GeGe4Nephro Meets In Geißen

Members of the GeGe4Nephro consortium came together in Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, Germany, for the International GeGe4Nephro Symposium and the Annual General Assembly meeting. The two days brought together consortium partners, scientific experts, clinicians, patient representatives, students, and junior researchers to exchange knowledge, present recent findings, discuss the project’s progress, and plan the next steps towards understanding sex- and gender-related differences in post-transplant malignancies among kidney transplantation recipients.

Wed Sep 16, 2026: International GeGe4Nephro Symposium

The International GeGe4Nephro Symposium brought together experts from different areas of nephrology, transplantation medicine, molecular research, data science, and patient advocacy to discuss current developments and challenges in understanding individual outcomes after kidney transplantation.

Why do some therapies after kidney transplantation have different effects in women and men? And how can new scientific and computational approaches help us better understand these differences?

The symposium explored these questions through presentations covering a broad range of topics, including genetics, epigenetics, liquid biopsy, kidney transplantation, and artificial intelligence. In particular, the presentations highlighted how molecular characteristics and longitudinal clinical data can be combined to gain deeper insights into individual treatment responses, long-term outcomes, and the risk of severe malignancy following transplantation.

A special aspect of the symposium was the participation of students and junior researchers attending the EpiNephroGen Summer School at JLU. The Summer School focused on epigenetics in kidney patients and brought together interested students and early-career researchers to learn about current approaches and developments. The symposium featured contributions from experts and representatives of several leading institutions. For further details about the symposium agenda, presentations, and slides, please visit the [GeGe4Nephro Symposium event page].

Joining the GeGe4Nephro Symposium gave the EpiNephrogen Summer School participants the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom, engage directly with established experts, and gain insights into current research being conducted within and beyond the GeGe4Nephro consortium. Their participation also created valuable opportunities for exchange between the next generation of researchers and experienced scientists and clinicians. We would like to thank Antje Richter and her team for organizing a stimulating program supporting students and junior researchers interested in sex-specific research in nephrology.

The diversity of the speakers reflected GeGe4Nephro’s interdisciplinary approach. Bringing together perspectives from clinical medicine, biomedical research, patient organizations, laboratory diagnostics, artificial intelligence, ethics, and data science is essential for addressing the complex biological and clinical factors that shape outcomes after kidney transplantation.

The symposium was generously supported by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and GenDiMedNet.

Thu Sep 17, 2026: GeGe4Nephro General Assembly at JLU Giessen

On the following day, 17 September, members of the GeGe4Nephro consortium met for the General Assembly Meeting at Justus Liebig University Giessen.

While the symposium provided a platform for scientific exchange with a broader expert audience, the General Assembly focused on the consortium’s internal work and the continued development of the GeGe4Nephro project. Partners from across the consortium came together to review progress over the past year, report on ongoing activities, discuss results and milestones, and coordinate the next stages of the project. The meeting provided an important opportunity to align the different work streams and ensure that the activities of the individual partners continue to contribute towards the shared objectives of GeGe4Nephro.

In addition to reviewing scientific progress, the General Assembly enabled consortium members to discuss upcoming activities, collaborations, dissemination, and priorities for the project’s next phase.

We would like to thank all speakers, participants, students, junior researchers, consortium partners, hosts, and supporters who contributed to the successful GeGe4Nephro Symposium and General Assembly in Giessen.

We look forward to continuing our collaborative journey and sharing further results and insights from GeGe4Nephro.

Picture credits: Thanks to Stefan Dörsing