ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

APAM 2020 Postponement: Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for APAM 2020, we are very sorry that due to COVID-19 we have been forced to postpone our Annual Meeting to 15 & 16 March 2021.

In due course we will open a fresh call for nominations.

We recognise that a year in science is long time! and abstract authors will be invited to submit their most recent work for review.

We can not guarantee that previously selected (2020) abstract presenters will be offered an oral or poster slot but encourage all to submit their most recent work. We hope you understand that this is being implemented in the spirit of offering the very best and most current meeting programme to all attendees.

The Executive Committee invites submissions of abstracts for the 114th Annual Meeting of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland to be presented as part of a series of themed symposia.

THEMES

When submitting your abstract you must indicate one theme from the list below that best suits your paper. The themes are used by the Executive Committee to place abstracts in the most appropriate sessions – please see below for more information on each theme and how to submit your abstract:

1
Infectious Diseases – Into The Future
Remarkable progress has been made in the treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C using combination retroviral agents. Will the next major advance occur with other retrovirals or will the vaccine approach stage a comeback? What have we learnt from recent research?
2
Diagnosis by DNA
The ability to analyse circulating cellular and cell free DNA in blood samples allows access to information from diseased tissues, tumours and even the complete foetal DNA In the maternal circulation. With rapid sequencing and assessment of methylation sites, new possibilities are developing for insights into disease diagnosis and staging, as well as assessing disease risk with “genetic risk scores” and neonatal screening.
3
Big Data in Clinical Research
The anonymised linkage of large datasets of routinely collected data from health care and beyond, has potential to be larger and more extensive that traditional cohort studies, involving the whole community. Linkage to biological data/ genomic information and routine storage and analysis of residual clinical samples may extend the reach of this methodology further. What are the current successes of this approach and where can it take us? Can it replace RCTs?
4
New Targets in Cellular Metabolism
HIF-1 is a transcription factor that acts as a master regulator of O2 homeostasis It modulates the expression of an array of genes and many of them are involved in the cellular adaptation to hypoxia including Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Erythropoietin (EPO), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), and endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) synthase. As HIF-1 stabilization is an endogenous cellular mechanism to reduce hypoxia-induced injury, it is hypothesized that pre and post-hypoxic stabilization of HIF-1 can enhance protection and reduce tissue damage. Drugs that target this systems have a wide potential for benefit across different diseases and raise the possibility of finding new targets for drugs in cellular metabolism. Additional novel druggable target pathways in cellular metabolism are currently being identified.
5
Open Theme
Competitive abstracts will also be accepted on any topic relating to translational research for presentation during the “open theme” session.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT

Abstracts must be submitted online, where you will be guided through the process. Any abstract submitted on paper or in a format other than specified will be rejected. Submitted abstracts should include unpublished data.

Instructions For Abstract Submission
Click on the ‘Abstract Submission’ button and follow the submission instructions carefully and in particular please note:
- Abstracts should only be submitted in English.
- Abstracts are not edited by the organisers and author corrections will NOT be accepted after final submission. Abstracts should therefore be checked carefully for accuracy prior to submission.
- Authors’ names should be provided in the format ‘A. Smith’. The submitting author should be the presenting author.
- The title should be a maximum of 150 characters. Abstracts should be a maximum of 2000 characters (approximately 250 words) including spaces.
- Abstracts should be structured using the following headings: Aim(s)/Objective(s), Methods, Results and Discussion and/or Conclusions.
- Abstracts should be as informative as possible and:
  - mention statistical methods where appropriate,
  - statements such as “results will be discussed” or “data will be presented” will not be accepted,
  - non-standard abbreviations should be described in full when first mentioned followed by the abbreviation in parentheses,
  - the names of authors, and any indication of affiliation or address, are to be avoided in the title or text of the abstract to warrant anonymity for peer review.

ABSTRACT TIMELINES

Abstract Submission will open on Date to be confirmed
Abstract Submission will close on 13 December 2020
Late Breaking Abstract Submission will close on 19 February 2021
Abstract notification Mid-January 2021

ABSTRACT REVIEW

All abstracts will be anonymously reviewed and scored for originality, quality of data, presentation and significance.

LATE BREAKING ABSTRACTS

The highly competitive late breaking abstract session will be held in the afternoon of Tuesday 16 March 2021. Abstracts are sought from recently published results.

ORAL SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS

Presenters will be allocated a maximum of 8 minutes for their presentation including time for questions. PowerPoint presentation facilities will be provided for speakers. No facilities for slides, video or overhead transparencies will be available at the meeting.

THE OSLER PRIZE

The highest ranked abstracts will be accepted for oral presentations and be considered for the “Osler Prize” awarded by the AoP.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

High quality abstracts that are not selected for oral presentation may be accepted for poster presentation. An award will be made for the best poster presentation.

REGISTRATION OF ABSTRACT PRESENTERS

All accepted abstract presenters will be required to register for the Meeting by a given date in early 2021 at the appropriate rate. Please note, that whilst AoP membership is not required for abstract submission, it is encouraged.

AOP MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS (inc Annual Meeting Reduced Registration Rates & Bursaries)

AoP membership starts at £75 per annum for ECR Members (Pre-CCT)

As AoP member there are preferential registration rates and a limited number of travel bursaries available. Subject to eligibility, AoP members must ask to be considered for a bursary at the time of abstract submission.

AoP Membership benefits for clinical Early Career Researchers (pre-CCT)

Preferential rates for membership (£75 per annum)
Reduced rates for registration (£175) if booked by TBC
Reduced networking dinner rates (£25)
ECR workshop on the first day of the meeting for networking and career development
Can submit abstracts to meeting and win prizes inc Osler Prize
Eligible for meeting bursaries
1. If abstract accepted as oral: free meeting registration + dinner at the annual meeting + a £150 travel/accommodation bursary
2. If abstract accepted as poster: free meeting registration + dinner at the annual meeting
AoP contributes to the AMS Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers up to £30,000
- AoP provides support and mentoring for their ECR members to apply for these grants and to successfully conduct their research projects

AoP Membership benefits for New Consultants

Preferential rates for attending the annual interdisciplinary meeting with leading speakers

New consultants up to 5 years post CCT can apply for an AoP Young Investigator Award up to £20,000