IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence

Jesús Argente; Erica L.T. van den Akker; Metin Cetiner; Karine Clément; Elizabeth Forsythe; Alastair Garfield; Peter Kühnen; Gabriel Ángel Martos-Moreno; David Meeker; Hermann L. Müller; Hanneke M. van Santen; Julia von Schnurbein; Bérénice Segrestin; Tomohiro Tanaka; Manuel Tena-Sempere; Martin Wabitsch; Stefanie Zorn; I. Sadaf Farooqi

doi:10.1111/cob.70109

IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence

Jesús Argente^*
, Erica L.T. van den Akker
, Metin Cetiner
, Karine Clément
, Elizabeth Forsythe
, Alastair Garfield
, Peter Kühnen
, Gabriel Ángel Martos-Moreno
, David Meeker
, Hermann L. Müller
, Hanneke M. van Santen
, Julia von Schnurbein
, Bérénice Segrestin
, Tomohiro Tanaka
, Manuel Tena-Sempere
, Martin Wabitsch
, Stefanie Zorn
, I. Sadaf Farooqi^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

An international cohort of 161 clinicians and researchers from 19 countries attended the 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence (IMPROVE) in Prague, Czech Republic, on 2–4 July 2025. The aims of the meeting were to advance understanding of hyperphagia and obesity caused by defects in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway and to support peer-to-peer sharing of clinical experience and emerging evidence. The programme comprised four sessions covering hyperphagia, monogenic MC4R pathway diseases, Bardet–Biedl syndrome and acquired hypothalamic obesity. Discussions focused on defining and measuring hyperphagia, updates in genetic diagnostics and natural history, real-world and trial data on targeted therapies and practical multidisciplinary models of care with earlier intervention. Patient and caregiver quality of life remained central throughout. These Proceedings summarise the key updates, discussions and initiatives generated at IMPROVE 2025.

Original language	English
Article number	e70109
Journal	Clinical obesity
Volume	16
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.70109
Publication status	Published - Oct 2026

Keywords

acquired hypothalamic obesity
Bardet–Biedl syndrome
hyperphagia
MC4R pathway
monogenic disease

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10.1111/cob.70109Licence: CC BY

Clinical Obesity - 2026 - Argente - IMPROVE 2025 The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway‐Related Obesity Vision Final published version, 1.62 MBLicence: CC BY

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Argente, J., van den Akker, E. L. T., Cetiner, M., Clément, K., Forsythe, E., Garfield, A., Kühnen, P., Martos-Moreno, G. Á., Meeker, D., Müller, H. L., van Santen, H. M., von Schnurbein, J., Segrestin, B., Tanaka, T., Tena-Sempere, M., Wabitsch, M., Zorn, S., & Farooqi, I. S. (2026). IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence. Clinical obesity, 16(5), Article e70109. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.70109

@article{3281fcfd53d741ea8c40959f01cf805a,

title = "IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision \& Evidence",

abstract = "An international cohort of 161 clinicians and researchers from 19 countries attended the 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision \& Evidence (IMPROVE) in Prague, Czech Republic, on 2{\textendash}4 July 2025. The aims of the meeting were to advance understanding of hyperphagia and obesity caused by defects in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway and to support peer-to-peer sharing of clinical experience and emerging evidence. The programme comprised four sessions covering hyperphagia, monogenic MC4R pathway diseases, Bardet{\textendash}Biedl syndrome and acquired hypothalamic obesity. Discussions focused on defining and measuring hyperphagia, updates in genetic diagnostics and natural history, real-world and trial data on targeted therapies and practical multidisciplinary models of care with earlier intervention. Patient and caregiver quality of life remained central throughout. These Proceedings summarise the key updates, discussions and initiatives generated at IMPROVE 2025.",

keywords = "acquired hypothalamic obesity, Bardet{\textendash}Biedl syndrome, hyperphagia, MC4R pathway, monogenic disease",

author = "Jes{\'u}s Argente and \{van den Akker\}, \{Erica L.T.\} and Metin Cetiner and Karine Cl{\'e}ment and Elizabeth Forsythe and Alastair Garfield and Peter K{\"u}hnen and Martos-Moreno, \{Gabriel {\'A}ngel\} and David Meeker and M{\"u}ller, \{Hermann L.\} and \{van Santen\}, \{Hanneke M.\} and \{von Schnurbein\}, Julia and B{\'e}r{\'e}nice Segrestin and Tomohiro Tanaka and Manuel Tena-Sempere and Martin Wabitsch and Stefanie Zorn and Farooqi, \{I. Sadaf\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 The Author(s). Clinical Obesity published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.",

year = "2026",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1111/cob.70109",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "Clinical obesity",

issn = "1758-8103",

publisher = "John Wiley \& Sons Inc.",

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Argente, J, van den Akker, ELT, Cetiner, M, Clément, K, Forsythe, E, Garfield, A, Kühnen, P, Martos-Moreno, GÁ, Meeker, D, Müller, HL, van Santen, HM, von Schnurbein, J, Segrestin, B, Tanaka, T, Tena-Sempere, M, Wabitsch, M, Zorn, S & Farooqi, IS 2026, 'IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence', Clinical obesity, vol. 16, no. 5, e70109. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.70109

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AU - Argente, Jesús

AU - van den Akker, Erica L.T.

AU - Cetiner, Metin

AU - Clément, Karine

AU - Forsythe, Elizabeth

AU - Garfield, Alastair

AU - Kühnen, Peter

AU - Martos-Moreno, Gabriel Ángel

AU - Meeker, David

AU - Müller, Hermann L.

AU - van Santen, Hanneke M.

AU - von Schnurbein, Julia

AU - Segrestin, Bérénice

AU - Tanaka, Tomohiro

AU - Tena-Sempere, Manuel

AU - Wabitsch, Martin

AU - Zorn, Stefanie

AU - Farooqi, I. Sadaf

PY - 2026/10

Y1 - 2026/10

N2 - An international cohort of 161 clinicians and researchers from 19 countries attended the 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence (IMPROVE) in Prague, Czech Republic, on 2–4 July 2025. The aims of the meeting were to advance understanding of hyperphagia and obesity caused by defects in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway and to support peer-to-peer sharing of clinical experience and emerging evidence. The programme comprised four sessions covering hyperphagia, monogenic MC4R pathway diseases, Bardet–Biedl syndrome and acquired hypothalamic obesity. Discussions focused on defining and measuring hyperphagia, updates in genetic diagnostics and natural history, real-world and trial data on targeted therapies and practical multidisciplinary models of care with earlier intervention. Patient and caregiver quality of life remained central throughout. These Proceedings summarise the key updates, discussions and initiatives generated at IMPROVE 2025.

AB - An international cohort of 161 clinicians and researchers from 19 countries attended the 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence (IMPROVE) in Prague, Czech Republic, on 2–4 July 2025. The aims of the meeting were to advance understanding of hyperphagia and obesity caused by defects in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway and to support peer-to-peer sharing of clinical experience and emerging evidence. The programme comprised four sessions covering hyperphagia, monogenic MC4R pathway diseases, Bardet–Biedl syndrome and acquired hypothalamic obesity. Discussions focused on defining and measuring hyperphagia, updates in genetic diagnostics and natural history, real-world and trial data on targeted therapies and practical multidisciplinary models of care with earlier intervention. Patient and caregiver quality of life remained central throughout. These Proceedings summarise the key updates, discussions and initiatives generated at IMPROVE 2025.

KW - acquired hypothalamic obesity

KW - Bardet–Biedl syndrome

KW - hyperphagia

KW - MC4R pathway

KW - monogenic disease

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105050372421

U2 - 10.1111/cob.70109

DO - 10.1111/cob.70109

M3 - Article

C2 - 42723356

AN - SCOPUS:105050372421

SN - 1758-8103

VL - 16

JO - Clinical obesity

JF - Clinical obesity

IS - 5

M1 - e70109

ER -

IMPROVE 2025: The 3rd International Meeting on Pathway-Related Obesity: Vision & Evidence

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Keywords

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