The brain’s leptin-melanocortin pathway plays a critical role in controlling mammalian food intake, and genetic disruptions and polymorphic variations can influence the distribution of body weight in humans. In this plenary lecture, we will explore new insights regarding the melanocortin signaling cascade, specially focusing how the activation of Rho kinase 1 (ROCK1) in melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R)-expressing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus affect the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.

Dr. Richard J. Auchus is the James A. Shayman and Andrea S. Kevrick Professor of Translational Medicine in the Departments of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. He is an Endocrinologist with expertise both in basic, clinical, and translational science. In particular, he is the world’s foremost authority on steroid-related diseases, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and primary aldosteronism. In his plenary lecture, he will address the latest knowledge for new androgens and novel treatments for CAH.

Timothy J. Kieffer has made significant contributions to our understandings of islet and incretin biology. His recent research focuses on stem cell generation and its potential application for insulin replacement, offering valuable insights into a novel therapeutic approach for people living with diabetes. During this plenary lecture, his work on cell replacement to eliminate the dependence on exogenous insulin therapy will be presented.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are undifferentiated cells that can develop into any type of cell in the human body. Prof. Sabine Costagliola has introduced a method of using mouse ESCs to generate functional thyroid tissue and has extended the method to the use of human ESCs. In this lecture, she will present thyroid organoids derived from human ESCs that produce thyroid hormone and gene regulatory networks associated with thyroid development.