisgaard MD DMSc Professor of Pediatrics, COPSAC, Copenhagen University Hospital

10.00-10.45
Early-life environmental determinants of allergic diseases and the wider pandemic of inflammatory noncommunicable diseases
Susan Prescott BMedSc MB BS PhDProfessor of Pediatrics, The University of Western Australia

10.45-11.15
The Immature Immune system in Early Life – learning and injuring for life
Susanne Brix Pedersen MSc PhD Associate Professor, Dept. of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark

11.15-12.00
The Human Microbiome in Early Life
Hans Bisgaard MD DMSc Professor of Pediatrics, COPSAC, Copenhagen University Hospital

12.00-13.00
Lunch

Chair, afternoon session: John Henderson and Jakob Stokholm
THE EXPOSOME
13.30-14.00
BCG immune-stimulation
Lone Graff Stensballe MD PhD, Copenhagen University Hospital

14.00-14.30
Prenatal Inflammation programming in Common Diseases
Bo Jacobsson MD PhD Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden

14.30-15.00
The Microbiome in Common Diseases
Søren J Sørensen MSc PhD Professor of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen

15.00-15.45
Coffee break

15.45-16.15
Perinatal Environmental Exposures of Endocrine Disrupters
Katarina Main MD DMSc PhD Professor of Pediatrics, Dept. of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital

EARLY PROGRAMMING
16.15-16.45
Origins of Obesity and Relatedness to Other Diseases
Torben Hansen MD PhD Professor, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen

16.45-17.15
Origins of Cognitive and Behavioral Disturbances and Relatedness to Other Diseases
Helle Hjalgrim MD PhD Head of Research, Danish Epilepsy Center

17:15-18.00
Beer and discussion

19:00
Dinner

Thursday June 20th 2013

EARLY PROGRAMMING
Chair, morning session: Stephan Weidinger and Klaus Bønnelykke

09.00-09.30
Origins of malignant diseases and Relatedness to Other Diseases
Kjeld Schmiegelow MD DMSc Professor of Pediatrics, Dept. of Pediatric Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital

09.30-10.00
Origins of Diabetes and Relatedness to Other Diseases
Henrik Bindesbøl Mortensen MD DMSci Professor of Pediatrics, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Gyneacology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Copenhagen University Hospital

10.00-10:45
Coffee break

10.45-11.30
Origins of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Relatedness to Other Diseases
John Henderson MD Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicin, University of Bristol, England

11.30-12.30
Lunch

Chair, afternoon session: Donata Vercelli and David Strachan
12.30-13.15
Origins of Childhood Eczema and Relatedness to other Diseases
Stephan Weidinger DMSci, Professor, Dept. Dermatology, University Hospital Schleswig- Holstein, Germany

THE GENOME
13.15-13.45
Heritability – The Genetic Contribution of Common Chronic Diseases
Simon Francis Thomsen MD PhD, Dept. of Dermatology, Copenhagen University Hospital

13.45-14.15
Genome Wide Association Analyses – what have they brought us
Klaus Bønnelykke MD PhD, COPSAC, Copenhagen University Hospital

14.15-15.00
Coffee break

15.00-15.45
Genetic risks and Gene Environment Interactions in Childhood Onset Asthma.
David Strachan MD FMedSci Professor of Epidemiology, Population Health, St. George’s University of London, England

15.45-16.30
Perinatal Exposure Affects Disease Susceptibility through Epigenetic Modification
Donata Vercelli MD Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, US

16:30-
Goodbye’s and sandwich

Sonnerupgaard Gods

The COPSAC Retreat will be held in the unique surroundings of Sonnerupgaard Gods, and it is our hope that this retreat will promote both academic and social activities among participants.

Sonnerupgaard Manor hotel and course centre is situated in the central Zealand. Sonnerupgaard is surrounded by 200 hectares of land, 50-hectare is forest and the rest is arable land.

The Main Building dates from 1878 and was the residence of a private family until 2001. The building is now part of the hotel and a very special part because it is almost unchanged since 1878. The atmosphere is therefore private and cosy with old furniture, an open fireplace, a door opening on to the terrace and the park with its flowers and small lakes with lots of ducks.

Sonnerupgaard has 6 single rooms and 63 double rooms. Some double rooms are small apartments with a living room, bedroom, bathroom and hall. All rooms are differently decorated.

It is situated just minutes away from the railway station to Copenhagen (45 minutes) as well as being in the perfect position for visits all over Zealand. Seewww.rejseplanen.dk – Hvalsø station.

The registration fee includes accommodation (1 night), food and beverages during daytime both days. Drinks and wine to the dinner are not included.

The conference host will be prepared to service the participants before, during and after the lectures.

Further details on the hotel homepage.

Practical Information

Driving Directions to Sonnerupgaard Manor:
From Copenhagen E21/23 take exit 15. On your GPS make sure to type Tølløsevej in HVALSØ and not Tølløse.
Train Instrustions from Kastrup Airport (CPH) to Sonnerupgaard Manor:
From the airport, take a train directly to Roskilde and from there a Taxi to Sonnerupgaard Manor.

Alternatively, from Roskilde Station you can take Bus236 to Hvalsø Station from where the Manor is only a brisk walk 1,2 km away.

See more and plan your travel at www.rejseplanen.dk which is available in English and German as well as Danish.

Address:

Sonnerupgaard Gods
Tølløsevej 53
4330 Hvalsø

Tlf: 46 40 95 31
F: +45 46 40 70 46
E: info@sonnerupgaard.dk

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the summer school, please contact us:

COPSAC
The Danish Pediatric Asthma Center
Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Ledreborg Allé 34
DK-2820 Gentofte
Tlf 3977 7360
E-mail: retreat@dbac.dk