The 22q11.2 Society

Vision: To be the international leader in promoting research related to the chromosome 22q11.2 region.

Latest News

• Meeting in UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands
  The UMC Utrecht is hosting a meeting entitled, "Insights into the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome" on January 23^rd, 2020 (Thursday). During the meeting, the latest insights on somatics of patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome are shared. For more information, please see the flyer.
  
  Please register on the meeting website. There is no cost for registration.
  
  

• Time for membership renewal
  The 22q11.2 Society Membership renewal has been extended from November 22^nd, 2019 to January 22^nd, 2020. Thus, existing members will receive two free months of affiliation.
  
  Membership significantly reduces meeting registration fees while supporting the important work of the Society. The rates for two years of membership will remain at £175 for full members, and £125 for junior members.
  
  We very much hope you will consider joining us or renewing your membership. Thank you.
  
  
  

• Change in leadership of the 22q Society
  As of September 2^nd, 2019, there is a change to the leadership of the 22q Society:
  
  - Professor Donna McDonald-McGinn becomes Chair
  - Professor Anne Bassett becomes Treasurer
  - Professor Ann Swillen becomes Secretary
  - Professor Peter Scambler steps down as Chair, but remains as Trustee and is deputy treasurer
  
  Please visit our Officials page to read the letters from the outgoing and incoming chairs as well as the biographies of the current leaders. Thank you.
  
  

• Save the date: Croatia 2020
  The two professional meetings in the 12^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference will take place from June 23^th-26^th, 2020, at Le Meridien Lav Hotel, Split, Croatia. Please save the dates.
  
  More information will be provided on our Croatia 2020 page.
  
  Abstract deadline: January 22^th, 2020 (Monday).
  
  

• Now available: Best practices for diagnosing and managing speech-language disorders
  Cindy Solot and co-authors have just published the practice guidelines for speech-language disorders in 22q11.2DS.
  
  Speech-Language Disorders in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: Best Practices for Diagnosis and Management is now available in our Knowledge section.
  
  
  

• Recent College Graduates Shining Bright at National Institute of Health Workshop
  Congratulations to Daniel E. McGinn and Gelila Yitsege for winning, respectively, the Junior Investigator Award for Best Oral Presentation and the Junior Investigator Award for Best Poster Presentation at NIH's Heart and Soul Workshop.
  
  

• Lisanne Vervoort receives ESHG's Young Investigator Award
  Lisanne Vervoort received the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) Young Investigator Award for the paper entitled Optical mapping of 22q11.2 low copy repeats reveals structural hypervariability.
  
  Lisanne is a Ph.D. student who works with Professor Joris R. Vermeesch in the Laboratory for Cytogenetics and Genome Research in KU Leuven, Belgium. She was also one of the recipients of the Junior Investigator Award at the International 22q11.2DS Biennial Conference in Whistler, Canada, in July 2018.
  
  The ESHG Young Investigator Awards (EUR 500 per recipient) were awarded for outstanding research by young scientists presented as a spoken contribution at the European Human Genetics Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2019.
  
  Congratulations, Lisanne!
  
  
  

• UK Parliament reviews 22q11.2DS Newborn Screening
  On June 5^th, 2018, David Duguid MP raised a bill (video link) in the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK) to require the Health Secretary to conduct a review into 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. It will require the National Health Service (NHS) to publish a strategy to deal with the condition. Specifically, Mr Duguid called for neonatal blood spot screening to identify patients with a chromosome 22q11.2 deletion in the newborn period.
  
  On March 20^th, 2019 this initiative took a great step forward in the British Parliament. Please see the exchange in this video (starting from 47:36)]. David Duguid MP, along with the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) that he chairs, called for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome to be added to the newborn blood spot test. The Prime Minister, Teresa May, offered to ask the Department of Health and Social Care to respond. For more information and updates, please follow David Duguid on Twitter or visit Max Appeal's website on the APPG.
  
  The 22q11.2 Society thanks the charity Max Appeal, Mr. Duguid, the APPG, and Mrs. May, for helping to add this important condition to the newborn screen test in the UK.
  
  
  

• Updating: List of Clinics Around the World
  The 22q Society is updating our list of 22q Clinics Around the World. We will be emailing you to see if you have any new information. Please also feel free to contact us. Thank you.
  
  
  
  

• 2019 'Faces Of 22q' Calendar
  The 2019 'Faces of 22q' calendar is now available for pre-order from the International 22q11.2 Foundation.
  
  This calendar makes a lovely holiday gift to those who help individuals with 22q along this journey. By purchasing a calendar today, you will help raise much needed awareness for the 22q11.2 deletion and duplication syndromes. All proceeds benefit The International 22q11.2 Foundation, Inc.
  
  Thank you for your support!
  
  
  

• Special issue on 22q11.2 in the American Journal of Medical Genetics
  Just in time for 22q Awareness month, The American Journal of Medical Genetics published a special issue on 22q11.2 on October 31^st, 2018.
  
  
  

• Conference photos now available
  Photos from the conference are now available. Please enjoy.
  
  If you would like to add your photos to the collection on the website of the 22q Society, please contact the website editor (website_editor(at)22qsociety.org). She will provide you with the link to which photos should be uploaded. Thank you.
  
  
  

• Invitation to contribute to the website
  As the website editor mentioned at the conference, we are looking for more:
  
  - Translations of existing reviews and guidelines
  
  - Research commentaries
  
  - Graduate theses
  
  Please send your contributions to: website_editor(at)22qsociety.org
  
  Thank you!
  
  
  
  
  

• 11th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference Completed
  Our most recent conference in Whistler, Canada, has come to a conclusion. Participants enjoyed great presentations and discussions in the three parts of the conference: the International Brain and Behaviour Consortium (IBBC) Meeting, the Professional Meeting, and the Family Meeting.
  
  We would like to congratulate the recipients of the Angelo DiGeorge Medal, the Junior Investigator Award, the Unsung Hero Award, and the inaugural Special Service Award. Photos from the conference are now available.
  
  We would also like to thank all the organizers and participants, as well as the staff at the The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler and The Westin Resort and Spa Whistler for this productive conference.
  
  The next conference will take place in Croatia in the summer of 2020. We hope to see you there.
  
  
  

• Lisanne Vervoort and Tracy Heung receive the Junior Investigator Award
  Congratulations to Lisanne Vervoort and Tracy Heung, the two recipients of the Junior Investigator Award 2018! They received it at the International 22q11.2DS Biennial Conference in Whistler, Canada, on July 13^th, 2018.
  
  
  

• The Dempster Family Foundation Canada receives the Unsung Hero Award
  Congratulations to the Dempster Family Foundation Canada, who received the Unsung Hero Award on July 13^th, 2018, at the 11^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference in Whistler, BC.
  
  
  

• Profs. Beverly Emanuel and Donna McDonald-McGinn receive Special Service Award
  Congratulations to Profs. Beverly Emanuel and Donna McDonald-McGinn, along with colleagues at the 22q and You Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, who received the inaugural Special Service Award on July 12^th, 2018, at the 11^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference in Whistler, BC.
  
  
  
  

• Prof. Bernice Morrow receives the DiGeorge Medal
  Congratulations to Prof. Bernice Morrow, who was awarded the Angelo DiGeorge Medal on July 11^th, 2018, at the 11^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference in Whistler, BC.
  
  
  
  

• Raising a bill in parliament to require the Health Secretary to conduct a review into 22q11.2DS
  On June 5^th, 2018, David Duguid MP raised a bill (video link) in the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK) to require the Health Secretary to conduct a review into 22q11.2DS. It will require the National Health Service (NHS) to publish a strategy to deal with the condition. Specifically, Mr Duguid called for neonatal blood spot screening for 22q11.2DS.
  
  Max Appeal is encouraging all its members to contact their Members of Parliament (MPs) and ask them to support David Duguid's Bill in the House of Commons. MPs are invited to email David Duguid MP if they would like to support the bill or to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
  
  For more information, please follow David Duguid on Twitter or visit The Max Appeal website on the APPG.
  
  

• Inauguration of 22q11.2 DS Research Fund at KU Leuven
  At February 28^th 2018, on the International Day for Rare Diseases, 3 research funds were inaugurated at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), in Flanders, Belgium. One of them, the 22q11.2 DS/Vecarfa Research Fund, is an initiative between the parent organization "22q11.2 DS Vecarfa Flanders" and the Center for Human Genetics Leuven. The aim of the 22q11.2 DS/Vecarfa Research Fund is to raise awareness, to increase the knowledge on 22q11.2 DS, and to the improve the quality of life of individuals with 22q11.2 DS and their families. Prof. Ann Swillen is the holder of the fund.
  
  

• New recombination hotspot identified on chromosome 22q11.2.
  Article by Guo et al. Hum Mol Genet. 2018 [Epub ahead of print]
  
  Deletion size analysis of 1,680 22q11.2DS subjects identifies a new recombination hotspot on chromosome 22q11.2
  
  
  

• More News

• Disclaimer: Please note the 22q11.2 society is primarily an academic organization and not a forum providing discussion or individual advice concerning care.