Login
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is excited to share that we have partnered with other obesity organizations and industry leaders to launch the SOPHIA project – a new research initiative that aims to improve the assessment of the risks of obesity comorbidities and the treatment of people who are affected by obesity.
About the SOPHIA Project
SOPHIA (Stratification of Obesity Phenotypes to Optimize Future Obesity Therapy) is a 5-year public-private research project, launched in June 2020, that is working to better understand why some people develop complications with their obesity and others don’t.
Currently, healthcare providers treating patients with obesity must use their discretion in determining which treatment options their patients will respond best to. However, this is especially challenging given the complexity of obesity as a disease. More research is needed to identify which treatments will work best for which patients (i.e. specific diets, prescription medicine, bariatric surgery). This requires a better understanding of factors like genetics, biology, and available treatment options.
OAC as a Partner
The OAC is among 28 other partners spearheading the SOPHIA project, including academic and industry partners as well as other patient advocacy organizations. Our interest is in making the project as patient-centric as possible by ensuring the patient voice is always represented and considered.
A handful of the project’s academic leads are also OAC members, volunteers and medical advisors that have worked with OAC on other projects and spoken at its Annual Your Weight Matters Convention.
What’s in Store
Although just recently launched, SOPHIA is a planned five-year project that will take time to collect data and put it in practice. More details are to come, and OAC promises to share updates about the data and progress made.
To learn more about the SOPHIA project, visit https://imisophia.eu. You can also follow the project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.