Dear colleagues,
We are delighted to welcome you to the 35th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Human Genetics from April 2 to 4, 2025 at the Congress Center Innsbruck. Making connections is the central task of human genetics in research and medicine. This includes elucidating the relationships between diseases and genetic variants for basic research, diagnosis and therapy, as well as communicating this knowledge in the context of genetic counselling and interdisciplinary exchange. Last but not least, our annual meeting is also an important and valued opportunity to renew and further develop the links between our countries and institutions. As always we hope that the GfH Annual Meeting will not only enhance our knowledge and understanding of human genetics and its application in medicine, but will also contribute to increased collaboration on joint projects, databases and other activities.
Many thanks to the GfH programme committee for creating another exciting scientific programme. In line with current developments and challenges, there is a focus on genome sequencing with special consideration of “dark regions”, long-read sequencing, and genetic counselling, as well as the use of polygenic scores in medical genetics. We are particularly pleased that the 1st D-A-CH Conference for Rare Diseases, organized by the Austrian ‘Forum Seltene Krankheiten’ and the GfH together with the relevant organizations from all three countries, will take place overlapping on Friday and Saturday at the Congress Innsbruck. The official closing session of the GfH Annual Meeting on early Friday afternoon will also be the opening session of the 1st D-A-CH Conference for Rare Diseases. The programme for Friday afternoon has been designed together with the GfH Programme Committee. All Friday events are open to participants of both conferences. Please also inform yourself about this event, it may be worthwhile for you to take part on both days. The field of medical genetics is important for the diagnosis and care of people and families with rare diseases, and only through respectful and trusting cooperation as well as national and international networking can we fulfill our important tasks together.
For the second time since 1997, the Annual Meeting of the German Society of Human Genetics will be held in Innsbruck. The Institute of Medical Genetics in Innsbruck dates back to the establishment of a Chair of Medical Biology in 1963 and has developed into one of the largest centres for medical genetics in the German-speaking countries. In addition to offering a comprehensive range of medical-genetic services for western Austria and beyond, our scientific focus is on biochemical genetics, hereditary tumour dispositions, hemato-oncological tumour genetics, neurogenetics, syndromology, hereditary connective tissue diseases, and genetic and genomic counselling. Four European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases are based at the Institute. Together with the Departments of Paediatrics and of Dermatology at the University Hospitals Innsbruck and Salzburg, we founded the ‘Forum Seltene Krankheiten’ in 2011, which organizes the annual Austrian Congress for Rare Diseases. It is very important to us to anchor and further develop human genetics as a central interdisciplinary topic in the care structures of the public healthcare system.
We hope that this year's annual conference – especially in conjunction with the 1st D-A-CH Conference for Rare Diseases – will once again contribute to enhancing human genetics connections, and we look forward to welcoming you in Innsbruck.
On behalf of the Institut für Humangenetik der Medizinischen Universität Innsbruck,
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Zschocke, Ph.D.
