Mitochondrial Medicine - Therapeutic Development

We are pleased to announce the 8th in our series of meetings on mitochondrial disorders and the search for novel effective therapies.

Mitochondrial disorders have emerged as a major cause of inherited human disease. There is a growing appreciation that new treatments will emerge through collaborations between clinicians, laboratory scientists and the life sciences industry based on a firm understanding of the disease mechanisms. This conference aims to bring these groups together.

The conference will build new partnerships that harness our understanding of the disease mechanisms, accelerating the pace of effective treatments for mitochondrial diseases. This year’s programme will include discussions about recent discoveries on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders to develop new therapeutic targets and the latest advances in gene editing and genomic technologies. We will also have panel discussions on how we rally the international community for clinical trial consortia and current opportunities and challenges in clinical trials.

The meeting attracts international participants interested in mitochondrial diseases, working in genomics, biochemistry, pathology and clinical medicine. The conference will bring together leaders in translational mitochondrial medicine and basic science with a programme designed to engage and inspire the next generation of mitochondrial researchers.

The programme will also feature short oral presentations selected from abstracts, posters, poster pitches and networking opportunities. Participants choosing accommodation will stay at Hinxton Hall Conference Centre, Wellcome Genome Campus, to enhance opportunities for interaction after the sessions.

This conference is endorsed by European Society for Mitochondrial Research and Medicine, Mitochondrial Medicine Society and European Reference Network – Neuromuscular Diseases (EURO-NMD).

The conference will start at approximately 12.00 on Monday 18 March and close at approximately 13.00 on Wednesday 20 March 2024. All times are in GMT.

Discussions will focus on a variety of exciting topics, including:

• Basic science to treatment I: MtDNA replication defects
• Basic science to treatment II: MtDNA transcription and translation
• Basic science to treatment III: primary MtDNA defects
• Gene editing and therapies
• Population genetics and genomic technologies
• How do we rally the international community for clinical trial consortia (panel discussion)
• Challenges and opportunities in clinical trials- perspectives from pharma and funders (panel discussion)

Scientific programme committee

Rita Horvath
University of Cambridge, UK

Amel Karaa
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University, USA

Nils-Göran Larsson
Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Michelangelo Mancuso
University of Pisa, Italy

Keynote speakers

Patrick Chinnery
University of Cambridge, UK

Kathrin C. Meyer
Nationwide Children's Hospital, USA

Confirmed speakers

Viji Ajith
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, UK

Maria Falkenberg
University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Aleksandra Filipovska
University of Western Australia, Australia

Marta Gut
The National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG), Spain

Orla Hardiman
Trinity College Dublin/European Network for Cure of ALS, Ireland

Alan Hodgkinson
King's College London, UK

Amel Karaa
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University, USA

Clara van Karnebeek
Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands

Ramon Marti
Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Spain

James McCully
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard University, USA

Carlos Moraes
University of Miami Health System, USA

Robert Taylor
University of Newcastle, UK

Anna Wredenberg
Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Organisers – Wellcome Connecting Science

Lucy Criddle, Conference & events organiser
Nagehan Ramazanoglu Bahadir, Programme developer – scientific meetings

Registration deadline: 20 February (in person) | 11 March 2024 (virtual)

The in-person registration fee includes:

• Full access to scientific programme: oral and poster presentations, and networking on campus
• Access to the online conference portal to network with online participants
• Meals (lunch and dinner) and refreshments during the conference. Breakfast will be provided for delegates who have booked onsite accommodation.
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, which will be available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends

Virtual registration fee includes:

• Access to the virtual event portal (Log in details will be emailed a few days before the event starts)
• Live-stream sessions, including posters and online networking channels
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends.

* To promote more inclusive scientific discussions with international colleagues at our conferences, virtual delegates based in Lower and Middle-Income Countries can register for free (see list of countries here).

If you are an editor or journalist, please contact the conference organiser for more information about the discounted fee.

Accommodation
Booked accommodation is for the nights of 18 and 19 March 2024.
Please note: there is limited onsite accommodation and this will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, early registration is recommended.

If you wish to book campus accommodation either side of the conference dates, please contact the Hinxton Hall Conference Centre directly.

Accommodation services phishing scam – please be vigilant. More information.

Travel visas
Citizens of many countries can travel to the UK to attend a course or conference without needing a visa. Please check the UK government website for visitor information: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.

Confirmed attendees requiring a letter to support a visa application should contact the event organiser.

Bursaries

Bursary deadline: 12 December 2023

A limited number of registration bursaries are available to attend this conference in person (up to 50% of the registration fee). Priority will be given to PhD students submitting abstracts who are facing financial barriers.

To apply, please use the dedicated bursary application link on the registration site. Please answer the bursary-related questions and submit an abstract before midnight UK time on the bursary deadline for your application to be considered.

Additional funding opportunities

Visit our support page for information on financial support, including carer grants to help delegates with the costs of caring for children or dependent family members while attending a course or a conference.

Abstract deadline: 23 January 2024

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the meeting, for both oral and poster presentations. Several oral presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted. Presenters of oral presentations as expected to be onsite for the duration of the conference, whereas those presenting posters can do so in person or virtually.

Abstracts will only be considered from registered delegates. Please use our online abstract submission system and follow the instructions given to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline. You can make changes to your submitted abstract before of the deadline by logging into your account and following the instructions

If you have already completed your registration and subsequently wish to submit an abstract, or wish to submit a second abstract, please follow these instructions.

The scientific programme committee will assess your abstract after the deadline has passed and you will be notified whether you have been selected to present an oral or poster presentation.

Poster boards onsite will accommodate 118 cm high by 84 cm wide (A0-portrait) of printed material. Accepted abstracts will appear in the conference programme book; poster board numbers will be allocated at the conference. All those accepted for a poster presentation will be given the opportunity to upload a short video describing their work.

With thanks to our sponsors:

If you are interested in supporting this meeting, please contact the sponsorship manager.

See our sponsorship page for information about the benefits.

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The conference is endorsed by European Society for Mitochondrial Research and Medicine, Mitochondrial Medicine Society and European Reference Network – Neuromuscular Diseases (EURO-NMD).

Gene (and transcript) directed precision therapeutics for rare neuromuscular disease of childhood: From GAN to COL6 and beyond

Keynote lecture by Carsten Bönnemann (National Institutes of Health, USA)

Feedback from previous conferences:

“The size of the meeting and the focused content allowed for sufficient time to interface face-to-face and build relationships.”

“Plenty of time for posters and coffee breaks is important for being able to meet people – this was done really well.”

“The size, venue, and program was perfect for interacting. I networked more at this conference than I have at any meeting I’ve been to.”