All-time high at the 9th annual meeting of afib.no!
Thank you all for a fantastic annual meeting on September 25-26, 2025. We reached an all-time high with 85 registered participants! It was a real pleasure to listen to all of the magnificent presentations, and a delight to see that there were more questions from the audience than time allowed for. The discussions continued in the breaks, and it was probably the one meeting where we have struggled the most with keeping the schedule, but that is a side-effect we can live happily with!
We must highlight the sessions on AF and Digital Health and User involvement in AF research wich were truly inspiring. Professor Linz shed light on how digital solutions may improve the monitoring of AF-patients moving forward, while Professor Brundel dazzled us with an innovative approach to meaningful user involvement, leveraging the AFIP digital platform and patient questionnaires to define new research questions and clinical trials.
The early-career session focused on the transition from PhD to established researcher and was well-visited with fruitful discussions. Thank you all for your active involvement. We hope that the discussions continued when you arrived home, and that the infrastructure around this transition will improve across our countries and institutions.
Congratulations to Kajsa Strååt for the Best Oral Abstract Award and to Magnar G. Solberg for the Best Poster Award!
We would like to honour Professor Arnljot Tveit who has been leading the network since it was established in 2017 and until September 2025. Afib.no wouldn’t exist without your passion for AF research and dedication to promoting the careers of young AF researchers. Thank you, Arnljot!
A big welcome to the new leader of the network, dr. Ingrid E. Christophersen, who is equally passionate about AF research and who look forward to welcoming you all again at Lysebu next year!
Remember to save the dates – September 24-25, 2026!
Thank you all for a great 8th annual afib.no meeting at Lysebu!
We feel privileged to host the afib.no meeting at Lysebu every year, gathering so many talented and invested AF researchers in one place. Seeing how you all connect and form new ideas that lead to projects and publications is really a gift to us, and just what we had hoped for back in 2017, when we started the whole thing.
The meeting started with Jonathan Mant, Katrin Gudmundsdottir and Sigrun Halvorsen giving updates on AF screening. It seems like the results are still conflicting; however, new results will be coming up from SAFER, STROKESTOP & NORSCREEN as we move forward.
Ben Shoemaker gave us some interesting insights from the AF Precision Medicine Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and we will hopefully collaborate on gathering more data on this interesting topic in the years coming.
The abstract session, both oral and poster, was impressive, with a very high scientific quality, and the abstract rating committee had a hard time picking out the winners. The best oral abstract award went to Andreas Berg Sellevold from NTNU, and the best poster award went to Hilde Espnes from UiT – the Arctic University of Norway. Congratulations!
After the abstract session, we heard about atrial strain both in relation to AF in the ACE1950 study, but also in relation to pericardial fat in the Baricard study. Magnar Solberg and Lili Guilani both represented Bærum Hospital. A big thanks to Dan Atar, who stepped in at very short notice and gave a beautiful presentation of results from the NOAH-AFNET 6 and ARTESIA trials.
As always, we had a great time in the breaks and at dinner – that’s where all the new ideas seem to arise. We were also privileged to hear the mesmerizing sounds from Ellen Bødtker’s gold plated concert harp.
On day 2, we learned more about sustainability and resilience from Eigil Gulliksen – CMO in Aker Solutions – in the early-career session. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, challenges and successes. The session is important to us, and we hope that you continue the conversation on how to build resilient and sustainable environments for both new and experienced researchers when you are back at your local institution, at meetings and next year, when we meet again.
In the prediction tools for AF session, Linda Johnson showed impressive results from an AI algorithm for analysis of ECGs. We look forward to seeing how this technology will be implemented – hopefully soon. Oliver Vad showed big scale analyses of proteomic markers for AF in the UK Biobank, whereas Morten Mattingsdal presented preliminary data on genetic markers associated with exercise-associated AF in the Horse2Human study.
Katja Sharashova shared new results from the Tromsø study, showing that the pulse pressure is associated with AF, but to a higher degree in women than in men. Last, Katrine Enge presented results from the RATAF II study, comparing the effects of calcium channel blockers and beta blockers on NT-proBNP and exercise capacity.
We would like to thank all of our brilliant speakers. Many of you have said that this was the best meeting so far – and we agree! But the meeting would be nothing without all of you engaged participants making up the very special atmosphere that surrounds the meeting. Thank you all for coming – hope to see you again next year!
Best,
Arnljot, Kristine & Ingrid
Thanks again for the wonderful afib.no 7th annual meeting at Lysebu
Thanks again for the wonderful afib.no 7th annual meeting at Lysebu in Oslo, Norway. We are grateful for the contributions of our members and invited speakers! Recap from the inspiring sessions below
Katja Sharashova showed AF epi results from the Tromsø study, Peter S. Rønningen presented left atrium echo data from the ACE1950 study, Hikaru Morooka showed results on parity & risk of AF in the HUNT study, Trygve Berge introduced the new RegTool AFNOR study.
Distinguished keynote speaker, John Mandrola reminded us to stay critical when interpreting the results of research, whether it is performed at our own insitution or published in the highest ranked journals. Thanks for coming all the way to Oslo to join our discussions!
The abstract session was a highlight, as always! 6 presenters showed impressive results from Denmark, Sweden and Norway: Luca Soattin, Arnela Saljic, Johan Engdahl, Melodié Schneider, Kajsa Strååt and Turid Apelland
Which other AF-meeting has its own “Equine AF” session?
Rikke Buhl and Sam Franklin showed amazing results from their research on AF in horses.
The best oral abstract presentation award went to Melodié Schneider ; the best poster award went to dr. Jonatan Fernstad. The awards were presented by John Mandrola, Jocasta Ball and Sam Franklin.
Håkon Kornstad mesmerized us with his jazz saxophone and his operatic tenor.
Day 2 started with an impressive session on the genetics of AF, cardioembolic stroke & atrial cardiomyopathy. Morten Salling Olesen, Michiel Rienstra and Morten Mattingsdal gave brilliant lectures on data from Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
The last session of the year – screening for AF. Søren Z. Diederichsen – the Loop study, Miroslav Boskovic & Sigrun Halvorsen – NORSCREEN & Anne Hege Aamodt – the NORFIB study discussed who to screen – or not to screen for AF
Afib.no workshop 2023
More than 45 atrial fribrillation researchers met at Felix Conference senter in Oslo April 20 to hear about Anticoagulation in AF. The Workshop started with an excellent talk by Prof. Gregory Lip.
After Prof. Lip, Mariam Anjum gave a talk about Stroke risk in individuals with AF and low/intermediate CHA2DS2-VASc score.
After the break Guri Hagberg tok us trough The potential of acute stroke treatment in patients using anticoagulants: activity and concentration measurements.
Then Loreta Skrebelyte Strøm presented news from the PROACTIA study. Prediction of occult atrial fibrillation in patients after cryptogenic stroke and transient ischemic attack: PROACTIA
The last speaker was Håkon Ihle-Hansen introducing a new study Screening After Stroke – Atrial Fibrillation (SAS-AF) Study, the significance of timing and choice of device.
Thanks to all network members for contribiuting to interessting discussions and good talks.
Successful 6 th annual meeting!
BY K.S.F on
It is time for a belated look back on this year’s annual meeting in afib.no. This delayed post is a sign of things turning back to normal after the pandemic. We have all been busy traveling to physical meetings, which is pleasant but hectic!
Thank you all for contributing to such an inspiring meeting at Lysebu on September 29-30. We had an all-time high turnout, even though many of our members were unable to come due to conflicting events. This is promising with regard to afib.no 2023!
Day 1 started with exciting new exome sequencing data presented by Sean Jurgens from the AFGen consortium. Nate Tucker showed us intriguing ways to evaluate the function of genetic regions discovered in large-scale genetic studies – including some lessons learned from the hearts of grizzly bears.
The abstract session introduced us to six brilliant presentations through digital approaches for clinical studies, risk factors for AF, the effect physical activity on LA size and risk of AF, and AF-recurrence after ablation. Our early-career researchers showed impressive skills in both science and dissemination of such. Ellen Warlo won the award for the best abstract presentation – congratulations!
Peder Myhre took us through the most recent and conflicting studies on OMEGA 3 fatty acids and AF, whereas Hikaru Morooka represented a new research group in afib.no, focusing on women’s reproductive health and risk factors for AF in the HUNT study. We welcome Hikaru and Julie Horn at the Institute of Nursing and Public Health, NTNU to the network and look forward to some interesting results in the future.
As a new feature, we had a cultural event on Thursday evening, when internationally renowned artist, composer and author, Ketil Bjørnstad, mesmerized us with his grand piano. His personal stories and reflections gave an honest insight into the burden of living with AF.
On day 2, we had a nice re-encounter with our early-career session. Ida Lunde and Marius Myrstad shared their experiences with transitioning from a PhD-fellowship to a position as a more established researcher, building a team and creating connections with other researchers.
Results from two Bærum-based studies were presented by Elizabeth L Andersen and Eivind Sørensen. The Pre-Electric study described recurrence rates after electrical cardioversion and Dr. Sørensen showed how the left atrial strain is affected in athletes with AF.
The last session of the meeting included much anticipated news from AblaNor – the Norwegian Ablation registry presented by Peter Schuster. The registry seems to be a good source for future research projects on AF. Bente Morseth presented a multi-center study from the MORGAN consortium, showing large-scale results on AF incidence, attributable risk factor and risk of stroke and mortality.
It was a true pleasure to see you all again at Lysebu. I think it made us all aware that it is very important that we take the time to meet face-to-face now and then. It sparks new ideas, motivation and inspiration to continue our research in AF and to form new collaborations.
We look forward to next year’s meetings already!
- Afib.no workshop – April 20, 2023 – at venue tbd, Oslo, Norway
- 7th annual afib.no meeting 2022 – September 28-29, 2023 – at Lysebu, Oslo, Norway
Workshop 20 April 2023
Keynote Speakers:
Professor Gregory Lip MD FRCP (London Edinburgh Glasgow) DFM FACC FESC FEHRA
Price-Evans Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom; Distinguished Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Professor Elaine Hylek MD, MPH, MS
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Dept of Medicine, General Internal Medicine
Se full program here:
Afib.no sixth annual meeting 2022
We are pleased to invite you to the sixth annual meeting of afib.no – the Norwegian Atrial Fibrillation Research Network. We are finally back at Lysebu!!
We look forward to a couple of exciting days in September, with presentations of great science and possibilities to connect with colleagues from around the world.
Date: September 29-30, 2022 – “lunch-to-lunch“
Location: Lysebu, Oslo, Norway
We have an exciting program underway – we will circulate as soon as all speakers are confirmed.
Call for abstracts!
Please make sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to get expert feedback on your work. Six abstracts will be selected for presentation in our early-career session.
Send your abstract to krfolk@vestreviken.no before August 15, 2022. Selected abstract presenters will be notified on September 1, 2022. Please note that there are no strict rules – your abstract may include your recently published work, work presented at other conferences, preliminary results, a study design that you would like to receive feedback on etc. The session is meant to be a friendly forum for helpful discussion and feedback. One-page format, include all co-authors, affiliations and disclosures – otherwise no strict formatting requirements.
Please register as soon as possible!
Send an e-mail to krfolk@vestreviken.no if you have not recieved your invitation e-mail.
We encourage everyone to stay with us at Lysebu, also local participants!
Workshop 21 April 2022, Sex differences in AF
BY K.S.F on
After two years of digital meetings it was a true pleasure to meet so many of you at Felix conference center in Oslo for the annual afib.no workshop!
We enjoyed two outstanding keynote lectures from dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek, Berlin, Germany and dr. Andrea Russo, New Jersey, USA. We gained insight into the basic biological differences between women and men and their impact on cardiovascular physiology and pathology. Moreover, they both emphasized the importance of acknowledging research in sex differences as a separate field of expertise. If we want to address some of the many knowledge gaps in this field, we have to train researchers in the methodologies that are needed to answer our research questions adequately. There is ample opportunity to discover important mechanisms behind sex differences in AF, that may well be used to differentiate diagnostics and therapy. Hopefully, the new generations of AF guidelines will reflect this as well.
The rapid-fire session, in which many of our early-career researchers presented sex-specific results from their AF research, was a highlight. With only 6 minutes to their disposal, the 11 speakers gave excellent, inspirational talks!
Thanks to everyone!
afib.no annual meeting 2021
Thank you all for tuning in to this year’s sfib.no meeting! We were thrilled to see so many of you there and impressed by the quality of the presentations.
Day 1 started with the team behind the NEXAF study, who introduced each of the sub-studies in the project. NEXAF is an afib.no-funded multicenter study on physical activity and AF. Bjarne Martens Nes, Marius Myrstad, Bente Morseth and Kristoffer Johansen presented the planned activities from each site; In Trondheim they will look at how physical activity influences AF in a randomized controlled trial, in Bærum they will evaluate detraining in endurance athletes with AF, and in Tromsø, they will use observational data to evaluate whether physical activity may reduce adverse events in individuals with AF. It is an impressive collaboration between different centers in Norway that have come together in the afib.no network. We hope that this can be of inspiration to other researchers in our network, to build collaborations across centers and disciplines in out network.
A hot topic was the results from the AF screening studies LOOP and STROKESTOP, hot off the press in Lancet. We were lucky to have both Jesper Hastrup Svendsen from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Johan Engdahl, Stockholm, Sweden, present some very interesting results from their respective study, leaving us a little more puzzled regarding who, when and how to screen for AF. Søren Diederichsen and Litten Bertelsen – both from Copenhagen – gave us a deeper insight into ECG-data and MRI markers in the LOOP study.
The abstract session was a highlight again this year. We enjoyed brilliant presentation ranging from cardiac fibroblast accumulation in horses with persistent AF, werables: the ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor and epidemiologic studies on prevalence and incidence of AF, use of OAC in individuals with AF and intermediate stroke-risk and the relation between physical activity, left atrial size and AF. All presentations were of high quality, so the evaluation committee had a difficult task picking a winner, but for the second time, Arnela Saljic from Copenhagen, Denmark won. Congratulations!
On day 2, we had a nice re-encounter with our early-career session. Maja-Lisa Løchen and Jan Pål Loennechen gave us some valuable insight on how to combine a clinical and academic career. The digital platform is challenging for a session like this, where we aim for an informal and highly interactive setting. But we pulled it off – and look forward to yet another session next year, where we can be in the same room together.
The last session of the meeting involved some of our newest international network members. Thomas Jespersen from Copenhagen, Denmark, showed us interesting data from porcine AF models. Gwilym Morris from Manchester, UK gave some insight into remodellign in atrial arrhythmia, whereas Guido Claessen from Leuven, Belgium – and partner in the NEXAF study – presented the Pro@Heart and Master@Heart studies, evaluating physical activity in AF.
We would like to thank everyone for their invaluable contribution to the meeting. It was two very inspiring days with excellent quality presentations.
Next year’s meetings will be planned to be in-person:
- Afib.no workshop on sex-differences in AF – April 21, 2022 – venue tbd, Oslo, Norway
- 6th annual afib.no meeting 2022 – September 29-30, 2022 – at Lysebu, Oslo, Norway
The fifth annual meeting of afib.no
– the Norwegian Atrial Fibrillation Research Network
We look forward to a couple of exciting days in September/October 2021.
| Time: | September 30. | 12.00 – 16.00 |
| October 1. | 09.00 – 12.00 | |
| Place: | Skype |
Call for abstracts. We look forward to yet another rapid fire oral abstract session. Six abstracts will be selected for oral presentation. The remaining abstracts will be presented as posters during the meeting. Please make sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to present your ongoing research and get expert feedback. There will be a 5000 NOK award for the best oral abstract presentation. Please note that there are no strict rules – your abstract may include your recently published work, work presented at other conferences, preliminary results, a study design that you would like to receive feedback on etc. The session is meant to be a friendly forum for helpful discussion and feedback.
Submission deadline: Send your abstract to krfolk@vestreviken.no before September 1, 2021.
As many of today’s five year-olds we spend too much time in front of a screen – unfortunately it is still not possible for us to arrange for a physical meeting. This year’s meeting will, similar to the spring workshop, be held on Skype. As for 2022 and beyond, we aim to see you all at Lysebu – reservations are made, and we encourage you to save the dates: Thursday-Friday, week 39 for years to come.
If you’d like to bring your colleagues – please send us a request for invitation. Personal registration is required to receive login information to the meeting.
afib.no workshop 2021:
Atrial Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation
Date: April 15, 2021
Time: 12.30 – 16.00
Place: Skype
Meeting invitation will be sent to the e-mail address submitted at registration a few days before the meeting.
Keynote Speakers:
Stanley Nattel, MD, Cardiologist, Montreal Heart Institute, Professor of Medicine, University of Montreal, Paul-David Chair in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, Editor in Chief, Canadian Journal of Cardiology
Pyotr Platonov, MD, PhD, Clinical Electrophysiologist and Professor of Cardiology, the Department of Cardiology, Lund University
Program:
12.30 Welcome
Ingrid E. Christophersen, MD, PhD, Co-leader of afib.no, the Department of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust & the Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
Arnljot Tveit, MD, PhD, Leader of afib.no, Professor, the Department of Cardiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo & Head of the Department of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway
12.45 Electrocardiographic signs of atrial remodeling and risk of AF in ARVC
Pyotr Platonov, MD, PhD, Clinical Electrophysiologist and Professor of Cardiology, the Department of Cardiology, Lund University, Sweden
13.30 Reversed atrial remodeling after electrical cardioversion of AF – Echocardiographic findings from the Pre-Electric study
Elizabeth Lyster Andersen, MD, PhD-fellow, the Department of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway
13.55 Break
14.05 Left atrial volumetric and functional assessment by echocardiography: data from the ACE 1950 Study
Peter Selmer Rønningen, MD, PhD-fellow, the Department of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway
Magnar Gangås Solberg, MD, PhD-fellow, the Department of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway
14.30 Clinical implications of atrial remodeling and what can be done about them
Stanley Nattel, MD, Professor, Cardiologist, Montreal Heart Institute, Professor of Medicine, University of Montreal, Paul-David Chair in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, Editor in Chief, Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Canada
15.30 Closing remarks and information from afib.no
Arnljot Tveit & Ingrid E. Christophersen
Reminder!
Remember to save the dates for our 5th afib.no annual meeting on September 23 and 24, 2021.
Fourth annual meeting Afib.no 2020
Program
As you may recognize, we have decided to make a few structural changes to comply to the fully digital format.
Since we unfortunately will not be able to enjoy the usual Thursday evening-part of the meeting with a social and dinner, the meeting will be held on Friday September 25 only – as a full-day meeting.
We view the early-career session as a very important part of the program, but have decided that the digital platform cannot provide a suitable format for this session and therefore it has been cancelled this year. However, we have a whole line of very exciting presenters and presentations – with personalized medicine as a red line – that we are very much looking forward to!
Abstract session
Thank you for submitting your abstracts! It is great to see the diversity of the AF research in our network! We know that there are still a few abstracts out there to be submitted and will extend deadline until September 15 at 10 am CEST. Abstracts may be submitted by email to krfolk@vestreviken.no.
Selected abstract presenters will be notified on September 15 – all other abstracts will be presented as posters on the digital platform.
As a reminder – the afib.no annual meeting has grown into a national, and to some extent, international meeting – so make sure that you don’t conflict yourself by presenting any data that has been accepted for presentation at another conference.
Registration
If you have not received e-mail with registration link, please send an e-mail to krfolk@vestreviken.no
Cancelled: Workshop – April 16, 2020
Screening for Atrial Fibrillation – knowledge gaps and future directions
Dear colleagues and network members,
Due to the current situation with the Corona pandemic, we have no other option than to cancel the planned AF screening workshop in Oslo on April 16th. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause.
Any practical questions regarding booked tickets etc., can be directed to Kristine kristineseland.folkenborg@vestreviken.no
Although the current pandemic is expected to affect us for months ahead, we hope that the situation will improve, and that we will be able to organize our annual network meeting on September 24-25, at Lysebu in Oslo. We will get back to you on that at later stage.
Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Stay safe.
Best wishes,
Arnljot, Ingrid, Trygve and Kristine
Place: Professorboligen, Universitetet i Oslo, Karl johansgate 47, Oslo, 0162
Preliminary program:
11.00 – 11.45 Arrival and standing lunch
11.45 – 12.00 Welcome
Ingrid E. Christophersen – MD, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, Dept. of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust. Co-leader of the Norwegian Atrial Fibrillation Research Network – afib.no
Trygve Berge – MD, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, Dept. of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust. Organizer of workshop.
12.00 – 12.30 From SAFE to SAFER – 20 years of screening for atrial fibrillation
Jonathan Mant – Professor of Primary Care Research and Head of the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge. Chief Investigator of the SAFER study.
12.30 – 12.40 Q & A / Discussion
12.40 – 13.10 Screening for AF in high-risk individuals in primary care (AMALFI study) – and lessons learned from other large-scale clinical trials at the University of Oxford
Louise Bowman – Professor of Medicine and Clinical Trials at the Clinical Trial Service Unit of the University of Oxford. She is Chief Investigator for the AMALFI trial and Co-principal Investigator for the recently-reported ASCEND trial (aspirin and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation trial).
13.10 – 13.20 Q & A / Discussion
13.20 – 13.45 BREAK
13.45 – 14.15 Atrial fibrillation, dementia and anticoagulation: registry studies opens new perspectives
Leif Friberg – Associate Professor of Cardiology at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital. Researcher in the field of registry studies on atrial fibrillation, including impact of use of anticoagulants on risk of dementia.
14.15 – 14.45 STROKESTOP 2 and pre-screening with NT-proBNP – the way to go?
Katrin K. Gudmundsdottir – MD, PhD fellow at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Sciences (STROKESTOP 2), and cardiologist at Danderyd Hospital.
14.45 – 15.00 BREAK
15.00 – 15.30 AF screening modalities – current evidence on intermittent vs. continuous ECG – and what about the smartwatch?
Tove Fredriksson – MD, PhD fellow at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Sciences (STROKESTOP 2), and resident doctor at Danderyd Hospital.
15.30 – 16.00 Searching for atrial fibrillation post-stroke
Maja-Lisa Løchen – Professor of Preventive Medicine, The Arctic University of Norway. Researcher within atrial fibrillation epidemiology and prevention of cardiac disease with focus on gender differences. Much of her research is based on the Tromsø Study.
16.00 – 16.15 Closing remarks
Arnljot Tveit – Professor of medicine, University of Oslo and Head of the Dept. of Medical Research, Bærum Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust.
We encourage you to bring along young researchers, research nurses, and other research personnel to the meeting. Notify us on krfolk@vestreviken.no and we will send invitations.
Successful 3rd annual afib.no meeting at Lysebu, Oslo, September 26-27, 2019
More than 60 researchers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States met for a lunch-to-lunch meeting at Lysebu, Oslo, September 26-27, 2019. The meeting was a great success, with excellent international keynote speakers and a mix of early-career researchers and senior researchers participating.
In the first session, group leaders from the Norwegian centers gave short updates from their groups regarding ongoing projects and future plans.
Isabelle C. van Gelder, MD, PhD, Professor, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, gave a lecture entitled “Atrial fibrillation: not just an arrhythmia”, underscoring the complexity of atrial fibrillation. She emphasized that atrial fibrillation almost never comes alone, and should be considered a “wake up call”, and an opportunity to address relevant comorbidity and lifestyle issues. Addressing such factors timely and adequately may prevent progression of atrial fibrillation and reduce the risk of complications related to atrial fibrillation.
Francesca Cesari, PhD, Chief Biological Sciences Editor, Nature, gave us intriguing insights into the editorial processes in Nature, with important advice on what to do (and not to do) if you want to publish your work in high impact journals. Cesari also chaired an interactive session for early-career researchers, on how to present your research and why and how to give your best elevator pitch. This session was extremely popular among the young researchers; six of them preparing for the abstract session next morning.
The abstract session on Friday morning included 6 presentations from young researchers, and these presentations were of very high quality, both scientifically and the way they were presented. A committee consisting of Francesca Cesari, Michiel Rienstra and Morten Grunnet selected one of the abstracts to win the Best Abstract Presentation Award, to be presented by Francesca Cesari at the end of the meeting.
Morten Grunnet, PhD, Dr. Scient., CSO Acesion Pharma, Copenhagen, Denmark gave a talk on “Development of new therapeutic drugs for atrial fibrillation”, illustrating the long journey from a good idea through basic science investigations, pre-clinical studies into clinical studies for a promising compound.
Daniel B. Mark, MD, MPH Professor of Medicine, Vice Chief for Academic Affairs, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Director, Outcomes Group, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Editor-in-Chief, American Heart Journal was one of the senior investigators in the famous CABANA trial. He gave a talk on the results of the CABANA trial, but also included important notes on use and interpretation of statistics, challenging some of the “statistical truths”.
Ole Gunnar Anfinsen, MD, PhD, Consultant Cardiologist, Section for Arrhythmia, Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway, presented data on ablation from a Norwegian perspective.
At the end of the meeting, Francesca Cesari presented the winner of the Best Abstract Presentation Award, Arnela Saljic, with her abstract “NLRP3 inflammasome is activated in the atrium of an ovine model of sustained obesity”. The award winner received a diploma and 5000 NOK, and a free subscription of the Nature journal.
Second afib.no workshop, April 25, 2019: Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
31 researchers attended the workshop on Treatment of Atrial fibrillation at Nationaltheateret Konferansesenter in Oslo April 25, 2019.
First, Rune Mo gave an excellent talk on AF in heart failure patients, a prevalent clinical problem which is often difficult to address. Second, Anders Opdahl presented data on Left Atrial Appendage closure, proposing that this procedure should be used more often. Anders made the audience gasp, showing an echo video of a thrombus wandering from the left atrial appendage, through the left ventricle and into the aorta!
After a short break, Ting Ting Feng gave a talk about Obesity and AF based on data from the HUNT study. Peter Schuster then gave a comprehensive overview of the results from the CABANA Trial, and discussed the difficulties in interpreting of these results. Last, Gunn Marit Traaen gave a very interesting talk on Treatment of Sleep Apnea in Patiens With Paroxysmal AF.
Jan Pål Loennechen og Sara Reinvik Ulimoen had organized the scientific program and chaired the workshop with elegance. Excellent talks on important topics, good discussions and many relevant questions made the workshop a success.
Network leader Arnljot Tveit gave some closing remarks and information from the network, reminding all to save the date for the third afib.no Annual Meeting September 26-27, 2019.
Program here.
Afib.no 2018 – Second Annual Meeting, September 27-28, 2018 in Oslo
Thanks to all afib.no members for two inspiring days at Lysebu September 27-28, 2018!
In planning of the meeting, we aimed to focus on topics that our members have shown interest in. We are grateful to all presenters for their invaluable contributions – and to all attendees for creating a friendly forum full of lively scientific discussions.
Epidemiology – Dr. Emelia Benjamin gave a tour of AF research performed at the Framingham Heart Study, including seminal papers on risk factors and prognostic factors for AF.
Screening – Dr. Mårten Rosenqvist gave an overview of screening for AF – with emphasis on the Swedish STROKESTOP studies.
Imaging – Dr. Håvard Dalen gave a splendid lecture on echocardiography and the left atrium, about challenges and possibilities – the past and the future.
Electrocardiography –Dr. Pyotr Platonov shared his impressive insight into electrocardiographic markers in relation to AF; how atrial fibrillatory rate and heart rate variability may be predictors of outcomes in AF.
Genetics – Dr. Patrick Ellinor lectured on genetic causes of AF and how it may be used in clinical practice, whereas Morten Olesen gave an in-depth talk on genetic variation in the gene encoding the important sarcomeric protein Titin, in relation to AF.
Animal models – Pia Lundegaard showed us how zebrafish may be used to evaluate the function of genetic variants associated with AF. Eva Hesselkilde provided insight into the horse as a model for exercise-induced AF and for evaluation of new therapeutic tools against AF.
Last, we had a great abstract session, in which 5 strong candidates presented results from their AF research. We congratulate Dr. Inger Ariansen, who received the abstract presentation award of NOK 5000,-.
We were happy to see that many of you took the opportunity to meet for cross-institutional collaborations before and after the scientific program.
Remember to save de dates for next year’s meeting, which will be held at Lysebu on September 26-27, 2019!
Teaser!
Chief Biological Sciences Editor at Nature, Francesca Cesari, will attend next year’s meeting. She will enlighten us on how to publish in high-impact journals and give our early-career researchers her best advice on how to present their science in a special session. Don’t miss it!
Afib.no workshop – Exercise and AF, April 12, 2018, at Professorboligen, University of Oslo
The workshop on Exercise and AF brought together 37 AF researchers at Professorboligen, University of Oslo, April 12, in beautiful spring weather.
Keynote speaker, André la Gerche, came all the way from Melbourne, Australia, and gave an excellent talk on the topic: Physical activity, exercise and atrial fibrillation – Current evidence and future opportunities. Bjarne Martens Nes told us the exciting story about the development of “PAI – Physical Activity Index” developed by Ulrik Wisløff’s group, CERG, at NTNU in Trondheim. In addition, Marit Aarønæs, Bente Morseth, Trygve Berge and Erik Ekker Solberg gave talks on AF and exercise-related topics.
We are thrilled to see that our network members have such great interest in the relationship between AF and exercise. As you know, there is ongoing research activity within this field in our network, and members with an particular interest also had the time to meet during the workshop to plan collaborations within afib.no. We look forward to hearing more about the collaboration in the future!
Final program and more information here.
Afib.no 2017 – First Annual Meeting, October 19-20, 2017 at Lysebu, Oslo
We are excited to announce that the first annual meeting of afib.no was a success – bringing together 48 atrial fibrillation researchers from Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on October 19-20, 2017 at Lysebu, Oslo.
Professor of cardiac arrhythmias and clinical electrophysiologist, Jesper Hastrup Svendsen, from Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, presented the large ongoing LOOP study, a randomized study investigating the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of implantable loop recorders as a screening tool for atrial fibrillation to prevent stroke in patients with risk factors for stroke.
Associate Professor and Clinical Director Michiel Rienstra, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands, presented preliminary results from the RACE 3 trial, a randomized trial investigating routine versus aggressive upstream rhythm control for prevention of early atrial fibrillation in heart failure.
Furthermore, a total of 23 researchers from different groups in Norway presented their research projects and results, covering many AF research areas such as epidemiology, health registries & population-based studies, genetics, biomarkers, echocardiography, and clinical studies.
Save the dates for afib.no 2018, which will be held on September 27-28, 2018! See you in Oslo!
afib.no 