A new online learning series for ERN professionals, clinicians, researchers, and stakeholders.

Advancing Rare Disease Diagnostics: The ERDERA Diagnostic Research Workstream Webinar Series

blank

As part of its Education and Training offering, ERDERA is launching a dedicated webinar series designed to inform and engage the wider rare disease community: the ERDERA Diagnostic Research Workstream Webinar Series.

About the Series

The series brings together ERN healthcare professionals, clinicians, geneticists, researchers, and other stakeholders to learn about the work, progress, and outcomes of the ERDERA Diagnostic Research Workstream (DRW).

Sessions will cover the full scope of the workstream — from governance and methodology to concrete analytical results — offering audiences a transparent and evolving view of how ERDERA is advancing diagnostics in rare diseases.

Delivered as online webinars, the series is accessible to both internal ERN audiences and external expert communities, reflecting ERDERA’s commitment to open knowledge-sharing and collaboration across borders.

What to Expect

Eight webinars are planned between May 2026 and June 2027, each focused on a distinct aspect of the Diagnostic Research Workstream:

ERDERA Diagnostic Research Workstream Webinar Series — planned sessions
# Title Topic Speakers Date Event link
1
The ERDERA Diagnostic Research Workstream – An Overview
General overview of the DRW Holm Graessner 28 May 2026
View event
2 Data sharing, data management & ethics DSFA, ethics, data submission, data flow, RD3 Kornelia Ellwanger, Leslie Matalonga September 2026 Link coming soon
3 The data reanalysis approach of the Diagnostic Research Workstream Tiered approach, DITF-DATF structure, Solvathon concept Lisenka Vissers October 2026 Link coming soon
4 Long-read sequencing and Optical Genome Mapping WP8 long-read sequencing and OGM Bart van der Sanden, Alexander Hoischen, Stephan Ossowski / Tobias Haack (tbc) December 2026 Link coming soon
5 Results of the systematic reanalysis Results of data reanalysis Tier 1 Sergi Beltran, Gemma Bullich, Lisenka Vissers February 2027 Link coming soon
6 First results from our innovative reanalysis approach Results of data reanalysis Tier 2 Sergi Beltran, Gemma Bullich April 2027 (tbc) Link coming soon
7 Scaling-up: from distributed to federated reanalysis Distributed vs. federated approach Sergi Beltran, Morris Swertz, Julien Thevenon (tbc) May 2027 Link coming soon
8 Reanalysis of RNAseq data RNAseq reanalysis results Vicente Yépez June 2027 Link coming soon

Note: Dates marked (tbc) are preliminary and subject to change.

Themes at a Glance

Across the eight sessions, the series traces the full arc of the Diagnostic Research Workstream’s activities. Early webinars introduce governance structures, ethical frameworks, and data management principles. Middle sessions delve into methodological innovation — including tiered reanalysis strategies, long-read sequencing, and optical genome mapping. Later webinars focus on results, first from systematic Tier 1 reanalysis and then from more advanced approaches.

Launching 28 May 2026

The series kicks off with an introductory webinar presented by Holm Graessner on 28 May 2026. This first webinar will provide an accessible entry point for all audiences — whether familiar with the ERDERA trainings or joining for the first time.

Details on registration and attendance will be made available through ERDERA’s official channels closer to the date.

News & Updates

You might also be interested in

On 3–4 June, EURORDIS–Rare Diseases Europe and Orphanet convened the rare disease community at ECRD 2026 in Prague around a shared call for coordinated European action, including the forthcoming European Blueprint for Rare Diseases.
30 million people in Europe live with a rare disease. Yet most still lack a diagnosis or treatment. So what is ERDERA doing about it?
The European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA), together with the European Reference Networks (ERNs), provides the missing operational layer required to implement the European Biotech Act across the full innovation pathway —from discovery to patient access.
ERDERA will launch its Clinical Trial Call 2026 (ECTC) on 1 July 2026, supporting multinational, GCP‑compliant early‑phase interventional clinical trials in rare diseases.