Gut-Brain Axis (L6)
March 16-19, 2026
| Beaver Run Conference Center, Breckenridge, CO, United States
Martin G. Myers, Jr., Darleen A. Sandoval and Tune H Pers
Scholarship Deadline: Dec. 17, 2025 | Abstract Deadline: Feb. 25, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Jan. 16, 2026
| 12:00–3:00 PM |
CU Anschutz Pre-Conference Workshop: Networking & Communication Skills (separate registration required) Learn more at: https://keysym.us/CUAnschutz26 |
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| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–8:10 AM |
Welcome Remarks (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
| 8:10–9:00 AM |
Keynote Address (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
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* Jonathan Campbell, Duke University
Session Chair |
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Daniel J. Drucker, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Incretins all Over the Place |
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| 9:00–11:30 AM |
Future Therapeutics for Diabetes and Obesity (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
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* Jonathan Campbell, Duke University
Session Chair |
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Alice E Adriaenssens, AstraZeneca
The Central GIPR Signaling Axis: New Insights, New Questions |
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Lotte B Knudsen, Novo Nordisk A/S
What GLP-1 Did and Did Not Do For People with Diabetes |
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Over Cabrera, Eli Lilly and Company
Islet-Targeting Therapies |
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Mark Esposito, Kayothera INC
Short Talk: KAYO-1732, A 1st-In-Class Oral ALDH1a3 Inhibitor, Blocks Retinoid Nuclear Receptor Signaling To Regenerate Pancreatic β Cells And Reverse Type 2 Diabetes |
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Jenny M Brown, University of Copenhagen
Short Talk: A Novel Gut-brain Circuit Controlling Energy Balance through the Neurokinin 2 Receptor |
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| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 11:30–12:30 PM |
Meet the Editors (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
| 12:30–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 12:30–2:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1: Gut Sensing and Regulation |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Evelyn de Groot, Baylor College of Medicine
N-acetylaspartate Accumulation in Enterocytes Governs Intestinal Cholesterol Sensing |
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Nicole Ferguson, University of Arizona
Intestinal Neuropod Cells Function as Region-Specific Sensors of Vitamin A Availability |
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Ioannis Gampierakis, Pfizer
Human Colonic L-cells Display Histologic Features of Neuropod Cells and are Dysregulated in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) |
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Afsin Malik, St. John's University
16α-Hydroxylated Bile Acid Mediates Food Intake Through Intestinal Oleoylethanolamide (OEA)-PPARα Signaling |
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Rachel H McMahan, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Intestinal Reg3g Overexpression Mitigates Ethanol-Induced Neuroinflammation Following Burn Injury |
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Leonard Lawandos, Johns Hopkins University
Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation Attenuates Bidirectional Neuro- and Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Model of Traumatic Brain Injury |
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Chen Liu, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
A Gut–Brain Serotonergic Axis Regulates Food Intake |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Nutrient and Mechanical Sensing in the Gut |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Darleen A. Sandoval, University of Colorado
Nutrient Sensing in the Gut |
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Kara Marshall, Baylor College of Medicine
Defining Force-Sensing Mechanisms in the Gastrointestinal Tract |
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Melanie M Kaelberer, Duke University
Intestinal Neuropods |
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Sung-Yon Kim, Seoul National University
Mechanosensory Feedback Circuits Controlling Ingestion |
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| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:05–8:00 AM |
Women in Science Networking Event, Sponsored by Amgen, Co-Organized by WIELD |
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Lori Sussel, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
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Melanie M Kaelberer, Duke University
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Amber L. Alhadeff, Monell Chemical Senses Center
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Maureen A Gannon, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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Erica Nishimura, Novo Nordisk A/S
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Nikki L Farnsworth, Colorado School of Mines
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Alice E Adriaenssens, AstraZeneca
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* Amelia K. Linnemann, Indiana University School of Medicine
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* Darleen A. Sandoval, University of Colorado
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| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Inter-Organ Communication (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
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Madina Sokolov, University of Miami
Peripheral Innervation in Energy Metabolism |
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Sarah Stanley, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
CNS Control of Blood Glucose |
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Hideki Katagiri, Tohoku University
Neural Regulation and Manipulation of Pancreatic Beta Cells |
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Yu Hsuan Carol Yang, University of Exeter Medical School
Role of Islet Innervation in Zebrafish |
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Danny Ben-Zvi, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Short Talk: The Insulin Secretion Rate is Correlated with Future Glucose Levels in Humans |
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Angela Kim, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Short Talk: Selective Brain-to-gut Communication via Transcriptionally-defined Vagus-to-enteric Neuron Circuits |
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| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 9:20–9:25 AM |
Award Recipient Acknowledgement |
Colorado Ballroom |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 11:00–5:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 1:30–3:15 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2: Signals from the Gut to the Brain |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Natalie S Figueredo Burgos, UCL
Gipr Brainstem Neurons Bidirectionally Control Food Intake and Receive Divergent Vagal Inputs |
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Jordan B. Wean, University of Michigan
The Effect of GIPR Loss of Function on Bariatric Surgery and Non-GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Weight Loss Compounds |
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Iris Wu, University of Michigan
Gipr-expressing AP Neurons Contribute to the Control of Food Intake and Body Weight and Modify Responses to GLP1R Agonists |
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Nadine Eliasson, University of Lausanne
Gut-Brain Axis: The Role of GLP1R-Vagal Afferents in the Beneficial Effect of Dietary Fiber in Metabolic Health |
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Allison Butt, Gubra
A Novel Multimodal Digital Rat Brain Atlas and Whole-Brain Imaging Pipeline for Mapping Satiety Pathways and Anti-Obesity Drug Effects |
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Christopher R Jabbarpour, UW-madison Genetics
Single-Nucleus Sequencing of the Brain Reveals Cell-Specific Pathways Driving the Metabolic Benefits of Sleeve Gastrectomy |
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Lihua Ye, Ohio State University
Enteroendocrine Cell Signaling Wires the Gut-brain Vagal Axis |
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Fereshteh Dehghani, Texas Tech University
A BCAA-Synthesizing Bacterium Exacerbates Food-Reward Responses Under a High-Fat Diet |
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| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Career Roundtable (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Probing the Dorsal Vagal Complex |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Tune H Pers, University of Copenhagen
Single-Cell Mapping of Anorectic Pathways in the DVC |
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Nancy A. Thornberry, Kallyope, Inc.
Targeting Gut-Brain Circuits for the Treatment of Diabetes, Obesity, and Related Disorders |
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John N. Campbell, University of Virginia
What Happens in Vagus – Unraveling Neural Circuits for Heart and Gut Control |
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Georgina Dowsett, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research
Short Talk: A Transcriptomic Atlas of the Mouse and Human Dorsal Vagal Complex |
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Marc-Antonio Padilla, University of Michigan
Short Talk: Identification of a Bioinformatically-Defined NTS Neuron Population that Encodes Aversion/Sickness and Anti-Inflammatory Responses |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Behavioral Control |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Linda Rinaman, Florida State University
Role for GLP1 and PrRP Neurons in Behavior |
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Zachary A. Knight, University of California, San Francisco
Control of Ingestion by the Caudal Brainstem |
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Martin G. Myers, Jr., University of Michigan
CNS Control of Nausea and Sickness Responses |
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Jon F Davis, Novo Nordisk
Short Talk: Brain & Behavioral Responses to Semaglutide |
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Nicolas F. Berbari, Indiana University-Indianapolis
Short Talk: Hedgehog Activation in Hypothalamic Neurons Causes Obesity |
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Leonie Cabot, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research
Short Talk: High-fat Diet Feeding Acutely Alters Vagal Gut-brain Signaling to Promote Consumption |
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Luca Galgano, University of Pittsburgh
Short Talk: The Focal Adhesion Kinases Regulate Central Energy Homeostasis Through Leptin Signaling |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 11:00–5:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 1:00–2:00 PM |
Perspectives: Personalized Medicine & Patient-Centered Strategies (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom |
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* Raghavendra G Mirmira, The University of Chicago
Session Chair |
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Anne Gresch, University of Colorado Denver
Sex-Specific Beta-Cell Heterogeneity and Stress Response in Type 2 Diabetes Development |
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Ha T Vu, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
PanKbase Integrated Single-Cell Map: A Resource for Human Pancreatic Islet and Beta Cell Biology with New Insights into Diabetes |
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Alexander Ticho, Mayo Clinic
Obesity Subphenotyping Cluster with Reduced GLP-1 and Fast Gastric Emptying Predicts Weight Loss Response to Tirzepatide |
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Hailey F Welch, University of Texas at Dallas
A Molecular Basis for Right-Left Asymmetry in Gut-Brain Signaling |
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| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peaks 1 - 3 |
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–6:45 PM |
Transmitting Gut Signals to the Forebrain |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Amber L. Alhadeff, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Nutrient Sensing and the Regulation of CNS Function |
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Christoffer Clemmensen, University of Copenhagen
Engineering Peptides to Target Specific CNS Cell Types |
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Henning Fenselau, University of Cologne
Gut-Sensing DVC Circuits |
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Kevin W. Williams, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Short Talk: Neuroplasticity of Hypothalamic Neurons Following Bariatric Surgery |
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| 6:45–7:00 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 3 |
Peak 1-3 |
