Meristem: Meeting Report: 2008 Banff Pork Seminar

Shedding new light on a dietary cholesterol and fat carrier with major implications for human disease was the focus of an international scientific symposium March 6-8 in Lake Louise, Alta., featuring top minds and leading-edge progress from around the world.

The International Symposium on Chylomicrons in Disease (ISCD) 2008 with a theme to 'foster new frontiers' was hosted by the Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition (AIHN) and the University of Alberta. It brought together scientists covering the spectrum from basic discovery to clinical research, to share knowledge and drive progress on an emerging health frontier of fast-rising importance to the fight against heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other dietary-related chronic diseases.

"An increasing body of evidence shows that chylomicrons represent a critical missing link in our understanding of cardiovascular disease and other conditions arising from metabolic disorders," says Dr. Spencer Proctor, ISCD 2008 Chairman and Director of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory at the AIHN. "The research and ideas showcased at ISCD will help provide the basis of a new agenda for cross-disciplinary complementary research, cooperation and progress in this area, to spur major advances over the next several years."

Chylomicrons are large particles of dietary lipoproteins - essentially, balls of fat and cholesterol – that form in the small intestine following a meal. These chylomicron particles quickly absorb into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body, where they deliver a portion of their fat and cholesterol payload to various tissues. Research has indicated that the remaining chylomicron "remnants" form smaller lipoproteins, which can build up more quickly in arteries than any other type of cholesterol-carriers, including low-density-lipoproteins (LDL).

Because chylomicrons are typically processed within 15 minutes following a meal, they are virtually undetected by typical doctor-directed cholesterol tests that call for a 12-hour pre-test fasting period.

"There is growing evidence that chylomicrons are an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke that we simply don't test for at clinics and hospitals," says Proctor. "The role of chylomicrons in other diseases related to metabolic conditions is equally important. Now that we recognize chylomicrons play a major role in disease, we need to dramatically increase the focus on this aspect and work towards making the risks posed by chylomicrons easy to assess for doctors, nutritionists and other allied health professionals."

The vast majority of research and clinical treatment related to lipoprotein disorders has focused on the liver as the major organ responsible for lipoprotein metabolism, observes Proctor. "What we're learning now is that the intestine is also playing a huge role that has gone largely unexplored. The growing evidence related to chylomicrons is a key example that the more we understand about this role, the greater our potential to make major strides in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders. For example, preliminary evidence suggests that existing drugs that target liver cholesterol (such as the well-known statins) may not be as effective as first thought due to compensatory response from the intestine - which so far has been completely overlooked."

The ISCD agenda featured over 30 presentations and broad discussion of latest research, new opportunities and future challenges, aiming to 'foster new frontiers' in this field. It also included presentations and awards focused on young investigators, helping to emphasize professional training and education at the international level. "Another key aspect of this meeting is that is has been able to intersect the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, in order to highlight the importance of nutrition in chronic disease," says Proctor. "We are extremely grateful to our sponsors."

The intention now is to establish ISCD as an ongoing forum that will facilitate exposure, networking and training in this area, says Proctor. The symposium wrap-up included initial planning for an ISCD 2010 meeting in Europe and ongoing collaboration among all participants. "We want to capture the momentum and keep it going."

More than 15 different countries and numerous leading world science and health institutions were represented at ISCD. Along with Proctor, members of the organizing committee included Dr. Kathleen Botham of the University of London, Dr. Castro Cabezas of the Centre for Diabetes & Vascular Medicine (the Netherlands) and Dr. John Mamo of Curtin University (Australia).

Major sponsors included Merck Frosst / Schering Pharmaceuticals (Platinum), Pfizer Canada and Dairy Farmers of Canada (Silver) and several Bronze sponsors including Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund, Merck Frosst, Canadian Society of Atherosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Bles-Wold Yogurt Inc, CLA Network and the University of Alberta (including Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental & Life Sciences and Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science).

ISCD is facilitating publication of Symposium proceedings in a major international journal (Atherosclerosis Supplement), expected to be accomplished in two months. Background information on ISCD and future information updates may be viewed at www.iscd2008.com.

Reprintable with credit. This article is available for reprint, with acknowledgement of the source: International Symposium on Chylomicrons in Disease (ISCD).

International experts 'foster frontiers' on critical missing link in human disease