On 5 and 6 March the International Convention Centre of Catalonia in Barcelona hosts the 13th Congress of the Catalan Association of Diabetes (ACD) organized by Eduard Montanya of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service at University Hospital of Bellvitge and head of the research group on Diabetes and Metabolism IDIBELL.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that is a major health problem caused by the increasing prevalence, high morbidity and mortality and its role as a cardiovascular risk factor in addition to a serious health and social costs.

In Congress, organized in this edition by the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, University Hospital of Bellvitge, with support from the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IDIBELL), the study “Stem Cell Educator” will be presented by the researcher the University Medical Center in Hackensack (NJ, USA), Dr. Young Zhao. This is the first controlled clinical study has been done to explore a possible treatment of type 1 diabetes consists of separating the cells of the immune system of the patient (lymphocytes) that attack the insulin-producing cells, and put them in a culture with stem cells from umbilical cord. Thus it is expected that these stem cells “re-educate” the patient’s lymphocytes to stop attacking the insulin-producing cells. After culturing, the cells are re-injected into the patient. For his part, Dr. Bernat Soria, the Andalusian Center for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Seville, will present advances in treatment of the disease with stem cells and how they are now.

The scientific program also emphasizes the presentation of the latest research in gene therapy, conducted by Fátima Bosch PhD, of the Center for Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​with which it has succeeded in curing diabetes dogs.

The experts from different tables report on recent advances in the treatment of complications of diabetes and how specifically affecting the eyes, kidneys, feet and heart; in the treatment of obesity, the latest surgical techniques and their impact on disease control. The program also will affect the role of new technologies in education and in the treatment of patients with the presentation of topics such as the use of telemedicine or applications of artificial intelligence in the treatment of diabetes. The conference will feature parallel symposia where discussion about the latest drugs developed to treat the disease.