RareBoost Retreat to Be Held on 16–17 April 2026
RareBoost will hold its Retreat on 16–17 April 2026 under the theme Bridging Science and Impact in Rare Diseases, bringing together RUDiP members and all RareBoost researchers, students, and support teams for two days of scientific exchange, discussion, and collaboration.
Dates: 16–17 April 2026
Location: DEU DESEM (Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Rektörlüğü Cumhuriyet Bulvarı No: 144 Alsancak / İZMİR)
The retreat has been designed as a space to reflect on ongoing work, share new findings, and strengthen connections across the whole RareBoost project team. The first day will focus on the biological foundations of rare diseases, with opening remarks highlighting the RareBoost vision and project milestones, followed by principal investigator presentations, a master’s students’ poster session, a scientific trivia session, and a strategic brainstorming discussion centered on how to move rare disease research forward together. The day will conclude with a networking dinner.
The second day will focus on translation and impact, with sessions dedicated to science communication, research presentations, and clinical relevance. The program also includes a 5-minute presentation challenge by PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.The retreat will close with a certificate ceremony.
We look forward to coming together to share ideas, strengthen our collaboration and have fun!
RareBoost Retreat Program
Day 1 – 16.04.2026
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Opening Remarks | Kickoff with the RareBoost vision and project milestones. Prof. Dr. Ali Osman Kılıç Prof. Dr. Uğur Özbek Dr. Gerhard Wingender |
| 10:00-11:00 | PI Presentation | Prof. Dr. Sinan Güven Prof. Dr. Gökhan Karakülah (Leman Binokay) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kasım Diril |
| 11:00-11:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:30-12:30 | PI Presentation | Asst. Prof. Dr. Yavuz Oktay Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ezgi Karaca Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serap Erkek Özhan |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Master’s Poster Session | Gallery walk where students present their work for the “Best Poster” award. |
| 15:00-15:30 | Scientific Trivia | Final quiz round focusing on life science. |
| 15:30-17:00 | Strategic Brainstorming | Breakout Groups: unsolved case? Discussion session (How to progress research together) Moderators: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Okay Çağlayan, Prof. Dr. Nur Arslan, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Semra Hız, Prof. Dr. Pınar Gençpınar |
| 18:00 – 20:00 | Networking Dinner | |
Day 2 – 17.04.2026
| 09:30 – 10:30 | Science Communication | Gerhard Wingender “Lay Summary and Pitch Talk” |
| 10:30-10:50 | PI Presentation-Prof. Dr. Güneş Özhan | Deciphering Rare Disease Mechanisms Through Functional Genomics and Zebrafish Models |
| 10:50-12:00 | 5-Minute Presantation (5MT)/Challege | PhD/Postdoc students present their research in five minutes with one static slide. |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch | |
| 13:00-13:30 | Closing&Certificate Conferment | |