Scientific Programme

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

Friday, Jun 4
Saturday, Jun 5
Sunday, Jun 6
Invited Speakers

09.30 – 12.30

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 1: FETAL GROWTH IN TWIN PREGNANCY
Chairpersons: Gerry H. Visser, the Netherlands; Asma Khalil, United Kingdom

• How to assess fetal growth in multiple pregnancy? What should be the standard?
• Optimal fetal growth in twins
• To grow like two or not?
• Discordance in twins: is it an ominous sign?
• Selective fetal growth restriction: definition and outcome
• Selective fetal growth restriction: management options
• Selective fetal growth restriction: when and how to deliver
• The outcome and neurodevelopment of discordant twins

09.30 – 12.30

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 2: EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
Chairpersons: Bianka Forgó, Hungary; Kaushalya Jayaweera, Sri Lanka

10.00 – 16.00

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 3: MANAGING A NATIONAL MULTIPLE BIRTH ORGANISATION (FOR ICOMBO MEMBERS)
Chairperson: Monica Rankin, Australia

13.30 – 17.00

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 4: FETAL THERAPY IN MULTIPLE PREGNANCY
Chairpersons: Ruben Quintero, United States

Radiofrequency ablation: indications and techniques
Min Chen, China

Fetoscopic cord occlusion: indications and techniques
Seshadri Suresh, India

Fetoscopic laser surgery in TTTS: indications and techniques
Ruben Quintero, USA

Expectant management vs. laser therapy in stage 1 TTTS
Yves Ville, France

Intervention in selective intrauterine growth restriction
Valentina Tsibizova, Russia

Reduction in multiple pregnancy: counselling and techniques
Liona Poon, Hong Kong

TAPS: diagnostic challenges and when and how to intervene
Tuangsit Wataganara, Thailand

13.30 – 17.00

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 5: BIRTH COHORTS WORKING GROUP
Chairperson: Jeffrey Craig, Australia

13.30 – 17.00

PRECONGRESS WORKSHOP 6: SIMULATION: TWIN VAGINAL DELIVERY
Chairpersons: Jon Barrett, Canada; Sarah Rae Easter, United States

18.00 – 21.00

OPENING CEREMONY & WELCOME RECEPTION

OPENING LECTURE:

Evolutionary aspects of twinning

The ceremony will be followed by a welcome cocktail that will be held in the exhibition area

08.30 – 09.30

PARALLEL SESSION 1A: PERINATAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN MULTIPLE PREGNANCY

Perinatal mortality in twins
The placenta in complicated twin pregnancy
FIGO guidelines on the management of twin pregnancy

08.30 – 09.30

PARALLEL SESSION 1B: EMERGING METHODS IN TWIN RESEARCH

Estimating (unbounded) Variance Components ACE Models: a change to methodology
Insights into parenting: Using Non-transmitted genotypes/virtual-parent method
Using twin studies to make inference about causation from examination of familial confounding (ICE FALCON) and its relationship to Mendelian randomisation

09.30 – 10.00

KEYNOTE LECTURE OBG&YN

10.00 – 10.30

COFFEE BREAK & POSTER WALK

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 2A: PERICONCEPTIONAL ASPECTS OF MULTIPLE PREGNANCY

IVF and twinning: what are the real risks? How to avoid?
Do we need more biomedical and biophysical tests to follow a twin pregnancy?
Optimal nutrition in twin pregnancy
Pitfalls in assessing chorio-amnionicity
Outcome of IVF pregnancy and the DOHAD concept

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 2B: TWIN-RELATED COMPLICATIONS

Counselling in MFPR and selective termination
Outcome of complicated twin pregnancy: how to counsel parents?
The IUGR features in twins
Twins and neurodevelopmental outcomes: the effect of IVF, fetal growth restriction and preterm birth
All complicated twins should have long term follow-up

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 2C: LARGE COLLABORATIVE STUDIES IN TWIN BIRTH COHORTS

GEMINI twin birth cohort: a UK twin birth cohort with focus on early childhood weight trajectories
Causes and consequences of birth size in an international context: the CODATwins project
Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study of childhood behaviour disoders
A word-wide collaboration of twin birth cohorts and other studies on childhood aggression: the ACTION project
Twin birth cohorts and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
Conclusions. The future of birth cohort studies.

12.30 – 13.30

LUNCH BREAK & POSTER WALK

13.30 – 15.30

PARALLEL SESSION 3A: OBSTETRICAL ISSUES IN TWIN PREGNANCY: PRENATAL SCREENING AND DIAGNOSIS

NIPT in twin pregnancy
First trimester prediction in twins
Ultrasound in twins in first trimesters
MCDA twins with discordant genotypes
Functional and acquired cardiovascular anomalies in monochorionic twins
Prediction and prevention of major obstetrical syndromes in twin pregnancy

13.30 – 15.30

ICOMBO BUSINESS MEETING

13.30 – 15.30

PARALLEL SESSION 3B: GENOMIC STUDIES OF COMPLEX TRAITS: THE VALUE OF TWINS

Cognitive impairment and schizophrenia
Using large scale twin studies and biobanks to investigate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
Genomics and Epigenomics of Obesity and Obesity-related Traits in Chinese Twins’
Contributions of twin and SNP based heritability estimates in the genetics of common disease

15.30 – 16.30

LUNCH BREAK & POSTER WALK

16.30 – 18.30

PARALLEL SESSION 4A: PRETERM BIRTH AND PREMATURITY IN TWINS – PREIS School Academy Session

Screening for preterm birth in twin pregnancy
Progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth in twins
Cerclage or pessary for the prevention of preterm birth in twins?
Corticosteroids and magnesium sulphate in twins: where is the evidence?
The different outcome of twins according to chorionicity
Problem of preterm twin newborns and how to cope with them

16.30 – 18.30

PARALLEL SESSION 4B: ‘OMICS’ TWIN STUDIES

Microbiomes
DNA methylation in monozygotic twins concordant or discordant for aggressive behavior
Metabolomics

18.30 – 19.30

ISTS GENERAL MEETING

08.30 – 09.30

PARALLEL SESSION 5A: CARE IN PREGNANCY AND LABOUR

Fetal growth restriction in twin pregnancy
Intrapartum monitoring in twins
Intrapartum care in twins

08.30 – 09.30

PARALLEL SESSION 5B: BULMER SESSION ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE BIOLOGY AND GENETICS OF TWINNING

Genetics of MZ twinning
Genetics of DZ twinning and new genes from a massive GWAS study
New insights into the biology of MZ twinning

09.30 – 10.00

KEYNOTE LECTURE ISTS

Phenotypic difference in a scientifically studied pair of conjoined twins

10.00 – 10.30

COFFEE BREAK & POSTER WALK

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 6A: SPECIAL ISSUES: US DOPPLER ANOMALIES, TTTS, TAPS, MCMA

Management of MCMA twins
The management of TAPS
TTTS in triplets
Techniques of laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels for managing TTTS
Debate: All twins and multiple pregnancies should be looked after in multiple pregnancy specialist clinics

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 6B: NEUROIMAGING & THE BRAIN: ROLE OF TWIN STUDIES

Topics and Speakers will be announced soon

10.30 – 12.30

PARALLEL SESSION 6C: PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF TWINS

CSU Fullerton–Twin Family study of social closeness
The psychology of twins: a glimpse into the hearts and minds of our twin research subjects
Causes of difference in childhood well-being; the effects of parental ratings
Are twins different?
Twin studies and the developmental origins of physical aggression: A bio-psycho-social perspective
Language Development

12.30 – 13.30

LUNCH BREAK & POSTER WALK

13.30 – 15.30

PARALLEL SESSION 7A: DELIVERY OF TWINS: CESAREAN DELIVERY, PPH

Optimal timing of delivery of twins
Doppler studies before induction in twins
Induction of labour in twins
Management of PPH
Mode of delivery for monochorionic twins: should have all CS?

13.30 – 15.30

PARALLEL SESSION 7B: COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN TWINS AND RESEARCHERS

Research for twins & families
The priority setting partnership for twin research
Empirical studies on class room sharing
Discussion – All twins should be offered zygosity testing

15.30 – 15.45

ISTS PRIZES AND CLOSING REMARKS

ISTS Award Presentations:

The Shields Award
The Gedda Prize for best student poster
The Galton Prize for best student presentation

Closing Remarks

Aris Antsaklis
Greece

Jon Barret
Canada

Jose Luis Bartha
Spain

Vincenzo Berghella
United States

Linda Booij
Canada

Juliet Butler
United Kingdom

Ming Chen
China

Richard Choy
Hong Kong

Roland De Vlieger
Belgium

David Evans
Australia

Eduardo Fonseca
Brazil

L.Scott Forbes
Canada

Bianka Forgó
Hungary

Joan Friedman
United States

Sandro Gerli
Italy

Kaushalya Jayaweera
Sri Lanka

Simon Lam
Hong Kong

Tak Yeung Leung
Hong Kong

Carolyn Lister
New Zeland

Hamdi Mbarek
Qatar

Nir Melamed
Canada

Anton Mikhailov
Russia

Mike Neale
United States

Monica Rankin
Australia

Richard Saffery
Australia

Haruiko Sago
Japan

Suresh Seshadri
India

Karri Silventoinen
Sweden

Claudio Stern
United Kingdom

Athula Sumathipala
Sri Lanka

Luming Sun
China

Weijing Wang
China

Tuangsit Wataganara
Thailand

Hye Sung Won
South Korea

Chloe Wong
United Kingdom

More international Speakers will be announced soon

Friday, Jun 4