Sidra Medicine will host the third iteration of its symposium CUDOS - Current Understanding on Diabetes, Obesity, and Related Syndromes, in Doha from November 20 to 26.

The symposium, under the theme ‘Innovative Concepts in Modern Diabetes Management', will discuss the current understanding on diabetes, obesity and related syndromes highlighting the latest innovations in the treatment and management of diabetes.

Dr Ammira-Sarah Akil, Sidra Medicine principal investigator, founder of CUDOS and chairperson of CUDOS 2019, said, “The symposium is aimed at improving the lives of children and young people with diabetes, obesity and other related diseases. Our goal is to find solutions impacting both treatment and care for various problems associated with diabetes and its complications. We are looking at the impact on various age groups, prevention vs early detection with a special focus on childhood diabetes.”

A major focus at CUDOS 2019 will be on how Sidra Medicine is embarking on its journey towards precision medicine in the care and treatment of children and young people with diabetes. It will highlight major findings and success stories of its precision medicine programme.

“Currently, 40% of adults in Qatar are obese and a recent study by the Ministry of Public Health revealed that approximately one in five school-aged children is obese and a similar number is overweight,” said Dr Monica Skarulis, deputy director, Qatar Metabolic Institute.

“Overweight and obesity are major drivers for metabolic diseases like diabetes. Children are not spared from adult problems such as high blood sugar, blood pressure, fatty liver, joint problems, etc. Obese children often suffer from the effects of teasing, bullying and low self-esteem,” added Dr Skarulis.

CUDOS 2019 will also feature a special programme titled 'Our Youth at Risk' jointly organised by Sidra Medicine, Qatar Metabolic Institute and the National Obesity Centre. The segment will discuss the prevalence and genetic risk of obesity and the available treatment options for adolescents with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

“We are well on our way to showcasing the active steps we are taking as a health and research organisation in linking clinical care with research – and the impact it will have on patients with diabetes. We have some ground breaking sessions with the Gulf Heart Association to highlight the cardiac risk in diabetic patients in respect to type 1 and type 2 and related pathophysiological mechanisms and features,” explained Prof Ziyad M Hijazi, executive chair of Paediatric Medicine at Sidra Medicine.

“Sidra Medicine is uniquely positioned to embed precision medicine into patient care. This can lead to more accurate patient diagnoses and better treatment programs for diseases that affect the local population, like diabetes, obesity and rare disorders. The impact that we hope to create will be far reaching not only for the people of Qatar but across the Middle East region and the world,” said Dr Khalid Fakhro, acting chief research officer, Sidra Medicine.

Key international speakers at the event include Prof Juliana Chan from the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Prof Roger Mazze from the International Diabetes Centre in the US; Prof Jorma Toppari from the University of Torku, Finland; Prof Aaron Kowalski from JDRF International, US; Prof Sadaf Farooqi from the University of Cambridge, UK; Prof Thomas Inge from Children's Hospital of Colorado, US; and Prof Pavel Hamet from the University of Montreal, Canada.

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