Thursday 11 November

Time zones are CET times.

Workshops - Session 1
Workshop 1A 09:00 – 12:30	ICOMBO – Discussion of activities conducted by members Hosted by: Monica Rankin Chairperson, International Council of Multiple Birth Organisations (ICOMBO) chair@icombo.org In this session, members will share projects, research, and other activities they have conducted since 2017. A review of the Declaration of Rights and Statement of Needs of Twins and Higher Order Multiples will be conducted.
Workshop 1B 09:00 – 12:30	Twin Statistics – Part 1 Co-organisers: Jacob Hjelmborg, Katrina Scurrah, Márton Piroska, (Levi Littvay, Instructor) This workshop will continue in the afternoon (CET Time), Workshop Session 2 -  Workshop 2B. Twin studies remain highly relevant to health and medical research, especially given advances in biological science and technology which have created new opportunities and possibilities. This workshop will focus on statistical approaches for designs other than the classic twin study, such as the matched case-cotwin design, and non-continuous outcomes such as binary and time to event data.  Advantages, limitations, good statistical practices and assumptions of these approaches will also be discussed. Practice datasets and Stata and R code will be provided. The workshop will conclude with in-depth discussions showcasing worked examples from current research.
Workshop 1C 09:00 – 12:00	Do it with twins: tips for twin studies and registers Co-organisers: Dorret Boomsma, Gonneke Willemsen, Adam Tarnoki, David Tarnoki, Emanuela Medda, Jane Loke Setting up and maintaining a twin register has its challenges. In this workshop we review and examine a number of these challenges and present and discuss a number of possible solutions. We start with some thoughts about diversity in twin registries. Next, as twin registers are famous for their longitudinal follow-up of participants, we focus on participants engagement, which is especially important for longitudinal commitment. The additional challenges of longitudinal studies, as well as the impact of the Corona crisis are the topic of the third presentation. We then change the focus towards some design and methodological aspects, including the extension from twins to twins and their families and towards multiple generations, and talk about developments in the analysis of such twin family data. We conclude with insights from multiple established twin registers across the globe, namely those which were established over 25 years ago, drawing on past their experiences, hearing about their successes and providing suggestions for the future. 9:00 Twin registers across different cultures Yoon-Mi Hur Institute for Education Research, Department of Education, Mokpo National University, Jeonnam, South Korea. Veronika Odintsova Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 9:20 Participant engagement Isabelle Budin-Ljøsne Division of Epidemiology, Department of Genes and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Gonneke Willemsen Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam ,the Netherlands 9:40 Longitudinal studies and the impact of Covid Emanuela Medda Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy Jane Loke Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia; Early Life Epigenetics Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital; Parkville, Australia. 9:50 Questions and discussion 10:00 SHORT BREAK 0:10 Extended twin studies and trans-generational studies Tim Bates Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Nathan Gillespie Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA 10:30 Overview of recent new technologies for twin studies Mike Neale Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA Hermine Maes Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA 10:50 Insights from twin registers Dorret Boomsma Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Gonneke Willemsen Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 11:10 Questions and discussion 11:20 END
Workshop 1D 10:00 – 12:30	Microbiome Workshop Co-organisers: Chika Honda, Helga Szabo, Rie Tamizawa, David Tarnoki Information (pdf) Chairs: Chika Honda, David Tarnoki 10.00-10.30am Dr. Jun Kunisawa (Osaka, Japan): Microbiome and health: current topics 10.30-11.00am Dr. Emily Leeming (UK): Microbiome twin research in the UK: experiences and practical issues 11.00-11.30am Dr. Ruth Bowye (UK): Beyond diet: distal environmental factors influencing the composition of the human gut microbiota 11.30-12.00am Dr. Rie Tomizawa (Osaka, Japan): Microbiome twin research in Japan 12.00am-12.15pm: Dr. Helga Szabo (Budapest, Hungary):  Microbiome research: Hungarian experiences 12.15-12.30pm: Discussion

Workshops – Session 2
Workshop 2A 13:00 – 16:30	Twin Systematic Reviews – Part 1 Hosted by: Shayesteh Jahanfar, David Haas, Donald O'Mathuna, Isha Taneja, Tiffany Duque, Joel Gagnier This workshop is a top-rated standard author training offered by "Cochrane Trainers" from four universities across the United States: Tufts (Boston), Ohio State University (Ohio), Indiana University (Indiana), and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). We also have the coordinator of the Cochrane US Network (Seattle) on board.  You will learn how to conduct a systematic review of twin studies using Cochrane's high standard methodology. The concepts discussed include ten steps of developing a protocol,  meta-analysis, heterogeneity, and writing a review.  We also introduce software(s) Revman, Covidence, and Grade_Pro.  Small group activities will help you develop protocols to be registered with Cochrane Collaboration. Participants can apply for a mentorship program following the workshop, which supports them throughout all the steps for six months to 1 year. 1:00-1:40pm        Introduction & How to write a Cochrane review-Shayesteh Jahanfar 1:45-2:20pm        Steps in writing a protocol-David Haas 2:20 -3:00pm                 Defining a review question- Tiffany Duque 3:00- 3:40pm                Small group activity – Defining a review question for your review  (Four facilitators, each group will have 5 participants and one facilitator) 3:40- 3:55pm                Introducing screening software-Covidence- Isha Taneja 3:55- 4:30pm        Assessing risk of bias -Donal O’Mathuna This workshop will be continued in Workshop Session 4A, Friday.
Workshop 2B    13:00 – 16:30	Twin Statistics – Part 2 Co-organisers: Jacob Hjelmborg, Katrina Scurrah, Márton Piroska, (Levi Littvay, Instructor) This is a continuation of Workshop 1B.
Workshop 2C    13:00 – 16:00	Twin Birth Cohorts Co-organisers: Jeff Craig, Sonia Brescianini Chairs: Jeffrey Craig, PhD The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, Australia Sonia Brescianini, PhD Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy Summary: Longitudinal twin birth cohorts are able to link early life risk factors with risk for chronic conditions and provide valuable information for twin growth and development and health of the mothers of twins. They also enable the collection and reporting of chorionicity and zygosity, vital for twin research and families of twins. This workshop brings together the major stakeholders in twin birth cohorts: twins advocates, medical researchers, and clinicians. We also welcome researchers seeking to include twins in studies of the early life origins of health and disease and twin researchers wanting to find out more. The aim of this workshops is to: 1.    highlight the work of existing longitudinal twin birth cohorts; 2.    assist in the creation of new twin birth cohorts through shared knowledge and expertise; encourage data and sample harmonisation and analysis; 3.    encourage collaboration between twin pregnancy researchers such as gynaecologists, obstetricians, ultrasonologists and neonatologists, and non-clinical health researchers; 4.    seek opportunities for collaboration and replication; and 5.    seek the input from stakeholders. We invite representatives to talk about their twin cohorts (~3 minutes each) and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. Details of the speakers will be updated up to the conference.

FRIDAY 12 November

Time zones are CET times.

Workshops - Session 3
Workshop 3A 09:00 – 12:30	ICOMBO – Discussion of future directions for ICOMBO Hosted by: Monica Rankin Chairperson, International Council of Multiple Birth Organisations (ICOMBO) chair@icombo.org In this session, members will discuss possible research projects, ways to facilitate more sharing of resources and communication, and other topics of interest to members. A review of the Declaration of Rights and Statement of Needs of Twins and Higher Order Multiples will be conducted.
Workshop 3B 09:00 – 12:30	Imaging methodological workshop - Part 1. Program (pdf) 9:00-9:30am Basics of imaging methods (X-ray, US, mammography, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine) (Adam and David Tarnoki) 9.30-10:00am Mammographic analytic methods in twin studies (John Hopper) 10:00-10:30am Imaging the genetics of brain structure and function (Katrina L Grasby, Sarah E Medland) 10:30-11:00am Neuroimaging methods in twin studies (Justine Gatt, Dr Haeme Park) 11:00-11:20am Neural mechanisms for individuality in the brain - fMRI study methods in twins and epigenetics (Shunsuke Toyoda) 11:20-11:50am fMRI in twin studies & methods used in Peri/postnatal Epigenetic Twin Study (PETS) (Marc Seal) 11:50-12:30: Discussion with the speakers
Workshop 3C   09:00 – 12:30	Epigenetics Co-organisers: Joohon Sung, Namitha Mohandas, Jordana Bell

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  Workshops - Session 4
  Workshop 4A 13:00 – 16:30	Twin Systematic Reviews – Part 2. Hosted by:  Shayesteh Jahanfar, David Haas, Donald O'Mathuna, Isha Taneja, Tiffany Duque, Joel Gagnier This workshop is a continuation of the workshop held on Thursday afternoon. 1:00-1:30pm                   Small group activity: Appraising the risk of bias in a trial  (Four facilitators; each group will have 5 participants and one facilitator) 1:30-2:10pm        Analysing dichotomous outcomes - Joel Gagnier 2:10-2:50 pm                  Analysing continuous outcomes- Joel Gagnier 2:50-3:30pm        Introduction to meta-analysis-Shayesteh Jahanfar 3:30-4:00 pm                   Introduction to Revman and forest plot-Shayesteh Jahanfar 4:00-4:30pm                    Heterogeneity¬-Donal O’Mathuna
  Workshop 4B 13:00 – 16:30	Imaging methodological workshop - Part 2. Program (pdf) 13:00-13:30pm Novel ultrasound imaging methods (elastography, stiffness, IMT, plaque etc) in twin studies (Anita Hernyes) 13:30-14:00pm Available radiomics softwares (brain volume measurement, WMH, Whole Brain etc) (Bianka Forgo) 14:00-14:20pm 3D reconstruction of cerebral vessels (Laszlo Szalontai) 14:20-14:40pm DTI methods and other novel neuroimaging methods (Ádám Szabó) 14:40-15:10pm The Heritability of Cortical Folding: Measurement methods and experiences from the Human Connectome Project (J Eric Schmitt/Mike Neale)   15:10-16:00pm Discussion with the speakers

  
  

• Conference Opening Session
  19:00 – 19:10	Opening remarks Professor Jeffrey Craig, Dr Asma Khalil, Dr. Ádám & Dávid Tárnoki
  19:10 – 20:00	Keynote: L Scott Forbes, PhD “The Evolutionary Biology of Twinning in Humans” Introduction: Nancy L Segal, PhD
  20:00 – 20:45	BOOK PANEL summary (pdf) Discussion: Five recent and forthcoming books on twins – Live discussion and Q & A with the authors and editors Co-chairs: Nancy L Segal, PhD & Professor Jeffrey Craig Twin Studies in Behavioral and Health Research: Current Status, Prospects and Applications, São Paulo, Brazil: Digital book in open access: USP Open Books Portal, 2021 Tania Kiehl Lucci PhD, E. Otta and T.K. Lucci (Eds.): University of São Paulo, Brazil Why Are Monozygotic Twins Different: From Genetics to Environment London: Elsevier. A. Matias, & I. Blickstein (Eds.) Alexandra Matias, MD, PhD University of Porto, Portugal Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2021 Nancy L. Segal, PhD California State University, Fullerton, USA Twin Research: The Complete Reader, New York, NY: Elsevier (in press). Tarnoki, A.D. Tarnoki, D.L., Harris, J., & Segal, N.L. (Eds.) David L. Tarnoki, MD, PhD:    Semmelweis University, Hungary Twins - Superstitions and Marvels, Fantasies and Experiments, Reaktion Books, London, 2021. William Viney, PhD Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London

• SATURDAY 13 November

• Time zones are CET times.

• 09:00-10:30	Session 1 COVID-19 Co-chairs: John  Hopper, Catherine Bennett
  11:00 – 12:30	Session  2 Longitudinal twin birth cohorts Co-chairs: Jeff Craig, Sonia Brescianini This session will include talks about longitudinal twin registries from around the world, including those studying the early life origins of health and disease.  Co-Chairs: Jeffrey Craig, PhD The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, Australia Sonia Brescianini, PhD Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy Speakers 1. Esmee Bijnens, PhD Department of Human Structure and Repair, University of Gent, Belgium 2. Richard Saffery, PhD Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Building a twin pregnancy cohort in China for longitudinal biological studies 3. Elisabete Ramos, PhD Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (ISPUP), Portugal Bitwin cohort - the first Portuguese birth cohort of twins 4. TBA
  13:00 – 14:30	Session  3 Bulmer session: The Biology of Twinning Co-chairs: Nils Lambalk, Catherine Derom Description This symposium deals with the biology and genetics of the twinning phenomenon and is named after Michael Bulmer, who wrote in 1970 this fascinating book “the Biology of Twinning in Man”. This session deals with every aspects of twinning from the frequency of twinning in humans, the genetics of DZ and MZ twinning,  the development of the human embryo and how normal embryogenesis takes place... Co-Chairs: Prof Cornelis Lambalk, MD PhD Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam Catherine Derom, PhD Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ghent University Hospitals, Ghent, Belgium Speakers 1. Jenny van Dongen, PhD (online) Identical twins carry a persistent epigenetic signature of early genome programming 2. Hamdi Mbarek, PhD The Netherlands Update on the genetics of DZ twinning 3. Prof. Anja Pinborg, MD, DMSc (online) Determinants of MZ twinning in ART Copenhagen University Hospital 4. Brandon Johnson, PhD candidate (online) Study of twin pedigrees to investigate mechanisms of male microchimerism in females 5. To be selected from abstracts
  15:00 – 16:30	Session  4 Twin Studies: Psychological, Biological and Social Perspectives summary (pdf) Co-Chairs: Nancy L. Segal, PhD Department of Psychology, California State University-Fullerton Maria Antoinetta Stazi, PhD Center for Behavioural Science and Mental Health, Rome This panel draws together a diverse group of speakers whose presentations are set within a variety of theoretical frameworks. The different topics to be addressed cover a range of behaviors, issues and controversies within the field of psychology, e.g., behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology, social psychology and other approaches. An underlying theme is that twins can be used to study and inform virtually every measurable behavioral trait. Twin Tempos: Cross-Correlations of Young Twins’ Social and Emotional Skills Lisabeth A. DiLalla, PhD Department of Psychology, University of Southern Illinois Triangulating Genetic Methods to Uncover the Contribution of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills to Academic Achievement Throughout the School Years Margherita Malanchini, PhD School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University Three winship Myths: Setting the Record Straight Joan A. Friedman, PhD Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles Narrowing in on What Really Matters: Testing Criminological Theory Using Twin-Based Methodology" Joseph L. Nedelec, PhD: School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati Exceptional Sibships and Curious Couples: General Intelligence Findings From Chinese Twins Reared Apart and Together and Virtual Twins Nancy L. Segal, PhD Department of Psychology, California State University-Fullerton
  19:00 – 19:45  20:00 – 20:45	Session 5 Discussion: Participant engagement and user involvement in twin research Co-chairs: Carolyn Lister & Petra Zwijnenburg  Discussion: Controversial topic(s) in twin research Co-chairs: Professor Asma Khalil & Mark Kilby

SUNDAY 14 November

Time zones are CET times.

09:00-10:30	Session 6 New twin registries and studies Co-chairs: Yoon-Mi Hur & Bianka Forgo Session information (pdf) This panel aims to present newly established twin registries from across the world. Research aims, methods and recent results from emerging twin registries will be discussed. Major changes and developments in the Hungarian Twin Registry website related to the conversion from a voluntary to a population-based registry Marton Piroska, Hungary Isfahan Twin Registry Professor Nizal Sarrafzadegan TwinLIFE4 Professor Bas Heijmans University of Sao Paulo Twin Panel Professor Emma Otta
11:00 – 12:30	Session 7     Clinical trials Co-chairs: Petra Zwijnenburg, Athula Sumathipala Co-chairs: Petra Zwijnenburg, MD, PhD clinical geneticist, pediatrician, Dept Human Genetics, Amsterdam University Medical Center,  Amsterdam, the Netherlands Athula Sumathipala Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences,Keele University, Staffordshire, UK This session provides a selection of clinical trials in twins. The session demonstrates that the potential power of twins in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has been proven and illustrates that twins can strongly contribute to RCTs, ranging from n=1 studies to large sample sizes. The presentations will address studies in Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS),  Presentations: Tau-PET imaging in cognitively normal elderly subject: a twin approach Anouk den Braber, PhD Alzheimer Center Amsterdam & Netherlands Twin Register, Amsterdam University Medical Center, VU university, Amsterdam, the Netherlands TAPS trial Enrico Lopriore, MD PhD Dept. of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands FEASST (Food intake and Epigenetic Alteration in Spermatozoa of Singletons and Twins) Study Jessica Preston Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences,  University of Copenhagen, Denmark The value of twins in n=1 trials in (ultra)rare diseases Petra Zwijnenburg To be confirmed/ To be selected from abstracts
13:00 – 14:30	Session 8 Cognition & neurodevelopmental disorders Co-chairs: Jaakko Kaprio & Ida Karlsson Program (pdf) Description This session provides a selection of studies across the life course, from childhood to late-life, within the broad field of cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders. The presentations will address aggression, cognitive abilities, and dementia, as well as the unique methodological opportunities gained from studying twin cohorts. Co-Chairs: Jaakko Kaprio, MD, PhD Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Finland   Ida Karlsson, PhD Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Speakers 1. Camiel M. van der Laan, MSc Continuity of genetic risk for aggression across the life-course Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2. Laura Ekstrøm Løkkegaard, MD Postmenopausal hormone therapy and dementia Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark 3. Malin Ericsson, PhD Educational influences on cognitive aging: Exploring unequal opportunities through genetic propensities and societal change Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 4. Eero Vuoksimaa, PhD NONAGINTA study – cognition in 90-year-old twins Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 5. To be selected from abstracts
15:00 – 16:30	Session 9 9A Chronic Diseases and Cancer Co-chairs: Wendy Cozen & Joohon Sung
15:00 – 16:00	9B ICOMBO Business Meeting Chair: Monica Rankin
19:00 – 19:45 19:45 – 20:00 20:00 – 20:15	Session 10 ISTS AGM & Elections Professor Jeffrey Craig, Professor Asma Khalil Prizegiving Professor Asma Khalil Closing Remarks Professor Jeffrey Craig, Dr. Dávid Tárnoki

• PROGRAM SUMMARY (pdf)

• PROGRAM WITH CET TIME ZONE:

  CET – Central European Time