Day-by-day program

• 17.00-19.00 – AUDI 2000

OPENING CEREMONY 

Welcome addresses:

IFCC President and Congress Chair, T. Ozben

EFLM President, M. Plebani

RBSLM President, E. Cavalier

Congress President, D. Gruson

SPC Chair, K. Adeli

 

IFCC Awards announced by Prof. Tomris Ozben

EFLM Awards announced by Prof. Mario Plebani

Young Scientists Poster Awards presented by Prof. Tomris Ozben and Prof. Mario Plebani

 

Opening Lecture – Chair: D. Gruson

Human Health and Well-being: Balancing Between Flavor and Gut Microbiota

Patrice D. Cani, Laurent Gerbaud (Belgium)

• 09.15 – 11.15 – AUDI 2000

IFCC SYMPOSIUM 1 

Hot topics in Laboratory Medicine

Chairs: Tomris Ozben (Türkiye), Khosrow Adeli (Canada)

Moving Beyond Sensitivity and Specificity: Showing the Value of Lab Medicine Through Outcome Measures – Zhen Zhao, USA
Beyond blood – how to establish traceability and verify the accuracy of glucose testing in various biological fluids – Guido Freckmann, Germany
Integration of Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS) into Routine Clinical Laboratory Workflows – Daniel Holmes, Canada
Balancing the risks against the advantages of Machine learning – Shannon Haymond, USA

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15 – 11.15 – AUDI 500

EFLM SYMPOSIUM 1 

EFLM – BioMedAlliance
Laboratory Medicine and the EU in the Era of Precision Medicine

Chairs: Elizabeth Macintyre (France), Snezana Jovicic (Serbia)

Impact of IVDR on diagnostic practice – Christa Cobbaert, the Netherlands
Automatic regulation and recognition of Laboratory Medicine Specialists in EU: facts and obstacles (reality or fiction) – Evgenija Homsak, Slovenia
Diagnostic Oecumenics in Onco-Hematology – Elizabeth Macintyre, France
Upskilling Healthcare Professionals for the delivery of genomic medicine: a UK and ESHG perspective – Julia Baptista, UK

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15 – 11.15 – ROOM A

SYMPOSIUM 1  

New approaches for deriving and applying biological variation data for clinical use

Chairs: Aasne K. Aarsand (Norway), Sverre Sandberg (Norway)

Biological variation – recent developments and future challenges – Aasne K. Aarsand, Norway
Using biological variation data to define personalized and population-based reference intervals – Abdurrahman Coskun, Türkiye
New models for biological variation data and consequences for their practical use – Sverre Sandberg, Norway
Dealing with biological variation in sports drug testing – the athlete biological passport approach – Thomas Piper, Germany

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM B

SYMPOSIUM 2 

The present and future of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment

Chairs: Katie Thoren (USA), Michael Neumaier (Germany)

Cell-free DNA techniques for MRD – Michael Neumaier, Germany
Flow cytometry for MRD in leukemia and lymphoma – Marion Eveillard, France
Flow cytometry for MRD in multiple myeloma – Tomas Jelinek, Czech Republic
Mass spectrometry for MRD assessment in multiple myeloma – Katie Thoren, USA

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM C

IFCC SYMPOSIUM 2

Future laboratory IT systems and standardized laboratory terminology

Chairs: Young Bae Hansen (Denmark), Ann Verdonck (Belgium)

Standardization of laboratory terminology including quantity, measurement units and measurements – Fatma Yilmaz, Türkiye
Analytical Considerations in Test Standardization – Gunnar Nordin, Sweden
Case Examples on Impact of Lack of Standardization in Global Health – Sridevi Devaraj, USA
Warranted IT solutions in laboratory medicine and the digital ecosystem– (what future IT solutions do laboratory medicine need) – Young Bae Hansen, Denmark

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM 1123

RBSLM SYMPOSIUM 1

Improving quality in the extra-analytical phase

Chairs: Mario Plebani (Italy). Pieter Vermeersch (Belgium)

Quality indicators for the extra-analytical phase: the IFCC Model of quality indicators – Laura Sciacovelli, Italy
Defining essential quality indicators for the total testing process: a 2024 consensus statement on behalf of IFCC WG-LIPS – Vincent De Guire, Canada
Implementation of a national benchmark program for quality indicators for the extra-analytical phase – Gregor Pairoux, Belgium
From panic values towards tailored critical result and critical decision limits: improving communication of significantly abnormal results to clinicians – Pieter Vermeersch, Belgium

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM 1122

SYMPOSIUM 3

AntiMicrobial Stewardship in real praxis
Chairs: Vaclava Adamkova (Czech Republic), Tomas Zima (Czech Republic)

AMS in haematooncology – where we are and where can we be – Ľuboš Drgoňa, Slovak Republic
Does rapid testing trump conventional approaches in supporting AMS – Gian Maria Rossolini, Italy
When the limits are within us – case reports – Václava Adámkova and Helena Lahoda Brodská, Czech Republic

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 11.45-12.45 – AUDI 2000

PLENARY LECTURE 1 

Chair: Khosrow Adeli (Canada)

Clinical Proteomics: More precision in precision oncology – adding phosphoproteomics to the molecular tumor board

Speaker: Bernard Kuster (Germany)

1 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 15.30-17.30 – AUDI 2000

ROUND-TABLE 1 

Beyond the Numbers: Integrating Laboratory and Clinical Perspectives
on Thyroid Health

Chairs: Kris Poppe (Belgium), Etienne Cavalier (Belgium)

Speakers:
Brigitte Decallonne, Belgium
Luca Giovanella, Switzerland
Sergio Bernardini, Italy
Damien Gruson, Belgium

2 CPECS CREDITS

•  09.15-11.15 – AUDI 2000

IFCC SYMPOSIUM 3

Unraveling the Role of Machine Learning in Clinical Chemistry: Bridging the Gap between Potential and Practicality

Chairs: He Sarina Yang (USA), Anna Carobene (Italy)

Navigating the challenges of implementing machine learning in clinical laboratory practice – He Sarina Yang, USA
Biomarkers vs. Machine: the Race to Predict Acute Kidney Injury – Joe El-Khoury, USA
Leveraging Laboratory Data as a Tool to Assess for Preanalytical Errors – Christopher Farnsworth, USA
Doing more with patient data: detection of analytical error through patient-based quality control – Mark Cervinski, USA

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – AUDI 500

EFLM SYMPOSIUM 2 

Value Based Healthcare in Laboratory Medicine

Chairs: Mario Plebani (Italy), Tomas Zima (Czech Republic)

Value Based Healthcare: the time is now – Mario Plebani, Italy
Value Based Healthcare: personalized and sustainable – Jan Hazelzet, the Netherlands
A European network for Value Based Healthcare – João Marques Gomes, Portugal
Value = outcome/costs, how to apply to laboratory medicine – Giuseppe Banfi, Italy

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM A

SYMPOSIUM 4

Defining analytical performance requirements for laboratory tests to make them fit for clinical purpose

Chairs: Andrea Rita Horvath (Australia), Sverre Sandberg (Norway)

Making laboratory tests fit for purpose – review of approaches that connect analytical and clinical performance of laboratory tests – Andrea Rita Horvath, Australia
Defining clinically acceptable analytical performance specifications – a practical approach – Emmi Rotgers, Finland
IGF-1 and IGF-1 SDS: Are analytical specifications fit for clinical purpose? – Erika Huijser, the Netherlands
Managing individual sources of measurement uncertainty in FIT colon cancer screening: the virtual laboratory concept as a solution for equity in medical laboratory care – Marc Thelen, the Netherlands
Establishing a reference measurement system for global standardization of PT-INR tests: an interim report – Michelle Van der Helm, the Netherlands

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM B

SYMPOSIUM 5

Sustainable Reference intervals and Clinical Decision Limits: Towards Standardization & Harmonization

Chair: Dalius Vitkus (Lithuania), Khosrow Adeli (Canada)

Global Establishment and Harmonization of Pediatric Reference Intervals using Indirect Methods – Results of an IFCC TF-GRID Data Mining Study – Jakob Zierk, Germany
Pediatric and Adult Reference Interval Harmonization in Canada: Latest Updates – Khosrow Adeli, Canada
Reference Materials to Harmonize Autoimmune Assays – Joanne Sheldon, United Kingdom
Diversity in Reference Intervals and Non-Diversity in Decision Limits – Thomas Streichert, Germany

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM C

SYMPOSIUM 6 

Environmental Impact of Laboratory Medicine (Green and Sustainable Medical Laboratories)

Chairs: Tomris Ozben (Türkiye), John Anetor (Nigeria)

An Objective Assessment of Implementing Sustainable Practices in the Laboratory – Results of a Pilot Study – Alistair Gammie, UK
Key sustainability trends, challenges and opportunities from the perspective of EU medtech – Sigrid Linher, Belgium
Bioplastics: a promising alternative to conventional single use plastics in medical laboratories – Brian Freeland, Ireland
An Examination of the Benefits and Impediments to Sustainable Laboratory Medicine – John Anetor, Nigeria

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM 1123

RBSLM SYMPOSIUM 2 

From preanalytical to postanalytical phase in hematology/hemostasis laboratories

Chairs: Stijn Lambrecht (Belgium),  Francois Mullier (Belgium)

Appropriate prescription of hematology/hemostasis assays – François Mullier, Belgium
Intended use of hematology/hemostasis assays: are we ready for IVDR implementation? – Dominique Lasne, France
Standardization in flow cytometry for diagnosis and MRD-analysis of hematological malignancies: the EuroFlow experience. – Mattias Hofmans, Belgium
Contribution of artificial intelligence to improve detection of pathological cells – Gina Zini, Italy

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 11.45-12.45 – AUDI 2000

PLENARY LECTURE 2 

Chair: Mario Plebani (Italy)

Sepsis associated acute kidney injury

Speaker: Marlies Ostermann (UK)

1 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 15.30-17.30 – AUDI 2000

ROUND-TABLE 2 

Health Economics: Transforming Laboratory Data into Value

Chairs: Konstantinos Makris (Greece), Alexander Haliassos (Greece)

Speakers:
Elias Mossialos, UK
Jean-Sebastien Blanchet, Beckman Coulter
Paul Julicher, Abbott
Nikolaos Polyzos, Greece
Tommaso Trenti, Italy

2 CPECS CREDITS

• 09.15-11.15 – AUDI 2000

IFCC SYMPOSIUM 4

Cardiac troponins; clinical utility, analytical performance and future opportunities

Chairs: Kristin Moberg Aakre (Norway), Peter Kavsak (Canada)

Fast classification troponin algorithms; evidence and pitfalls in implementation – Nick Mills, UK
High sensitivity cardiac troponin POC assays; analytical and clinical state of the art – Yong Yong Tew, UK
Analytical performance when measuring low cardiac troponin concentrations – Kristin M Aakre, Norway
Future perspectives; Novel cardiac troponin assays – Saara Wittfooth, Finland

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – AUDI 500

EFLM SYMPOSIUM 3 

Integrated Diagnostics – Interdisciplinary Strategies and Approaches

Chairs: Joe Lennerz (USA), Pilar Fernandez Calle (Spain)

Introduction: Integrated Diagnostics – Bridging Disciplines for Better Healthcare – Joe Lennerz, USA
Health Data Integrity in the European Health Data Space – Pieter Vermeersch, Belgium
Culture shifts and the impact on integrated diagnostics – Regina Beets-Tan, the Netherlands
Interoperability in Integrated Diagnostics – Norman Zerbe, Germany
Integrated Diagnostics in Diseases of the Brain – Katrin Frauenknecht, Luxembourg

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM A

SYMPOSIUM 7

Medical test standardization in the era of Metrological Traceability: who is accountable?

Chairs: Christa Cobbaert (the Netherlands), Christoph Seger (Austria)

Implementing a Reference Measurement System for C-Peptide: Successes and Lessons Learned – Randie Little, USA
Certified Reference Materials in Clinical Chemistry: do they fulfil their purpose? – Liesbet Deprez, Belgium
Adoption and Implementation of Certified References in Today’s Regulatory Environment: an IVD Industry View – Geoff Wilkins, USA
Industrial and academic production of diagnostic tools – two sides of one coin or two coins? – Christoph Seger, Switzerland

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM B

SYMPOSIUM 8  

Current and Future Landscape of Tumor Markers in Clinical Use: Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives

Chairs: Qing H. Meng (USA), Tomris Ozben (Türkiye)

Update of Biochemical Tumor Marker Testing in Cancer Practice – Qing H. Meng, USA
The Limitations, Challenges, and Laboratory Strategies for Tumor Biomarkers – Huub H. van Rossum, the Netherlands
A Fluid Approach: The Promise and Pitfalls of Liquid Biopsies – Vera A. Paulson, USA
Integrated Diagnostics in Oncology: Bridging Tumor Markers, Liquid Biopsy, Multi-Omics, and Imaging – Tomris Ozben, Türkiye

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM C

SYMPOSIUM 9 

Biomarkers of the Brain: Past and Future

Chairs: Anwar Borai (Saudi Arabia), Vincent Sapin (France)

Traumatic Brain Injury Biomarkers: Current and Future – Anwar Borai, Saudi Arabia
Practical use of mTBI blood biomarkers: feedback, applications to specific populations and perspectives – Vincent Sapin, France
Use of fluid biomarkers for dementias in the era of upcoming treatments – Charlotte Teunissen, the Netherlands
Towards a biological definition of Parkinson’s disease: CSF and blood biomarkers – Lorenzo Gaetani, Italy

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.15-11.15 – ROOM 1123

SYMPOSIUM 13

Value of Diagnostics and Labtest around NCDs

Chairs: Oliver Bisazza (Belgium), Damien Gruson (Belgium)

Early Detection and Precision Treatment: The Cardiologist’s Perspective on Diagnostic Advances in Heart Disease – Anne-Catherine Pouleur, Belgium
A Patient’s Journey: The Transformative Impact of Diagnostic Tests on Managing My Chronic Condition – Francisco Rodriguez Lozano, Belgium
Policy and Prevention: How Government Can Support Diagnostic Innovations to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases – Antonio Parenti, Luxembourg
Innovating for Health: The Role of the Diagnostic Industry in Addressing Non-Communicable Disease Challenges – Bernard Colombo, Switzerland
From Biomarkers to Breakthroughs: The Critical Role of Laboratory Medicine in Managing Non-Communicable Diseases – Damien Gruson, Belgium

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 11.45-12.45 – AUDI 2000

PLENARY LECTURE 3

Chair: Etienne Cavalier (Belgium)

Bone Forming Agents: Will they help to close the gap in the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis

Speaker: Jean-Yves Reginster (Switzerland)

1 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 15.30-17.30 – AUDI 2000

ROUND-TABLE 3 

Emerging AI Applications in Laboratory Medicine

Chairs: Janne Cadamuro (Austria), Mario Plebani (Italy)

Enhancing Analytical Performance with AI – Anna Carobene, Italy
AI in Clinical Biochemistry: Transforming Laboratory Medicine – Mario Plebani, Italy
E-learning and AI: Revolutionizing Education in Laboratory Medicine – Nader Rifai, USA
AI in laboratory demand management and integrated diagnostics – Janne Cadamuro, Austria
Round-table – All the speakers

2 CPECS CREDITS

• 09.00-11.00 – AUDI 2000

IFCC SYMPOSIUM 5

What 21st century IFCC leadership should be: history, vision, implementation, and opportunities?

Chairs: Mathias M. Muller (Austria), Bernard Gouget (France)

Introduction

The IFCC history book: Charting the Course for IFCC Leadership in Laboratory Medicine for the 21st Century – Mathias Muller (Austria), Bernard Gouget (France)

Round Table: Views from the Top with IFCC Division Chairs

Chair: Tomris Ozben (Turkey)

Advancing Excellence and Scientific Research in Laboratory Medicine for Improved Health – Christa Cobbaert, the Netherlands
Rethinking Education for the 21st Century – Nader Rifai, USA
Transforming Scientific Communication for the 21st Century – Tahir Pillay, South Africa
Pioneering Disruptive Innovation in Laboratory Medicine – Damien Gruson, Belgium

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.00-11.00 – AUDI 500

SYMPOSIUM 10 

How can we integrate proteomics and metabolomics in Clinical Lab?

Chairs: Caroline Le Goff (Belgium), Marco Cantu (Switzerland)

Application of proteomics for clinical purposes – Salome Coppens, France
What will clinical metabolomics bring to the medicine of tomorrow? – Audrey Le Gouellec, France
Exploring the perspectives of industrialized mass spectrometry applications in IVD – Michael Vogeser, Germany
Impact of Pre-analytical Variability on Metabolomic Stability: Toward Standardized Clinical Applications – Arnaud Pinsart, Belgium
USP48 regulates rRNA 2′-O methylation and IRES-dependent translation via deubiquitination of FBL in breast cancer – Tiantian Wang, China

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.00-11.00 – ROOM A

SYMPOSIUM 11 

Quality Assurance in Autoimmunity

Chairs: Fernando Antunez (Uruguay), Xavier Bossuyt (Belgium)

An introduction to the main pillars for ANA standardization – Fernando Antunez, Uruguay
Emergence of the ANA consensus, ICAP consensus and proposal for reporting results – Carlos von Muhlen, USA
Anti nuclear antibodies – key steps to harmonisation from an EQA perspective – Dinal Patel, UK
A new certified reference material in preparation for Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane (Anti-GBM) Immunoglobulin autoantibodies in human serum – Carolina Aznar-Lopez, Belgium

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.00-11.00 – ROOM B

SYMPOSIUM 12 

AI in the extranalytical phases

Chairs: Janne Cadamuro (Austria), Andrea Padoan (Italy)

Pre-Analytical Phase – Giuseppe Lippi, Italy
Post-Analytical Phase – Glynis Frans, Belgium
AI – Andrea Padoan, Italy
Bias assessment of measured LDL-C and its estimation using the Friedewald, Martin/Hopkins, and Sampson equations, and optimization through the implementation of supervised machine learning models – Antonio Reche Martinez, Spain
Application of federated learning to preserve the performance of automatic classifiers of blood images obtained in different clinical laboratories – Kevin Ivan Barrera Llanga, Spain

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.00-11.00 – ROOM 1123

SYMPOSIUM 14

EFLM – FEBS Symposium

Integrating Recent Basic Biomolecular Achievements in Medical Practice – Diagnostics & Therapy

Chairs: Tomáš Zima (Czech Republic), Piotr Laidler (Poland)

Mass spectrometry – translation from esoteric testing to a routine tool in the medical laboratory? – Christoph Seger, Switzerland
From basic research to clinical use: the long journey of blood markers for neurodegenerative diseases – Sylvain Lehmann,
France
From genetic analyses into prevention and treatment options for cancer including supplementations and diet interventions –
Jan Lubinski, Poland
NMR-based Fingerprinting and Profiling of biological samples for disease diagnosis and prognosis – Claudio Luchinat, Italy

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 09.00-11.00 – ROOM C

RBSLM SYMPOSIUM 3

New EFLM approaches to urinalysis and urine bacterial culture

Chairs: Timo Kouri (Finland), Etienne Cavalier (Belgium)

Back to the basics: Improved preanalytics in urinalysis with recommendations and quality indicators of the EFLM Urinalysis
Guideline 2023 – Rosanna Falbo, Italy
Automated particle analysis of urine – do the technical advances satisfy clinical needs? – Matthijs Oyaert, Belgium
Paving the path to automation in urine bacteriology with the EFLM Urinalysis Guideline – Martine Pestel-Caron, France
Verification procedures for urine test strips and particle counting in the EFLM Urinalysis Guideline – Timo Kouri, Finland

2 CPECS CREDITS

 

• 11.30-12.30 – AUDI 2000

PLENARY LECTURE 4

Chair: Tomris Ozben (Türkiye)

Digital Twins: From Personalised Medicine to Precision Public Health

Speaker: Mikael Benson (Sweden)

1 CPECS CREDITS

 

12.30-13.00 – AUDI 2000

CLOSING CEREMONY

Closing remarks
IFCC President & Congress Chair, T. Ozben
EFLM President, M. Plebani
RBSLM President, E. Cavalier
Congress President, D. Gruson

 

Welcome to India – IFCC WorldLab New Delhi 2026
T. Ozben, R. R. Sinha, P. Sharma

Welcome to UK – IFCC-EFLM EuroMedLab London 2027
T. Ozben, K. Hayden