Rare Disease Epigenetics Symposium

Epigenetics is an ever-evolving field, offering significant insights into the molecular mechanisms of rare diseases and expanding the translational opportunities. The Rare Disease Epigenetics Symposium, organized by the İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center under the RareBoost project, will spotlight the latest scientific advancements and innovative research tools in epigenetics, and discuss clinical cases of rare diseases, with a particular focus on data from the Turkish population.

This event will feature talks by leading experts, including Dr. Siddharth Banka (University of Manchester, UK) and Dr. Stefan Barakat (Erasmus MC, Netherlands), as well as prominent Turkish scientists, who will share their expertise in advancing the understanding of rare diseases through epigenetics.

Join us to explore the intersection of epigenetics and rare diseases, shaping the future of diagnostics and therapies.

Registration

Registration for this event is now closed.

Event Details

Date and Time: Monday, February 3, 2025, 9 am
Location: IBG Aziz Sancar Auditorium, İzmir, Turkey

PROGRAM

9:00 – 9:30 am: Registration

9:30 – 9:40 am: Prof. Uğur Özbek – Opening Remarks: ”RareBoost and the Vision Behind the Rare Disease Epigenetics Symposium”

Session I
Chairs: Prof. Ercan Mıhçı, Prof. Haluk Akın

9:40 – 10:00 am: Assoc. Prof. Serap Erkek – “Deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms in rare disease”

10:00 – 10:45 am: Assoc. Prof. Stefan Barakat – “Finding Causes of Missing Heritability in Neurogenetic Disorders: Exploring the Dark Matter of The Genome”

10:45 -11:15 am: ☕️ Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:00 pm: Prof. Siddharth Banka – “DNA methylation in the diagnosis of rare diseases” (Online)

12:00 – 1:30 pm: 🥙 Lunch Break (Lunch will not be served. You may prefer one of the cafe or restaurants near the symposium location: Zeytin cafe, Hipokrat, Grab & Go, Libre Coffee & Patisserie, Özaydın pide, Kırçiçeği Restoran)

Session II
Chairs: Prof. Ayşe Semra Hız, Prof. Ahmet Okay Çağlayan

1:30 – 1:50 pm: Case Presentation 1 – DEU Pediatric Neurology Dr. Elif Naz Kadem

1:50 – 2:10 pm: Case Presentation 2 – DEU Pediatric Genetics Dr. Semra Gürsoy

2:10 – 2:30 pm: Case Presentation 3 – Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Akgün Ölmez Türker

2:30 – 3:00 pm: ☕️ Coffee Break

Session III
Chairs: Prof. Yasemin Alanay, Prof. Asude Durmaz

3:00 – 3:20 pm: Case Presentation 4 – Acıbadem University- Dr. Yasemin Alanay

3:20 – 3:40 pm: Case Presentation 5 – İzmir City Hospital- Dr. Pınar Gençpınar, Dr. Mehmet Semiz

3:40 – 4:00 pm: Case Presentation 6 – İzmir City Hospital -Dr. Ceren Deniz Ceylan

Closing Session

4:00 – 4:40 pm: PANEL: Drs. Serap Erkek, Uğur Özbek, Stefan Barakat, Siddharth Banka, Yasemin Alanay – “Unlocking the Potential: Collaborative Pathways in Rare Disease Epigenetics Research“

Organization Committee