The 12th Annual Dublin Cystinosis Workshop will be held online on 20th February.
The 12th annual Dublin Cystinosis Workshop 2026 will take place on Tuesday 10th February at 2pm Dublin Time until 8pm. This will be a virtual (online) event owing to the CNE International Conference being hosted, in-person, by Cystinosis Ireland in Dublin in July 2026. DCW 2026 will be structured differently to previous years focusing on updates from current Cystinosis Ireland funded researchers, to showcase the breadth of research that Cystinosis Ireland fund; the ORGESTRA programme; and we will have a dedicated keynote in a themed area relevant to our community.
The 12th annual Dublin Cystinosis Workshop 2026 will take place on Tuesday 10th February from 2pm Dublin (Ireland) time until 8pm.
Session 1 Chair: Dr Reza Seyedsadjadi
| Start | Speaker | Topic | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Ms Anne Marie O’Dowd (chair of Cystinosis Ireland research committee) | Welcome | Cystinosis Ireland | Ireland |
| 14:05 | Dr Reza Seyedsadjadi (chair of Scientific Committee) | Overview and introduction | Harvard Medical School | USA |
| 14:10 | Dr Jennifer Hollywood | Seedcorn scheme - Deciphering the molecular basis for how combination Cysteamine/Everolimus treatment protects against kidney damage in cystinotic rats | University College Cork | Ireland |
| Dr Jennifer Hollywood | HRCI/HRB JFS 2022 scheme - Evaluation of a novel drug combination treatment for nephropathic cystinosis in a new cystinotic rat model | University College Cork | Ireland | |
| 14:40 | Dr Stephanie Myers | Seedcorn scheme -Development of a fluorescence-based assay for the detection of methanethiol as a cysteamine metabolite in biochemical and cellular contexts | University of Sunderland | United Kingdom |
| 15:00 | Dr Francesco Bellomo | Standalone funding scheme - Generation Ctns-/- mouse on a FVB/N genetic background and comparison with C57BL/6 animals | Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital | Italy |
| 15:10 | Prof Elena Levtchenko | Standalone funding scheme - Generation Ctns-/- mouse on a FVB/N genetic background and compHRB JFS 2022 scheme - Investigating the potential of CTNS-mRNA loaded nanoparticles as a new therapeutic strategy for nephropathic cystinosisarison with C57BL/6 animals | Amsterdam UMC | Netherlands |
| 15:30 | Panel | Questions from attendees | ||
| 15:50 | Comfort break (5 minutes) and break out discussions (25 minutes) |
Session 2 Chair: Dr Koenraad Veys
| Start | Speaker | Topic | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:20 | Prof Roos Masereeuw | ORGESTRA | Utrecht University | Netherlands |
| 16:50 | Prof Brendan Keating | Kidney-targeted Lipid Nanoparticle-based mRNA therapy Seedcorn Scheme - Whole Genome Sequencing in Cystinosis Subjects for Actionable Insights into Post-Transplant Complications | New York University - Langone Health | United States |
| 17:00 | Prof Anuj Chauhan | HRB JFS 2024 scheme - Sustained delivery of cysteamine prodrugs from nanobarrier contact lenses | Colorado School of Mines, Colorado | United States |
| 17:15 | Prof Minnie Sarwal | HRB JFS 2024 scheme - Evaluate the protective effect of Astaxanthin for the treatment for nephropathic cystinosis in a cystinotic rat model | University of California, San Francisco | United States |
| 17:45 | Dr Tracey McCauley | Overview of Cystinosis Ireland, funded projects and funding schemes | Cystinosis Ireland | Ireland |
Session 3 Chair: Dr Koenraad Veys, KEYNOTE
| Start | Speaker | Topic | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.00 | Dr Jamie Cheah | Update on the Future of Health CallsDrug repurposing "The Drug repurposing Hub A resource for biological pathways Insight and Therapeutics" | Broad Institute | United States |
| 18:45 | Q&A | |||
| 19:00 | Mr Mick Swift | Closing remarks | Cystinosis Ireland | Ireland |
| 19:05 | Break out sessions | Catch up/networking | ||
| 20:00 | Close |
Our Speakers
The DCW draws some of the most well known experts in the clinical and research fields as well as experts in allied areas. The Workshop also brings experts in areas outside our immediate remit to bring new ideas and perspectives to our work.
| Speaker | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Jennifer Hollywood | University College Cork | Ireland |
| Dr Stephanie Myers | University of Sunderland | United Kingdom |
| Dr Francesco Bellomo | Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital | Italy |
| Prof Elena Levtchenko | Amsterdam UMC | Netherlands |
| Prof Roos Masereeuw | Utrecht University | Netherlands |
| Prof Brendan Keating | New York University - Langone Health | United States |
| Prof Anuj Chauhan | Colorado School of Mines | United States |
| Prof Minnie Sarwal | University of California, San Francisco | United States |
| Dr Jamie Cheah | Broad Institute | United States |
Organising Committee
Cystinosis Ireland is grateful for the skill, knowledge and expertise of our organising committee in developing this workshop.
Dr Reza Seyedsadjadi – Neurologist, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and DCW 2026 Scientific Committee Chair
Prof Patrick Harrison – Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Pulmonary Gene Therapy, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Dr Koenraad Veys - MD PHD, Paediatrician, Consultant in Pediatric Nephrology in KU Leuven
Prof Atif Awan - Consultant Paediatric Nephrologists, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Dublin
Ms Anne Marie O’Dowd - Chairperson, Cystinosis Network Europe and Cystinosis Ireland Board Member
Dr Ruth Davis - Cystinosis Ireland Research Committee Member
Ms Eibhlis Shanahan - Cystinosis Ireland Research Committee Member
Dr Achim Treumann – Cystinosis Ireland Scientific Advisor
Dr Tracey McCauley - Cystinosis Ireland Research Manager
Ms Denise Dunne - Cystinosis Ireland Operations Manager