Abbas RazaDr. Pakistan

Abbas RazaDr.
Dr. S. Abbas Raza is working as consultant Diabetologist /Endocrinologist at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital & Research Center and National Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Raza graduated from Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore Pakistan. He received his Internal Medicine residency training from Atlantic City Medical Center, New Jersey, USA and also, served as Chief medical resident at the same institution. His fellowship training for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism was at University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A. He is Diplomat American Board of Internal Medicine and Diplomat American Board of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism. Government of Pakistan and President has awarded Dr. Raza with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his services in field of Medicine in 2022-23. It is one the highest civil award bestowed to recognize individual’s meritorious contribution to the national interests of Pakistan with significant public endeavors. He is also bestowed the honor of Global - Laureate Awards by the Endocrine Society - 2025 International Excellence in Endocrinology Award, which is considered one of the most prestigious award in Endocrine Community across globe. Dr. Raza has been honored with Fellowship by American College of Endocrinology and Sri Lanka College of Endocrinologists. Dr. Raza has many research / scientific articles to his credit which are published in peer reviewed journals and have authored chapters in Endocrine books. He is actively involved in formulating / publication of guidelines and consensus statement for Southeast Asia region related to Diabetes and Endocrinology. Dr. Raza has also served as Chief Investigator for several national and International clinical trials. Dr. Abbas Raza is CEO of MED (Medicine – Endocrinology and Diabetes) Consultant and involved in many projects for capacity building of physicians and outreach program for patient suffering from Endocrine disorders. Dr. Abbas Raza currently holds the office of past President of the International Society of Endocrinology (ISE). He has also served as President of organizations including South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies (SAFES) / Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES) and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist (AACE) – Pakistan Chapter. SAFES includes Endocrine Societies of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan Endocrine Society honored Dr. Raza with “Lifetime Achievement award”, where he serves as Executive Member since 2004. Dr. Raza Innovation in Diabetes management include his “Dream Diabetes” project. This project takes Diabetes management to doorstep of underprivileged population suffering from Diabetes. This caters to needs of patient living in underdeveloped areas and do not have access to specialist care. Dr. Raza also holds responsibility of Director of organizations like “Friend Of Mayo” (FOM) and Dilawar Hussain Foundation (DHF). FOM has taken responsibility of upgrading Mayo Hospital, which is a century old hospital, with inpatient - bed capacity of more than 2400 patients. This hospital caters for poor / non affording patients. While Dilawar Hussain Foundation, is a social welfare & charity organization formed in 2011, serving in the field of health, education, and community awareness. DHF runs Charity Diabetes Clinics and caters to thousands of patient suffering with Diabetes and unable to afford treatment.

21 MARCH

Time Session
08:30
10:00
[Symposium] Dyslipidemia
New Development in Dyslipidemia Management
Abbas RazaPakistan Moderator Obesity - MASLD Perspectives in Asia-Oceania
Jun-Sing WangTaiwan Moderator Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in Asia: Behavior Change, Physician Workflow, and New Care Models
  • Lipoprotein(a): What Endocrinologists Need to Know
    Kathryn TanHong Kong, China Speaker Lipoprotein(a): What Endocrinologists Need to KnowLipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a cholesterol-rich LDL-like particle with apolipoprotein(a) covalently linked to apolipoprotein B100 via a disulfide bond. Lp(a) is synthesized within the liver and there is a general inverse correlation between Lp(a) isoform size and plasma Lp(a) concentrations. About 90% of plasma Lp(a) concentration is genetically determined and plasma levels can modestly rise after menopause in women, and in conditions like hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome. It has been shown that elevated Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and calcific aortic valve stenosis. Although Lp(a) concentration does vary with ethnicity, relationships between Lp(a) concentration and ASCVD risk remain similar across different ethnic groups. Elevated Lp(a) is considered a cardiovascular risk-enhancing or amplification factor, and recent guidelines and consensus have increasingly recommended universal screening for Lp(a). There are as yet, no approved therapies for elevated Lp(a). Current management focuses on intensifying control of concurrent risk factors, particularly LDL-C, to reduce ASCVD risk. Amongst existing lipid-lowering drugs, only proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors can lower Lp(a) levels modestly. Emerging RNA-based and small-molecule therapeutics are under development and are showing promising Lp(a)-lowering effects up to 80-90%. Ongoing phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trials will determine whether effectively lowering Lp(a) can translate to cardiovascular benefit.
  • A Novel Therapeutic Concept for Familial LCAT Deficiency: Long-Term Enzyme Replacement Using Genetically Modified Adipocytes
    Masayuki KurodaJapan Speaker A Novel Therapeutic Concept for Familial LCAT Deficiency: Long-Term Enzyme Replacement Using Genetically Modified AdipocytesFamilial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder marked by defective HDL maturation, leading to corneal opacity, hemolytic anemia, and progressive renal dysfunction. No disease-modifying treatment has been established to date. Conventional enzyme replacement requires repeated administration with limited durability. Glybera, the first AAV1-based gene therapy for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, was withdrawn after limited clinical use and modest benefit. More broadly, in vivo AAV gene therapies face challenges including immune responses, hepatotoxicity at high vector doses, and considerable inter-patient variability in transgene expression. Our therapeutic approach originated from studies in diabetic mouse models, where adipocytes were explored as platforms for sustained protein delivery. These cells demonstrated endocrine-like properties and long-term protein secretion in vivo. Adipocytes are particularly suited for this purpose due to their longevity, secretory capacity, and low tumorigenic risk. Building on these findings, we established an ex vivo gene and cell therapy platform using genetically modified adipocytes (GMAC), autologous adipocyte-derived cells engineered to express therapeutic proteins. As its first application, we targeted familial LCAT deficiency. These cells were expected to engraft upon subcutaneous implantation, re-differentiate into functional adipocytes, and provide long-lasting and therapeutically relevant LCAT secretion. In a first-in-human clinical trial conducted under Japan’s regulatory framework for regenerative medicine, mature adipocytes were collected from the patient’s subcutaneous fat, converted into proliferative cells via ceiling culture, and transduced to express therapeutic human LCAT, then administered subcutaneously to the patient. Single administration of LCAT-GMAC was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. Sustained increases in serum LCAT activity were observed, accompanied by improvements in lipoprotein profiles and hemolytic anemia. A marked reduction in proteinuria was noted, and renal function remained stable throughout the follow-up period. Remarkably, serum LCAT activity persisted for over eight years after the single administration, the longest durability ever reported for enzyme replacement. This provides the first clinical evidence that ceiling culture-derived, ex vivo modified adipocytes can achieve lasting correction of systemic enzyme deficiencies. LCAT-GMAC therapy thus offers a potentially curative strategy for familial LCAT deficiency and a new paradigm for treating dyslipidemias and other lifelong plasma protein deficiencies.
  • Novel and Future Lipid-Lowering Therapy
    Sung Hee ChoiSouth Korea Speaker Novel and Future Lipid-Lowering TherapyIn this lecture, I want to introduce the mechanism of current developing lipid lowering drugs. Small molecular inhibitors such as bempedoic acid, oral forms of newer drugs, Anti-sense oligonucleotide drugs, and siRNA technique based new lipid lowering drugs and its clinical trials. These agents target diverse pathways such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3), apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III), and Lp(a), achieving potent lipid modulation in different mechanistic approach.
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22 MARCH

Time Session
11:00
12:30
[Symposium] Obesity (2)
Perspectives on Obesity in Asia-Oceania
Kathryn TanHong Kong, China Moderator Lipoprotein(a): What Endocrinologists Need to KnowLipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a cholesterol-rich LDL-like particle with apolipoprotein(a) covalently linked to apolipoprotein B100 via a disulfide bond. Lp(a) is synthesized within the liver and there is a general inverse correlation between Lp(a) isoform size and plasma Lp(a) concentrations. About 90% of plasma Lp(a) concentration is genetically determined and plasma levels can modestly rise after menopause in women, and in conditions like hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome. It has been shown that elevated Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and calcific aortic valve stenosis. Although Lp(a) concentration does vary with ethnicity, relationships between Lp(a) concentration and ASCVD risk remain similar across different ethnic groups. Elevated Lp(a) is considered a cardiovascular risk-enhancing or amplification factor, and recent guidelines and consensus have increasingly recommended universal screening for Lp(a). There are as yet, no approved therapies for elevated Lp(a). Current management focuses on intensifying control of concurrent risk factors, particularly LDL-C, to reduce ASCVD risk. Amongst existing lipid-lowering drugs, only proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors can lower Lp(a) levels modestly. Emerging RNA-based and small-molecule therapeutics are under development and are showing promising Lp(a)-lowering effects up to 80-90%. Ongoing phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trials will determine whether effectively lowering Lp(a) can translate to cardiovascular benefit.
101
14:00
15:30
From AOCE to ISE: Mutual Collaboration
  • TBC
    Hiroshi ArimaJapan Speaker Network of AOCE could contribute to the development of ISEThe mission of the International Society of Endocrinology (ISE) is to promote endocrine and metabolic science, education, practice and advocacy worldwide. Around 50 national endocrine societies and 27, 000 representatives belong to the ISE, around 50% of whom are from Asia and Oceania countries. The number of board members in the ISE is proportional to that of membership in each region. Thus, Asian and Oceanian Endocrine societies play an important role in the ISE. I had served as the president of the Japan Endocrine Society (JES) from 2021 to 2025. During the period, the Korean Endocrine Society (KES) and JES signed the memorandum of understanding, and we just published the Guideline for Cushing disease this year, which were published in Endocrine and Metabolism and Endocrine Journal, the official journals of the KES and JES, respectively. I believe we should extend the collaboration between the KES and JES to other societies in Asian and Oceania Endocrine Society, which will lead to the development of the ISE.
  • TBC
    Hirotaka ShibataJapan Speaker 2026 Update in Primary AldosteronismPrimary aldosteronism (PA) is one of the most prevalent causes for secondary hypertension. Early diagnosis and treatment are mandatory, because patients with PA present markedly higher morbidity of cardiovascular diseases than those with essential hypertension whose blood pressure levels are equally managed. A recently published Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline of PA emphasizes several points. First, screening for PA with serum/plasma aldosterone concentration and plasma renin (concentration or activity) is recommended in all individuals with hypertension. Second, in individuals who screen positive for PA, aldosterone suppression testing is suggested when screening results suggest an intermediate probability for lateralizing PA, but not all cases. Third, in individuals with PA, medical therapy or surgical therapy with the choice of therapy based on lateralization of aldosterone hypersecretion and candidacy for surgery. Fourth, in individuals with PA considering surgery, adrenal lateralization with CT scanning and adrenal venous sampling prior to deciding the treatment approach is suggested. Fifth, in individuals with PA receiving PA-specific medical therapy, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are suggested as the dose is titrated by monitoring potassium, renal function, renin (concentration or activity) and blood pressure response during follow-up. We should be aware that diversity exists with respect to aldosterone assays, cut-off values for screening and aldosterone suppression tests, AVS standardization issues, and choice of MRAs depending on countries.   Diagnosis and Management of Adrenal InsufficiencyThe diagnosis and management of adrenal insufficiency presents major clinical challenges. It is often unrecognized, which can lead to adrenal crisis and, if not identified and treated, death. There is a lack of understanding on who is at risk of adrenal insufficiency, how to test for it, and how to manage a life threatening adrenal crisis promptly. While primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency can be regarded as rare conditions, glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency might be quite common. One should consider glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome that may occur during glucocorticoid taper. Patient education in raising awareness of glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome, such as fatigue and reduced appetite, is important when tapering glucocorticoid doses. The symptoms of glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome may resemble adrenal insufficiency, but HPA axis is normally functional. The degree and persistence of adrenal suppression after cessation of glucocorticoid therapy are dependent on overall exposure and recovery of adrenal function varies greatly among individuals. Upcoming ICE2026/JES2026: Enlightened Endocrinology in Unprecedented TimesWe are pleased to announce that the 22nd International Congress of Endocrinology (ICE2026) and the 99th Annual Congress of the Japan Endocrine Society (JES2026) will be held together at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto) over five days from June 2 (Tue) to 6 (Sat), 2026 (ICE2026/JES2026). The International Congress of Endocrinology (ICE) is held every two years, and after 1988 and 2010, this will be the third time that the Congress will be held in Japan. The Japan Endocrine Society (JES) has been actively involved in the International Society of Endocrinology (ISE) since its establishment, and as the JES will celebrate its 100th anniversary in fiscal year 2026, hosting the congress in Japan will be an especially valuable opportunity for JES members. The theme of ICE2026/JES2026 is: Enlightened Endocrinology in Unprecedented Times. Globally, we are entering an unprecedented era, including digitalization, which has been rapidly accelerated by the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic; a super-aging society, which is mainly faced by developed countries; and extreme weather events, as exemplified by global warming. In the midst of these unprecedented times, we will gather in Kyoto - the birthplace of the Japan Endocrine Society - to discuss the new century of clinical and basic research in various fields of endocrinology. Participants from all over the world are encouraged to present cutting-edge science from their respective countries, and through active discussions, we hope that you will experience the “Enlightened Endocrinology” of endocrinology in this unprecedented era. In June, flowers bloom profusely at shrines and temples in Kyoto with the blessings of water, and shrine gardens and hydrangea gardens are open to the public. We look forward to welcoming participants from all over the world to Kyoto - the ancient capital of Japan - and discussing the future of endocrinology!
  • TBC
    Abbas RazaPakistan Speaker Obesity - MASLD Perspectives in Asia-Oceania
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