Save the date for the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Oct. 19–24 in Chicago. Connect with your colleagues for an unmatched educational experience featuring exceptional sessions by leading rheumatology experts. The ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting is your gateway to global rheumatology education. With more than 450 sessions—including The Great Debate—the meeting provides boundless opportunities for professional development, networking and firsthand access to the latest rheumatology research and clinical applications.
PRE-MEETING
Friday & Saturday, Oct. 19 & 20
ACR Clinical Research Conference (CRC)—Applications of Mobile Health Technologies
Friday, Oct. 19: 1–6 p.m.;
Saturday, Oct. 20: 7 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Technology advances are changing the landscape of medicine and rheumatology. Although electronic health records systems are nearly ubiquitous given the variety of governmental and market forces encouraging their use, the range of opportunities related to digital and mobile technologies has yet to be realized.
The 2018 ACR CRC will focus on mobile and digital technologies as applied to research, quality improvement and clinical care settings in rheumatology. Attendees will learn about the latest in mobile and smartphone technology, biosensors and other digital health advances. Sessions will highlight the capture of patient-reported outcome and biosensor data, the value of such data for rheumatologic practice and research, lessons learned and best practices regarding the implementation of mobile and digital health tools. This promises to be an exciting and timely program with an exceptional cadre of researcher leaders lined up to present.
ACR Basic Research Conference (BRC): Epigenetics in Immune-Mediated Disease
Friday, Oct. 19: 1–6 p.m.;
Saturday, Oct. 20: 7 a.m.–4:25 p.m.
Each cell in the human body contains approximately 3 meters of DNA, tightly packaged in the nucleus as chromatin, and expression of specific genes requires the chromatin structure be locally modified to make it accessible to transcription factors. The mechanisms regulating chromatin structure include the methylation of cytosine in CG pairs, as well as a variety of covalent histone modifications. These chemical reactions depend on the availability of the chemical groups involved, as well as the activity of the enzymes performing the modifications. These chemicals are derived from the diet, and the activity of the enzymes is sensitive to environmental influences, such as inflammation resulting from infections and sun exposure.
The CRC will focus on how epigenetic mechanisms influence the immune function and how epigenetic dysregulation contributes to immune-mediated diseases relevant to rheumatology. A number of national and international experts will explore how epigenetics is regulated and how it influences gene expression in health and disease. Novel technologies and analysis methods will also be discussed. The contribution of epigenetic marks to autoimmunity, the role of the environment in chromatin remodeling and interaction between epigenetic and genetic factors, as well as cross talk between immunometabolism and epigenetic modification, will be described.
