HELIOS members will have a strong presence at ASCAT 2026, taking place in London from 7–9 October 2026, with numerous oral and poster presentations showcasing research from across the haemoglobinopathy community.
Throughout the conference, HELIOS members will present work spanning a wide range of topics, including sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, diagnostics and variant curation, gene editing, epidemiology, patient registries, access to care, FAIR data, biobanking, digital health and evidence-based healthcare interventions.
Oral presentations
HELIOS members will contribute oral presentations across all three days of the conference.
The programme begins on Wednesday, 7 October, with Mohamed Azzam presenting his work on DSB-free TMPRSS6 base editing for therapeutic iron restriction as part of the ASCAT 2026 Top Abstracts Showcase.
On Thursday, 8 October, presentations from Maria Vittoria De Vita, Andreas Glenthøj, Aliyu Waziri and Sotiroula Chatzimatthaiou will explore topics ranging from community-based approaches to sickle cell disease care and caregiver burden to β-thalassaemia carriers and the implementation of evidence-based interventions in haemoglobinopathy care.
The HELIOS presence continues on Friday, 9 October, with presentations from Mikaella Kontopoulou, Anna Minaidou and Coralea Stephanou, covering the global haemoglobinopathy landscape, the Cyprus Haemoglobinopathy Patient Registry, and diagnostic practices across countries participating in the HELIOS COST Action.
Poster presentations
HELIOS will also be widely represented during the Thursday Morning Poster Viewing on 8 October, from 10:30–11:30.
Members will present research covering diverse scientific and clinical areas, including disease severity and clinical outcomes, thalassaemia screening, transition of care, cognitive surveillance, transfusion-dependent thalassaemia, FAIR data, clinical trial participation, patient-centred care, blood supply optimisation and international research collaboration.
Among the HELIOS members presenting posters are Sina Karimi, Coralea Stephanou, Theodora Maria Venou, Rudina Degjoni, Pagona Flevari, Venemin Gega, Jelena Roganovic, Raffaella Colombatti, Anna Collado Gimbert, Maria Cusinato, Lucia Ruggieri, Anna Ruiz-Llobet, Fedele Bonifazi, Maria Vittoria De Vita, Petros Kountouris, Stella Tamana, Christina Yiangou, David-Zacharie Issom, Liri Seraj and Elisabetta Mezzalira.
The large number and diversity of presentations reflect the breadth of expertise within the HELIOS network and the collaborations that continue to develop across countries, disciplines and institutions.
We congratulate all our members presenting at ASCAT 2026 and encourage conference participants to attend their oral presentations, visit their posters and connect with the HELIOS community throughout the meeting.
And don’t forget: HELIOS will also host its dedicated session, “HELIOS CA22119: Advancing Global Collaboration, Training, and Research in Haemoglobinopathies,” on Friday, 9 October, from 11:30–12:30 in the George Thomas Room.