Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Takeshi Kimura
Vice President- Ajinomoto Co.,Inc, Japan
Keynote: Disease Risk Screening using Plasma Free Amino Acids: Initial Commercialization and Future Potential
Time : 9.50-10.20
Biography:
Takeshi Kimura is a Board Member and Corporate Vice President for Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and is currently In-Charge of Research and Development, Intellectual Property, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs. He has studied Cell and Molecular Biology at University of London, Kings College and obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from University of London in 1984. He was a Visiting Fellow and Visiting Associate at the National Institutes of Health in the USA before joining Ajinomoto in 1989. He has worked in research, regulatory affairs and quality assurance since then, helping to establish the basis of AminoIndex Technology while in research. He became Corporate Executive Officer in 2009 and Board Member in 2013. He is also a Member of the Board of Trustees for International Life Sciences Institute and Research Foundation, International Advisory Council Member for Monell Chemical Senses Center and Japanese Private Sector Member for APEC Policy Partnership for Food Security
Abstract:
The potential for using plasma amino acids as a metabolomic subset to identify disease risk has been shown and since 2011, a commercial service for several types of cancers (gastric, lung, colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer) risk screening utilizing plasma free amino acid (PFAA) concentrations, called AminoIndex®, has been available in Japan. Collaborating with two of the largest clinical laboratory testing companies in Japan, AminoIndex® is now available in more than 1,000 hospitals in Japan. In 2015, risk screening for pancreatic cancer, one of the most challenging malignancies to treat, was added. The accumulation of several years of data has allowed the generation of predictive biomarkers and, in 2017, we launched a new biomarker using PFAAs to evaluate the future risk of developing diabetes within four years. We also found sub-populations with decreases in essential and semi-essential amino acids in plasma which could be the result from insufficient protein intake and are following clinical outcomes for this sub-population. Since protein malnutrition is common across varying populations, including the elderly, and could cause increased risk of sarcopenia, heart failure, and impaired immune response, PFAA profiles could be possible biomarkers to perform early nutritional interventions. The possibilities to utilize PFAAs as biomarkers are expanding, and cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease might be the next possible targets. It is important to distinguish the presymptomatic disease from the truly healthy person for early interventions to reduce medical costs. Utilizing PFAAs as biomarkers for the presymptomatic disease conditions could be the promising way for achieving “precision nutrition” in the future.
Keynote Forum
Dr. A. Vieira
Director of the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Laboratory, BPK Department, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
Keynote: Nutritional and epigenetic aspects of metabolic syndrome, and the search for metabolic pharmacotherapeutics
Time : 11.00-11.20
Biography:
Dr. A. Vieira is currently Associate Professor, and Director of the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Laboratory, BPK Department, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada. He has over 90 publications, including research papers in major international journals, with over 1500 citations. Dr. Vieira has served as reviewer and editorial board member for journals related to biomedical research, molecular and cellular biology, as well as for educational and scientific books..
Abstract:
Nutritional and epigenetic aspects of metabolic syndrome, and the search for metabolic pharmacotherapeutics
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome represents a combination of disorders that often include atherogenic dyslipidemias, problems with glucose regulation, obesity and chronic inflammation. Epigenetic regulation refers to chemical, covalent modifications of chromatin that can occur in response to environmental factors including diet (vitamins, nutrients and other food components), physical activity, and exposure to toxins. This presentation will cover the nutritional epigenetics of chronic metabolic disorders, e.g., epigenetic changes associated with obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance, as well as dyslipidemias. The influence of vitamins and other nutrients, as well as that of phytochemicals from plant foods, upon metabolic regulation and energy metabolism will be emphasized. Molecular and cellular assays to identify potentially therapeutic compounds related to these metabolic disorders will also be described, with an emphasis on combination therapies that may contribute to epigenetic reprogramming.