Workshops at ECCO´20

Finally, all this will be wrapped up in a session on the role of the multidisciplinary team in IBD and how this multidisciplinary approach works in real practice. After this introductory session we will go on to discuss the different treatment options, their current role and their relevance in the expanding therapeutic armamentarium. We will also look into how we should choose between the different treatment options, taking into account efficacy and safety issues.

The next session will explore the multidisciplinary collaboration between gastroenterologists and surgeons in respect of three topics: perianal fistulising Crohn’s Disease, perioperative management of luminal Crohn’s Disease and finally pouch surgery in Ulcerative Colitis. The 5th Basic ECCO: EduCational COurse for Industry will be completed by a state of the art talk on the unmet needs of patients with IBD. This course will be an ideal opportunity for corporate and non-corporate members to familiarise themselves with the real world challenges and practices in IBD. Furthermore, this will be the place to network and interact with key opinion leaders in the IBD world.

On Thursday morning the 7th ClinCom Workshop will be held. In this workshop we will focus on two hot topics in the world of IBD clinical trials. Session 1 will dive deeper into the topic of treatment sequencing and combining. The expanding armamentarium of treatment options raises new questions and challenges. We will focus on the impact of the sequencing of different treatments on the potential therapeutic effect and ask the key question, Are inflammatory pathways modulated by previous treatment and does this change the biology of IBD? Also, the relevance of combining immunomodulators with biologics will be discussed. Can we just extrapolate data from the SONIC or UC-SUCCESS studies to all biologics? The availability of a number of new molecules raises question on the feasibility and safety of the combination of biologicals and small molecules, certainly in patients with extra-intestinal manifestations.

All these items will without doubt prompt a lively round table discussion. Session 2 will explore the hurdles we face when starting investigator-initiated trials. ClinCom is ambitious in supporting investigator-initiated trials in the field of IBD, but investigators encounter three important hurdles. The recent Global Data Protection Regulations have severe implications for data collection and data transfer in clinical trials and have also challenged the ethical review boards. Furthermore, in investigator-initiated trials it is often difficult to find the right balance between feasibility and practicality. We need to find a way to answer the research question of the clinical trial optimally and to combine this with all the practicalities of the protocol and study visits.

Finally, we will provide tips and tricks on how to find funding for your project. Multiple funding opportunities are available via government, foundations, charities and industry, but for this purpose a labyrinth of regulations often needs to be negotiated. This session will conclude with an interactive panel discussion.

We hope to meet you all in Vienna to learn, interact and develop collaborations.