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Calgary Liver Unit 5th Biennial TAILOR 2024 Meeting

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Cal Wenzel Family Foundation Chair in Hepatology - Translational Approaches to Inflammatory Liver Injury and Repair Meeting (TAILOR)

September 13 - 15, 2024
Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta

Immune-mediated inflammatory liver injury is the common pathway of liver damage occurring in most liver diseases, including viral hepatitis, toxic liver damage, autoimmune liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. All inflammation-associated liver injuries are associated with well-developed and coordinated repair processes, which can lead ether to recovery or liver scarring (fibrosis). 

Understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved in liver injury and repair, and defining how these directly impact patients, will allow us to develop much needed treatments for chronic liver disease.

Therefore, to examine bench to bedside approaches to inflammatory liver injury and repair we have put together an outstanding scientific program and assembled leading international authorities in the field. During this meeting liver injury and repair, from basic mechanisms through to pathophysiology and therapy, will be addressed. 

An important element of the meeting will be discussions and interactions between participants and speakers which we hope will lead to collaborations and the dissemination of ideas and knowledge.

Hotel and Banff Information

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, Alberta
T1L 1H5

P: 403-762-6446 | Toll Free: 1-877-760-4595 (Canada & USA)

Reservations |  Directions | Banff Centre Campus Map | Banff Town Map | Activities | Restaurants

Step by Step Directions

International Airport to Banff takes approximately 90 minutes.

  1. Depart airport and take Deerfoot Trail North Highway 2.  
  2. In four km, take the exit for Stoney Trail NW heading West. Signs indicate it heads towards Banff and Highway 1. 
  3. Drive approximately 23 km and take the exit for Trans-Canada Highway 1 West (Banff).
  4. Continue West approximately 90 km on the Trans-Canada Highway 1 to the Banff National Park gates.
  5. Once through the park gates, continue 12 km to the first exit to the town of Banff.
  1. Travel approximately 135 km westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway 1 from Calgary, take the first exit to Banff.  
  2. At the base of the ramp turn left and follow the road though town to Buffalo Street (5th traffic light). 
  3. Turn left on Buffalo, drive up the hill to The Banff Centre.
  4. Turn left and follow the signs to reception in the Professional Development Centre

Parking

Long-term parking is available in two locations on campus: the underground parkade on the north side of campus and the visitor parking lot on the south end of campus.

Short term parking is available throughout campus, as noted on the campus map. Check-in is at the Professional Development Centre. Campus directory maps are located at the two entrances.

  1. Follow the parking signs to the parkade located below the Music & Sound Building.
  2. Eric Harvie Theatre, Margaret Greenham Theatre, and The Club are adjacent to the parkade.

Program Planning Committee

Dr. Mark SwainHepatologist, University of Calgary, Liver Unit  
Professor of Medicine		swain@ucalgary.ca  
403-592-5010
Dr. Abdel-Aziz ShaheenGastroenterologist, University of Calgary, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology  
Associate Professor of Medicine		aashahee@ucalgary.ca  
403-592-5034
Dr. Henry NguyenHepatologist, University of Calgary, Liver Unit  
Assistant Professor of Medicine		hhnguye@ucalgary.ca  
403-220-3823
Dr. Mayur BrahmaniaHepatologist, University of Calgary, Liver Unit  
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine		mayur.brahmania@ucalgary.ca  
403-220-8457
Dr. Carla CoffinHepatologist, University of Calgary, Liver Unit  
Professor of Medicine		cscoffin@ucalgary.ca  
403-592-5049
Oksana KuzhelConference Coordinatorokuzhel@ucalgary.ca  
403-592-5049

Meeting Agenda

Friday Sept 13 
Kinnear Centre KC 100 Galleria Central              		 
6:00 – 7:00 pmRegistration
7:00 – 9:30 pm

Welcome (Dr. Mark Swain), Dinner and Keynote Talk (KC 101)

Keynote Speaker Dr. Ian Rowe (Associate Professor, University of Leeds, UK)  
“Optimizing Early Identification of Liver Disease in the Community to Facilitate Improved Patient Outcomes”

Saturday Sept 14 
Registration at KC 100 Galleria Central		 
7:00 – 9:30 amBreakfast at KC 101
8:00 – 10:00 am

Sessions at KC 303 - Challenges in Viral Hepatitis (Moderator: Dr. Matt Sadler)

PRIHS LiveRx Update

Dr. Mark Swain 
“HCV Eradication: Employing Community-Based Pharmacies to Enhance Treatment”

Dr. Tanvir Turin Chowdhury (University of Calgary) 
“Connecting with Newcomer Communities to Enhance Viral Hepatitis Testing and Treatment”
Dr. Aziz Shaheen (University of Calgary) 
“Geo-Mapping for HDV: Can We Find the Problem?”
Students Presentations (3 Talks)
10:00 - 10:15 amCoffee Break
10:30 am - Noon

Sessions at KC 303 - Liver Cancer (Moderator: Dr. Mayur Brahmania)

Dr. Ashley Laughney (Assistant Professor of Computational Cancer Genomics in Computational Biomedicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell)  
“What can We Learn from Basic Science Approaches in Non-HCC Cancers?”
Dr. Neehar Parikh (Associate Professor, University of Michigan) 
“Biomarkers in HCC”
Dr. Mayur Brahmania (Clinical Associate Professor, University of Calgary) 
“HCC Surveillance: Is Personalization Best?”
Noon - 1 pmLunch at KC 101
1:00 - 2:30 pm

Sessions at KC 303 - Steatotic Liver Disease (SLD) (Moderator: Dr Henry Nguyen)

Dr. Aziz Shaheen and Elizabeth Baguley (University of Calgary) 
“Infrastructure to Support Translational Research Projects in Steatotic Liver Disease”
Dr. Henry Nguyen (University of Calgary) 
“Defining the Hepatic Immune Landscape in Metabolic Dysfunction: Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) to Improve Therapeutics”
Dr. Jennifer Flemming (Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University) 
“Is Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Becoming a Young Woman’s Game?”
2:30 - 2:45 pmCoffee Break
2:45 - 3:45 pmSmall Collaborative Workshops
6:30 pmGroup Dinner at KC 101
Sunday Sept. 15 
7:00 - 9:30 amBreakfast at KC 101
8:30 - 10:30 am

Sessions at KC 303 - Updates on clinical care paradigms in liver disease (Moderator: Dr Meredith Borman)

Dr. Juan Abraldes (University of Alberta)
"Recompensation in Cirrhosis: Implications for Patient Management"
Dr. Victor Dong (University of Calgary)
"Acute on Chronic Liver Failure: Can we Improve Management to Avoid the ICU?"
Dr. Stephen Congly (University of Calgary)
"Cost Effective Care of Patients with Cirrhosis"
Dr. Aldo Montano-Loza (University of Alberta)
"Can we Improve Care in PBC?"
10:00 - 10:45 amCoffee Break
10:45 - 11:45 amDr Mark Swain and Dr Aziz Shaheen (University of Calgary)
"Pushing the Liver Disease Research Envelope Before the Next TAILOR Meeting in 2026"
11:45 amClosing Remarks and Departures