#NACFC2016 – Therapies, Lung Transplants and Registries Among Topics at CF Conference Opening Thursday

The 30th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC), a three-day collaborative forum to help advance cystic fibrosis (CF) understanding, treatment and research, opens on Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

NACFC also provides participants access to continuing medical education, and the opportunity to learn about the latest products and services available for CF care. The meeting program’s 60 concurrent sessions include a broadly targeted range of educational components of particular interest to physicians, nurses, research scientists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, nutritionists, social workers, and pharmacists alike.

Cystic Fibrosis News Today will be remotely covering some key NACFC presentations this week, such as those concerning CF therapies (including Kalydeco and Orkambi), microbial lung infections, mucociliary clearance, lung transplant, nutrition, pancreatic function, and CF registries.

Plenary Session highlights

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), the event’s sponsor, announced that three Plenary Sessions will be presented at the conference:

• Plenary 1, given by Eric J. Sorscher, MD, and Mitchell L. Drumm, PhD, “A Cure For All: Leaving No One Behind,” will focus on recent advances in CF treatment and emerging therapies.
• Plenary 2, titled “Clinical Research: A Worldwide CF Community Effort,” will be presented by Patricia A. Burks, RN, MA, CCRC; Christiane De Boeck, MD, PhD; and Patrick A. Flume, MD.
• Plenary 3, presented by Wayne J. Morgan, MD, and titled “You Can Observe A Lot by Just Watching: Lessons From The CFF Patient Registry,” will review the role of observational research in improving CF understanding and management.

NACFD schedule overview

Pre-conference sessions, special classes, and short courses will be held Wednesday, with general attendance sessions, including workshops, symposia and plenary sessions starting on Thursday. The first poster session will also begin on Thursday in the Exhibit Hall. The conferences runs through Saturday.

Program details

NACFC sessions are listed in the downloadable Program-At-A-Glance according to the day they take place, along with names of session leaders.

Individual discipline groups sessions (formerly Caregivers Sessions) are listed in a separate Program-at-a-Glance for these groups.

Attendance policy for CFF-sponsored events

Participants at all CFF events, including the NACFC, are required to take precautions to preserve the health and well-being of attendees, including people with CF, by reducing the risk of infection.

Specifically, the CFF requests that only one person with CF be invited to attend a specific NACFC event, and stay only for that session. However, the foundation notes that others with CF might choose to attend conference events and related activities, although the CFF strongly discourages this.

CFF stresses, for this reason, that good infection prevention and control measures apply to all. To reduce the risk of getting and spreading germs at NACFC, the Program Planning Committee asks that everyone follow basic best practices:

• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your inner elbow.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Maintain a distance of at least six feet from those with a respiratory infection.

For more information, visit the CFF’s Attendance Policy page.

Live streaming online

The CFF invites everyone who is unable to attend the conference in person to view select live-streamed sessions. More information about which sessions will be live-streamed and how to register online is available the NACFC website: https://www.nacfconference.org

Accepted abstracts are also also available for viewing on the Wiley Online Library.

CF is described by the CFF and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) as a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. The disorder is caused by the absence, dysfunction or reduced numbers of the multifunctional CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) protein, which has a key function in regulating the amount of water in airway surface liquid.

If the CFTR protein is not working normally, clearance of bacteria and particles from the lungs is impaired, causing a thick, buildup of mucus in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. In the lungs, the mucus clogs the airways and traps bacteria, leading to infections, lung damage and, eventually, respiratory failure. In the pancreas, the mucus prevents the release of digestive enzymes that allow the body to break down food and absorb vital nutrients.

Based in the Bethesda, Maryland, CFF is a donor-supported nonprofit, and a world leader in the search for a cure for CF and in funding more CF research than any other organization. Nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of the foundation’s support for developing new treatments, and efforts to improve the quality of life for those with CF and, ultimately, to find a cure.

Sources:
30th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
European Respiratory Society