Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Metabolic Homeostasis, Diabetes and Obesity

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ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Metabolic Homeostasis, Diabetes and Obesity, organized by Drs. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, Deborah Clegg and Arthur P. Arnold. The meeting will be held in Tahoe City, California from February 19-22, 2017. There are fundamental aspects of metabolic homeostasis that are regulated differently in males and females, and influence both the development of diabetes and obesity and the response to pharmacological intervention. Still, most preclinical researchers avoid studying female rodents due to the added complexity of research plans. The consequence is the generation of data that risks being relevant to only half of the population. This is a timely moment to study sex differences in diseases as NIH leadership has asked scientists to consider sex as a biological variable in preclinical research, to ensure that women get the same benefit of medical research as men. The goal of this conference is to fill a need in the scientific community by connecting interdisciplinary groups of scientists who normally would not have an opportunity to interact. This group includes investigators studying sex differences, the role of sex hormones, the systems biology of sex and the genetic contribution of sex chromosomes to metabolic homeostasis and diseases. Leaders of the pharmaceutical industry will present their views on sex-specific drug discovery. The meeting is expected to generate new knowledge and ideas on the importance of gender biology and medicine from a molecular standpoint to the population level, and to provide the methods to study them. It is intended to be a catalyst of a process that will lead to gender-specific treatments of metabolic diseases.