Obesity Therapeutics: From Biology to Clinical Breakthroughs (C5)
March 19-22, 2028  | Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, NY, United States
Kendra K Bence, Matthew R. Hayes and Anna Secher
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of October 13, 2026 7 PM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Sunday, March 19, 2028
4:00–8:00 PM Registration
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer
Monday, March 20, 2028
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
7:30–8:00 AM Poster Setup
7:45–5:00 PM Poster Viewing
8:00–8:10 AM Welcome Remarks
8:10–9:00 AM Keynote Address
  Ruth E. Gimeno †, Eli Lilly and Company
From Biology to Breakthroughs in Obesity Therapeutics
 
9:00–11:15 AM Basic Biology of Incretin- and Amylin-Based Therapeutics
  Matthias H. Tschöp †, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Multi-Receptor Potential of Incretin Therapies: Basic Biology of Obesity Therapeutics
 
  Thomas A Lutz †, University of Zürich
Biology of Amylin Receptor Agonists
 
  Manu Chakravarthy †, Roche
Current Status and Potential of Incretin & Amylin-based Obesity Therapies
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break
11:15–12:15 PM Lunch
12:30–2:30 PM Posters
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 1: Obesity Drug Discovery at the Edge: Novel Targets, Mechanisms & Modalities
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM GLP1 Therapies Beyond Weight Loss: Cardiometabolic Protection and Addiction
  Daniel J. Drucker †, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Expanding Therapeutic Roles for GLP1-R Agonists Beyond Weight Loss: Cardiometabolic Protection
 
  Ian Neeland †, Case Western Reserve University
Weight Loss Quality and Cardiovascular Risk
 
  Ali Guler †, University of Virginia
GLP1 Therapies and Addiction/Reward
 
  Anna Secher, Novo Nordisk A/S
CNS Mechanisms of GLP1R Agonists (Cognition?)
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM On Own for Dinner
Tuesday, March 21, 2028
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
7:30–8:00 AM Poster Setup
7:45–5:00 PM Poster Viewing
8:00–11:00 AM Neural Circuits Underlying Energy Balance and Appetite Control
  Matthew R. Hayes, University of Pennsylvania
Neural Circuits of Appetite Control: Convergence of Gut and Brain
 
  Amber L. Alhadeff †, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Dissociable Neural Circuits for Satiety and Nausea in the Control of Feeding
 
  Martin G. Myers, Jr. †, University of Michigan
Neuroendocrine Circuits Regulating Body Weight: Implications for Obesity
 
  Alice E Adriaenssens †, AstraZeneca
Central Incretin Circuits: How GIP and GLP 1 Shape Feeding and Obesity
 
  Alastair Garfield †, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals
MC4R Pathways and Hypothalamic Obesity
 
  Mark W. Sleeman †, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
GPR75: Challenges and Progress in Novel Obesity Genetic Targets
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break
11:10–12:10 PM Panel Discussion: Translation of Obesity Human Genetics
  * Kendra K Bence, Eli Lilly and Company
 
12:10–1:10 PM Lunch
12:30–2:30 PM Posters
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM Energy Expenditure and Metabolic Efficiency
  E. Matthew Morris †, University of Kansas Medical Center
Metabolic Adaptation and Energy Expenditure in Obesity
 
  Kristy Townsend †, The Ohio State University
Adipose Innervation as a Driver of Energy Expenditure in Obesity
 
  Gerald I Shulman †, Yale School of Medicine
Ectopic Lipid, Mitochondrial Inefficiency, and the Regulation of Energy Expenditure in Obesity
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM On Own for Dinner
Wednesday, March 22, 2028
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
8:00–11:00 AM Adipose Tissue Function and Obesogenic Memory
  Susanne Mandrup †, University of Southern Denmark
Human Adipose Remodeling
 
  Paul Cohen †, Rockefeller University
Rewiring Adipose Tissue for Metabolic Health
 
  Anthony W Ferrante †, Columbia University
Immune–Adipocyte Crosstalk and the Encoding of Obesogenic Memory
 
  Christian Wolfrum †, Nanyang Technical University
Adipose Tissue Heterogeneity, Plasticity, and Memory: Implications for Metabolic Health
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break
11:00–12:00 PM Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 2
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–6:45 PM Optimizing Body Composition: Muscle Function and Sarcopenia
  Andreas L Birkenfeld †, Helmholtz Munich and Universitätsklinikum Tübingen
Weight Loss Quality and Clinically Important Outcomes Beyond BMI
 
  Dympna Gallagher †, Columbia University
Beyond BMI: Quantifying Skeletal Muscle and Body Composition in Obesity
 
  Paul M. Titchenell †, Eli Lilly
Optimizing the Fat–Muscle Equation: New Therapeutic Strategies in Obesity
 
  Danna M. Breen †, Pfizer Inc.
Muscle on the Spectrum: Obese Sarcopenia to Cachexia
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
6:45–7:00 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions
7:00–8:00 PM On Own for Dinner
Thursday, March 23, 2028
12:00–11:59 PM Departure