On May 11-12, 2024, the "Nova China, Imagine the Future-2024 Immunological Science Forum" hosted by China Medical Tribune and Novartis China was successfully held at the Yusan Tribute Hotel in Shanghai. This forum brought together many authoritative experts in the field of rheumatism and skin at home and abroad to discuss the progress of diagnosis and treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), research hotspots and innovative directions of future treatment. This article organizes the wonderful content of the main venue and invites readers to share.
The meeting opened
With the participation of all the experts, the forum officially kicked off with a fascinating opening video. Professor Zhang Furen from the Dermatology Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University and Professor Zhao Yan from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, as the chairmen of the conference, extended a warm welcome to the participants, expressed their attention and expectation for the conference, and emphasized the important role of precision targeted therapy in the field of skin and rheumatism.
Prof. Zhang Furen (left) and Prof. Zhao Yan (right) delivered opening remarks
Subsequently, Professor Wang Gang from Xijing Skin Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University, Professor Zhang Jianzhong from Peking University People's Hospital, Professor Zhang Xuejun from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Professor Zheng Min from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Professor Zheng Jie from Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Professor Gu Jieruo from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University delivered enthusiastic speeches, congratulating the convening of the conference, reviewing and looking forward to the development of dermatology and rheumatology, and looking forward to the upcoming academic exchanges and sharing.
Professor Wang Gang
Professor Zhang Jianzhong
Professor Zhang Xuejun
Professor Zheng Min
Professor Zheng Jie
Prof. Ko Xiao Young
In the joint speech session of the organizers, Ms. Zhang Ying, President and Managing Director of Novartis China, and Mr. Li Feng, Vice President of China Medical Tribune, expressed their warm congratulations and sincere thanks to the guests and expressed their support and commitment to the development of immunoscience.
Ms. Zhang Ying (left) and Mr. Li Feng (right) delivered joint speeches
Academic Speech: Exploring Immunotherapy
In the academic speech session, experts conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as the treatment changes of IMIDs and innovative treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Therapeutic Transitions in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: Past, Present, and Future
Professor Wang Gang reviewed the history of IMIDs treatment, analyzed the current treatment status, and put forward an outlook for future treatment directions. He pointed out that IMIDs are a group of diseases with common immune pathways, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), skin inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis (PsD) and atopic dermatitis (AD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), etc., which not only affect specific organs, but may also cause comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic and bone diseases, which have a significant impact on the quality of life and survival of patients. Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention are the key to the treatment of IMIDs, which can help to achieve disease remission or low disease activity, prevent target organ damage, and potentially achieve disease modification. It has become a trend to seize the window of opportunity for early intervention and actively use targeted therapy to control inflammation. Professor Wang Gang also emphasized that although significant progress has been made in the treatment of IMIDs, there are still many unmet clinical needs, and the exploration of curative therapies is still in the "spring of hope".
Professor Wang Gang's academic sharing
Moving into the Future: An Innovative Journey in the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases
Professor Xu Huji from Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to Naval Medical University shared the current status of rheumatism, treatment progress and future research directions. Professor Xu pointed out that rheumatism is the third leading health killer after cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and tumors, and is characterized by high morbidity, high disability rate and high treatment cost. There are many rheumatology patients in China, but there is a relative shortage of professional doctors, resulting in many patients not receiving timely and effective treatment. Prof. Xu reviewed three milestones in rheumatology treatment: first, the development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and acetaminophen; followed by immunosuppressants and hormone therapy, which have certain alleviating effects but large side effects, and cannot balance efficacy and safety; Finally, the application of biologics to treat rheumatological diseases by blocking specific cytokine signaling pathways has achieved remarkable results in rheumatology. In addition, Professor Xu shared the latest progress in the application of CAR-T cell therapy in refractory rheumatic immune diseases such as necrotizing myositis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Finally, Prof. Xu emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, and proposed future research directions in the field of rheumatology and immunology, including in-depth exploration of pathogenic mechanisms and the development of more effective and safer treatments.
Professor Xu Huji's academic sharing
Innovation and commitment: Novartis' path to discovery in immunology
诺华公司的Carlos Tafur先生和Franziska Matzkies女士分别就《Novartis Commitment to Immunology》和《Novartis Footprint: Miracles of Exploration&Innovation in Immunological Diseases》展开分享，展示了诺华在免疫学领域的承诺和探索创新的足迹。 Ivan Nikolaev先生则围绕《Remibrutinib: An Oral, Highly Selective BTK Inhibitor》这一主题详细介绍了Remibrutinib这一高选择性BTK抑制剂的研究进展和临床应用，并期待这一创新药物能够为更广泛的患者群体带来福音。
Panel Discussion：IMIDs治疗策略与前沿进展
In the discussion session, Professor Li Yuzhen from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Professor Mu Rong from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Peking University, Professor Xu Jinhua from Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Professor Yang Bin from the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Professor Ye Shuang from Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Professor Zhang Xibao from Guangzhou Dermatology Hospital had in-depth discussions on hot issues in the field of IMIDs, emphasizing patient-centered treatment strategies, as well as the expectation and exploration of new methods for the treatment of IMIDs.
Professor Li Yuzhen
Professor Mu Rong
Professor Xu Jinhua
Professor Yang Bin
Professor Ye Shuang
Professor Zhang Xibao
The discussion focused on the following two topics:
The first topic focused on patient needs and optimizing treatment strategies. Using diseases such as PsD, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), experts discussed the highlights and pain points of current treatment strategies. The discussion noted that the key factors of concern for patients in the treatment of PsD include long-term lesion clearance, rapid lesion clearance, drug safety, and physician recommendations; The early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is crucial to improve the prognosis of patients, and targeted therapies such as inhibition of the IL-17A pathway are effective in controlling inflammation. In the field of CSU, a "mast cell-centric" treatment strategy has been gradually established, among which drugs such as omalizumab have shown good efficacy.
The second topic focuses on cutting-edge progress and explores the way of diagnosis and treatment. From the perspective of dermatology and rheumatology, the experts discussed the research hotspots and future trends in the field of IMIDs. The discussion highlighted the importance of early diagnosis and intervention of IMIDs, as well as the need for a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms. In addition, the experts discussed the revolutionary role of biologics in the treatment of PsD, and how to use big data to discover new targets and achieve precision therapy through the application of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic methods to predict the natural history of disease, optimal treatment options, etc.
Summary of the meeting
The approval code COX0023761-58934, valid until 2025-05-11, the information expires and is deemed invalid