On May 14th, the SOPHIA project presented its first major symposium to a packed auditorium at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice. Moderated by SOPHIA coordinator Prof. Care Le Roux from University College Dublin and SOPHIA industry lead Dr. Anna Cali from Novo Nordisk, we discussed our major findings, the value of improving patient care, and the definition of obesity as a complex, multifactorial disease.

What can we achieve with a federated database?

Mark Ibberson from Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics discussed how we can bridge data silos and presented the 18 connected cohorts within our SOPHIA federated database.

Without any sensitive data disclosure, remote analysis can be performed on multiple cohorts in parallel, opening up powerful new opportunities for cross-cohort analysis where legal and ethical restrictions prevent sharing of patient data.

What are barriers to obesity treatment for those with type 1 diabetes?

Dr. Bart van der Schueren from KU Leuven discussed the balancing act of glycaemic control and weight gain in type 1 diabetes, as the unmet need among people with both obesity and type 1 obesity continues to rise.

As demonstrated in the SOPHIA project, there is a significant global occurrence of obesity among adults with type 1 diabetes, emphasizing the need for enhanced management strategies to mitigate associated risks.

What can clustering and trajectory modelling tell us about obesity?

Dr. Thomas Sparsø from Novo Nordisk presented one of our most exciting findings - the identification of phenotypic obesity profiles. Based on the UK Biobank, the Gutenburg Health Study, the Maastrict Study and the Rotterdam study, data from over 100.000 individuals were analyzed to develop 5 distinct risk profiles which differ from what we would expect from these individuals, given their BMI.

By looking at where individuals belong on these risk clusters, and which clusters respond best to certain treatments, we are getting even closer to personalizing treatment strategies and understanding patient trajectories.

How can we best utilize predictive algorithms?

Dr. François Pattou from CHU Lille demonstrated his free online weight loss predictor tool, developed using data from ABOS. By inputting 7 variables - weight, height, age, type of intervention and presence and duration of diabetes - it is now possible to predict the weight loss trajectory following bariatric surgery.

It is hoped that this kind of modelling will lead to more precise treatment strategies and informed decision making in obesity care.

What can we learn from the patient perspective?

Dr. Deirdre McGillicuddy from University College Dublin presented results from the qualitative research on ptient perceptions, preferences and experiences of living with obesity - as well as definition of treatment success. Four key themes of success were:

• Success as freedom from stigma, bias and the mental burden of obesity

• Success as being able to participate fully in the world

• Success as measured by NSVs (non-scale victories)

• Success is not a number on a scale

As Lydia states:

"Just freedom to just be…to exist normally without having to always be the advocate for myself and for others…and so we come to you with our stories because patient stories are important…and our stories are not unique they are run of the mill everyone has them and the fact that they are run of the mill is what is so disheartening to me."

We thank all SOPHIA partners, study participants, the European Congress on Obesity, and those in the symposium audience for an engaging and inspiring discussion. Look out for more the presentation of more SOPHIA results over the coming year!