The second ECHO General Assembly Meeting took place on 2–3 March 2026 at the Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven. Partners from the University of Tartu, the University of Latvia, Vilnius University, the University of Copenhagen, and KU Leuven gathered to review the progress made over the past year and to plan the next steps.
During the visit, participants also had the opportunity to meet several KU Leuven experts and learn more about the university’s research environment.
- Wouter Bossuyt (Genomics Core Facility) provided a tour of the state‑of‑the‑art core laboratory.
- Peter Claes (Imaging Genetics Lab) shared insights into how genetic variation shapes the human face.
- Joris Vermeesch (Cytogenetics and Genome Research) discussed new approaches for analysing cell‑free DNA and detecting structural genomic changes.
- Maarten Larmuseau (Human Genetic Genealogy Lab) explored different aspects of relatedness between individuals.
A warm thank‑you to our partners and hosts for the inspiring discussions and excellent collaboration. We look forward to another productive year within the ECHO consortium.
