Highlights from PancreasFest 2023

Our team got together in Pittsburgh, PA last month for PancreasFest 2023, where pancreas doctors and researchers come together to find new ways to improve patient care.

As you may know, our team works virtually across the U.S. and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), so it’s always a blast when we get together in person! Here, we talked with pancreatic experts to see how we can work together to push our mission of curing pancreatitis forward, and we educated providers on the common misconceptions around chronic pancreatitis.

We can’t wait to tell you all about what we learned and what’s coming up in pancreatic care! Keep reading to see our top highlights at PancreasFest 2023.

PancreasFest Street Interview

We had a great time talking to pancreatic experts during our “Street Interview” at PancreasFest and picking their brains on what they think about the pancreas.

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Team’s Highlights

We reached out to our core team and interns to find out what stood out to them during the event. Take a look at their thoughts below:

"It was an honor presenting our work on developing core outcome sets to be used in clinical trials for RAP and CP. We identified the most important domains reflecting how patients feel and function. It is imperative that the field continues to work together to finalize the instruments for use in clinical trials."

"Hearing about the preliminary research about a TRAIL protein called TLY012 was really exciting. This protein is thought to target fibrotic cells in the pancreas, while leaving the healthy ones unharmed. Although CP patients may need repeated treatments, it'd be a promising step towards helping those with pain."

"Tonya Palermo's 'Whole Person Health' presentation was enlightening! She spoke about how multiple factors contribute to CP, so multi-component interventions are needed to treat it. Rather than one approach, providers should be combining medical, biological, and behavioral interventions."

"Dr. Singh's presentation on CP pain was eye-opening. He explained that the nervous system's changes have a bigger role in pain than the pancreas' physical structure. Central sensitization, linked to heightened pain responses, and different pain types related to genetics were also discussed."

"I found the 'chemical pancreatectomy' interesting. Researchers discovered that pouring citric acid into a mouse dissolved its pancreas, while leaving insulin-producing islet cells. This method could be an alternative to the TPIAT with potentially lower diabetes risk, pending human trials."

"I enjoyed Sinead Duggan's presentation on nutrition studies in chronic pancreatitis. The research showed the importance of diet counseling, personalized health goals, and what group support and education can look like when reaching patient communities."

"I appreciated the session, 'Advancing the Engagement of Underserved Populations,' which shared helpful strategies for recruiting underserved populations in clinical trials. I'm looking forward to taking what we learned and applying it to our own recruitment strategies!"

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Highlights from PancreasFest 2023

PancreasFest Street Interview

Team’s Highlights

PancreasFest Photos

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Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Get Updates in Your Inbox

PancreasFest Street Interview

Team’s Highlights

PancreasFest Photos

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