Dr. Manuel Sánchez
Keynote Lecture:
Precision Medicine in Sleep Apnea: Deciphering Novel Biomarkers and Biometrics
Sleep Europe 2024 Lecture Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. Recent estimates report that nearly one billion individuals are affected by this condition worldwide, and its prevalence is anticipated to escalate in the near future. The cardinal features of OSA, which are intermittent hypoxia, sleep fragmentation, and large intrathoracic pressure swings, initiate a cascade of mechanisms that lead to wide-ranging adverse health consequences, especially in the cardiovascular and hemodynamic sphere. The socioeconomic impact of OSA together with its implication for the quality of life and health status of patients, positions this disease as a major public health concern. The timely diagnosis of OSA faces challenges. The gold-standard diagnostic sleep test, polysomnography (PSG), is labour-intensive, time-consuming, and inconvenient for patients. The first-line treatment for OSA is the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Although OSA is widely recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiac and vascular disease, the beneficial effects of CPAP therapy on cardiovascular outcomes remain controversial. Precision medicine represents an innovative approach to healthcare that takes into account individual variability to provide personalized care for patients. Embracing a precision medicine perspective, this Keynote lecture will present the latest advances in: (i) identifying biomarker and biosignals candidates to facilitate a more accessible and streamlined OSA comprehensive management; (ii) providing a more tailored approach to identify the patients who are more likely to exhibit increased cardiovascular risk associated to OSA a clinical benefit from CPAP treatment.
Biography
Manuel Sánchez, PhD (Jaén, 1980) is a Researcher (Excellence Program Ramón y Cajal) and Principal Investigator of the Group of Precision Medicine in Chronic Diseases at CIBERES, a Public Research Consortium from Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (IRBLleida) (Spain). He holds a degree in Biology from the University of Jaén (2003) and completed his PhD at the University of Lleida in 2007. Dr. Manuel Sánchez underwent postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago (USA) and CIBER (Madrid, Spain). Notably, during his postdoctoral fellowship at the Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery (University of Chicago), he pioneered the first technology for personalized management of sleep apnea and resistant hypertension. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Onira Research SL, a spin-off of IRBLleida. Dr. Manuel Sánchez has authored 161 original publications (78 in the 1st Quartile, 45 in the 1st Decile) with 20 as the first author. His total number of citations is 3293, and his H-Index is 32. He serves as an independent and consolidated Principal Investigator with 36 publications as the Corresponding Author. Dr. Manuel Sánchez has received funding for several research projects through competitive calls (17 as the Principal Investigator), achieving international recognition (32 conferences by invitation) and national recognition (24 conferences by invitation). He has co-directed 9 Doctoral Theses and is a research collaborator on 3 projects funded by the European Horizon 2020 program. In the past, he served as the Junior Editor of the European Respiratory Journal and is currently an ad hoc reviewer for more than 20 international journals. Dr. Manuel Sánchez is the Director of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR) and Chair of the Group of Basic and Translational Research in Sleep at the European Respiratory Society (ERS). He held the position of Deputy Director of the IRBLleida from 2018 to 2020. Manuel Sánchez has received the American Thoracic Society Fellow (ATSF) designation.