First European Diabetes Technology and Transplantation Meeting in Montpellier, February 4–6, 2007: Europe is Back!

Abstract

Old Europe has a long tradition in diabetes technology. A study group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) was established as early as 1981. The name of this study group [Artificial Insulin Delivery and Pancreas Islet Transplantation (AIDPIT)] highlights its goals. For 25 years this group met at the end of January in the little town of Igls, close to Innsbruck in Austria. During these meetings, scientific data from research performed in Europe and many other countries were presented and critically discussed under a workshop format. The informal atmosphere of this relatively small meeting promoted scientific discussions and served as a good platform for young scientists to present their data for the first time; however, the public awareness of this “winter club” was limited. In the last years, diabetes technology has made tremendous progress highlighted by the annual Diabetes Technology Meetings organized by David Klonoff and his great team in the United States. Much more strongly than the American Diabetes Association and EASD annual meetings, Diabetes Technology Meetings have stimulated lively exchanges among its participants. Each year, the discussions in front of the posters have brought together all experts in this area of research. By renaming the annual meetings of the AIDPIT study group to European Diabetes Technology and Transplantation (EuDTT), the history and the academic background of this group were acknowledged, along with the broader term diabetes technology being used. The goal of this initiative is to (re-)activate European scientists and companies interested in this area of research and to provide them with a sounding board that is more widely visible. In each country in Europe a certain number of experts are active; however, the level of cooperation and interaction among the countries needs improvement. The first EuDTT meeting took place in early February 2007 in the beautiful town of Montpellier in southern France. The two and a half day meeting opened in the anatomy hall of the very old medical school of Montpellier with two review presentations. In the first one about the development of the artificial pancreas, presented by Professor E. Renard from Montpellier, the ups and downs of the last 30 years were discussed, with a clear focus on the European activities in this direction. Diabetes researcher R. Smith from Bristol, England, shared his views in the second presentation, “Autoimmunity: What Is It and How to Stop It?” In line with this structure, during the next days a series of oral presentations and posters about diabetes technology and islet transplantations were presented and discussed intensively. From the >200 participants, more than one-third came from outside Europe, from the United States, and from Israel. Practically all researchers and companies active in Europe joined the meeting. Highlights of the meeting included a number of workshop-like sessions in which current topics were critically discussed, for example, how clinical trials should be performed to prove the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring systems. The aim was to come away from such sessions with ideas that serve as the basis for subsequent discussions not only in the individual countries, but also in a broader European perspective. The second EuDTT meeting (www.aidpit.org) will be held back in Igls, Austria, on January 27–29, 2008. Because diabetes technology is a topic that interests a large number of researchers/companies worldwide, and likely because united Europe still has a historical taste for variety, this second EuDTT meeting has not until now succeeded in federating all energies in one yearly spot. However, it is hoped that in the long run still scattered initiatives will move toward a combined effort for all to speak on diabetes technology and pancreas/islet transplantation together at the same time and in the same place. This final European goal will have to be faithful to the motto of Francois Rabelais, the famous writer and physician who lived several hundred years ago in Montpellier (which at that time was a repository of people from different countries and religions), which was “Do what you want to do!” The following series of articles summarize the content of some of the presentations, with a focus on diabetes technology, showing also the range of topics that are part of this area of research. It is hoped that the EuDTT meetings will serve as a good platform for the progress of diabetes technology and transplantation research in Europe.