• 11th March 2025

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  • 12th March 2025

We are excited to welcome you to the UK CGS meeting 2025. The meeting will take place on 11th March 2025 and the UK National Dysmorphology Meeting will take place on 12th March 2025. Please find the details below

1. Venue

Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Sheffield

The Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Sheffield, a Grade II listed property constructed in the 19th century, provides an elegant and centrally located accommodation choice for conference delegates. The hotel has 105 recently refurbished guest rooms and a range of dining options, ensuring comfort and convenience for visitors. Situated within one mile of the Sheffield Railway Station, the Bus Station, and the Sheffield Supertram, the venue affords excellent transport connectivity. It is also easily accessible by car from Junction 33 of the M1 motorway and has over 250 on-site car parking spaces, available free of charge for conference attendees.

Conference delegates staying overnight can avail the special rates negotiated including the onsite booking by clicking this link.

Alternately, you can call 0114 252 6511 or email stay@cpsheffield.co.uk to book in.

 

Sheffield

Sheffield is a dynamic city in South Yorkshire, England, renowned for its industrial heritage and cultural vibrancy. It is the fourth largest city in the country, named after the River Sheaf, and is distinguished by its proximity to nature; approximately one-third of its area lies within the Peak District National Park. This unique urban-rural integration contributes to Sheffield’s reputation as one of Europe’s greenest cities, with a tree population surpassing the number of its residents. Beyond its natural assets, Sheffield fosters innovation and research, evidenced by the recent establishment of the Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre. This development, one of only three such facilities in the UK, underlines Sheffield’s growing status as a scientific advancement and biotechnology hub. Visitors will find a city well-suited to a broad range of interests, offering historical, cultural, and natural attractions and a welcoming environment for academic and professional gatherings.

2. CGS main meeting 

CGS main meeting 11th March 2025

The programme for the day will be as follows:

9.30-10:00             Registration

10:00-10:45           Emerging technologies for genomic variant identification (Invited speakers):

  1.  Overview of the various technologies-  Greg Elgar, Director of Sequencing Genomics England
  2.  Leveraging additional diagnoses in mitochondrial disease from the application of new and emerging technologies-  Prof Rob Taylor, Professor of Mitochondrial Pathology at Newcastle University, Consultant Clinical Scientist and Head of the NHS Highly Specialised Mitochondrial Laboratory at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
  3.  Use of long-read technologies in craniosynostosis: lessons learnt- Prof Andrew Wilkie, Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at the Oxford University Hospitals and Nuffield Professor of Pathology at the University of Oxford

10:45-11:30              Robin Winter prize presentations

11.30-11.50              Coffee

11.50-1.20                 Selected abstracts 

1.20-2.15                   CGS AGM and lunch

2.15-3.00                   Model systems for genomic variant interpretation (Invited speakers):

  1. Advancing Understanding and Therapeutics: Insights from Disease Model Systems -  Prof Meena Balasubramaniam, Professor of Medical Genetics & Honorary Consultant Clinical Geneticist and  Clinical Director of Research, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
  2.  Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Disease Modelling -  Prof Sue Kimber, Professor of Stem Cells and Development at the University of Manchester, UK, Director of the MRC/EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine
  3.  The MRC NMGN Congenital Anomalies Cluster: modelling variants of uncertain significance in mice- Steve Twigg, Associate Professor of developmental genetics at the Oxford University

 

3:00 -3:45               Robin Winter prize presentations 

3:45 -4:15               Selected abstracts

4:15-4.30                Afternoon tea

4.30-5.30               CGS Lecture 2025–Prof Sarah Smithson

5.30-5.45                Robin Winter prize, medical student prize presentation and end of meeting.

 

3. Treatable UK National Dysmorphology Meeting 

Treatable UK National Dysmorphology Meeting 12th March 2025

This day will run from 10am to 15.30pm.

Set Piece 1: Professor Caroline Wright: Treatable disorders identified through the DDD study

Set Piece 2: Dr Elizabeth Forsythe: A  geneticist’s guide to clinical trials and beyond.  (From experience in Bardet Biedl Syndrome).

This will run with the usual UK Dysmorphology Meeting format but the focus will be to highlight treatable genetic disorders with dysmorphic clues that helped people identify the disorders. We will have a ‘dictionary corner’ team focused on trying to identify treatments / trials for all cases.

Please bring the usual known and unknown cases of any diagnosis, but if you can, please bring cases that are examples of treatable disorders that people already know, or cases that highlight newer conditions with available treatments. 

4. Conference dinner

Enjoy a 3 course dinner on site at the Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Sheffield. This is a valuable opportunity to network with colleagues.

 

5. Fees and registration

CGS Main meeting 11th March 2025 - £125 for CGS members; £150 for non-members

CGS Conference dinner 11th March 2025 - £35 (for CGS members and non-members)

Dysmorphology meeting 12th March 2025 - £50 (for CGS members and non-members)

 

Up to three Travel awards will be available for CGS members on a discretionary basis.