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Horizons   >   News   >   EASD e-Learning Newsflash: Highlights from Day 4 of the 61st EASD Annual Meeting

September 20, 2025 — 08:30 🕑 8 minutes

EASD e-Learning Newsflash: Highlights from Day 4 of the 61st EASD Annual Meeting

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Video transcript

The 61st EASD Annual Meeting has now concluded. Welcome to the EASD e-Learning Newsflash with our final selection of scientific highlights from Vienna. Each year we return to a shared goal: moving closer to arresting type 1 diabetes. An early symposium broke the results from two trials conducted by the INNODIA network: MELD-ATG and Ver-A-T1D. How close are we to the goal? Let’s hear panellist Professor Thomas Pieber’s reflections. In the one study we tested the lowest effective dose of ATG, to see if that can arrest loss of beta cell function. And the Ver-A-T1D trial was a study in adults with newly diagnosed type 1, where we tested the same hypothesis: Can we prevent loss of beta cell function with this old compound, verapamil? The most interesting finding relates to MELD-ATG. There we saw that the dose we can use is much lower than we anticipated, so 0.5 milligrammes per kilogramme body weight still work as well and have less side effects compared to the 2.5. In Ver-A-T1D we had kind of a mixed result. So the primary endpoint was not achieved. So we had borderline significance for the effect of verapamil after 12 months; per protocol it was positive. Therefore we need a larger trial to conclude on the effect of verapamil on adults. But we do know already that in children verapamil works, because there’s a paper published in JAMA from our American colleagues. In the future, towards the full arrest, that would be the dream, that we can stop the loss of beta cell function, we will achieve when we start combining different compounds that are using very different mode of actions. For example, a compound that protects beta cell, like verapamil, in combination with an immune intervention. Next, EASD TEC member Johanna Brix will tell us about her scientific highlight. I’m coming from the session “For those who love to sleep (and exercise)”. The first presentation was about patients with type 1 diabetes and their glycaemic variability in regard of their sleeping time. Those patients were either on an insulin pump, but no AID system, or on a MDI therapy. And there were different sensors used, and the presentation showed that if you sleep less, then you have a higher glycaemic variability, which is not something we are looking for. The second presentation I found really very interesting, was about women with gestational diabetes. This was a study done in the US and in Nepal. And we of course know that pregnant women don’t sleep so long because of the pregnancy itself. But then they also looked on the outcome regarding their glycaemic variability. In this study, they didn’t see any difference in regard of the sleep duration, but this may be associated due to the worse sleep quality anyway because of the pregnancy. I think the session showed us that sleep is also very important in regard of stable glycaemic control, but also that there’s still a lot for us to learn and to investigate to better understand our patients and the outcome for our patients. On this final day, delegates also saw the launch of a brand-new award: the EASD Global Impact Prize. We’ll hear more from EASD Vice President Professor Francesco Giorgino. The rationale was two-fold. First, to try to identify and recognise excellence in research outside Europe, so with some investigators, clinicians or researchers that have really provided an outstanding contribution in research and are operating outside Europe. And second, maybe most importantly, to identify research that has had an impact on diabetes care and the way people are being treated in specific regions of the world. We were very fortunate to identify Dr Viswanathan Mohan, who is the first recipient of the Diabetes Global Impact Prize of the EASD. He has an incredible profile. He was able to show throughout his career that knowledge, science and excellent science and research can be used to shape the way people with diabetes are managed, specifically in India and in neighbouring countries. So he has, for example, identified some new forms of diabetes or risk factors for the disease in that population that are very useful today to even use some algorithms to predict the risk for the disease or the risk of developing complications in Indian people. If I may say, Dr. Mohan really represents the EASD spirit as well. And this year at the EASD Annual Meeting, once again, we’ve seen the most recent, most innovative research in diabetes. And you’re finishing it as the confirmed elected President of the EASD for next year. Congratulations! Now, what are your personal scientific highlights? This year, we had a wealth of contributions that were really exceptional in the quality of the research, both translational and clinical. So among those, I would like to highlight that were able to accommodate two important releases. So one is around GLP-1 therapy. The SURPASS-CVOT is really a landmark study because it’s the first comparison between a dual agonist and a single agonist. And it shows that we can even think about potentially better treatments for people with type 2 diabetes, not only providing metabolic outcomes, but also cardiovascular protection. And also I would highlight the studies that have been presented just this morning on early-onset type 1 diabetes. With new approaches like the ATG or verapamil, it is possible to think about changing the trajectory of this disease. So, we are really seeing how modifying the course of diabetes is possible. Thank you, Vice President Giorgino. And thank you for watching the EASD e-Learning Newsflash. We hope our coverage of the 61st EASD Annual Meeting has enriched your clinical practice. Visit easd-elearning.eu to stay up-to-date on the latest innovations in diabetes. See you soon!

“The dream is the full arrest of type 1 diabetes, to stop the loss of the beta cells,” says Thomas Pieber.

In this final episode of the EASD e-Learning Newsflash, he summarises the primary results of the MELD-ATG and Ver-A-T1D trials just presented at the 61st EASD Annual Meeting—with mixed and, in part, surprising results.

Dr. Johanna Brix then presents her highlight of the day, from a session addressing “Why we love to sleep (and exercise)”, exploring how sleep relates to glycaemic control and gestational diabetes.

We close with EASD Senior Vice President and President-elect Professor Francesco Giorgino. He introduces the EASD Global Impact Prize, acknowledges the inaugural recipient, and shares the scientific developments to watch over the next year.


Interviewees: 
  • Prof. Thomas Pieber, Medical University of Graz
  • Dr. Johanna Brix, Klinik Landstraße, Vienna
  • EASD Senior Vice President Prof. Francesco Giorgino, University of Bari Aldo Moro

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