ISPD Global Updates e-Newsletter

Tim Van Mieghem, MD, PhD

Dear ISPD Members and Colleagues,

I hope this finds you well as summer settles in across many of our regions. It's been a busy and rewarding few months for our Society, and I'm pleased to share some highlights with you.

In less than 10 days from now, our annual conference will bring together our community for another round of cutting-edge science and clinical discussion. With more than 300 participants already signed up from over 31 countries, I am particularly looking forward to Prof. Kypros Nicolaides' Pioneer Award lecture, engaging debates, and stimulating lightning presentations from peers. For those of you who are not registered yet, information can be found here.

Education and outreach remain central to our mission. We've continued to expand our online education program and the most recent Virtual Education Series event in June on skeletal dysplasia was clear evidence of that. We are now also actively engaging with societies in India and centres across Africa to ensure our education is relevant across the globe. These partnerships reflect our commitment to making high-quality training accessible to members everywhere, regardless of geography. You can find recordings and upcoming session details on the ISPD website.

Don't wait - online registration closes on 1 July!

We've got some great virtual education planned for the upcoming ISPD 2026 conference! New this year is the "Diagnostic Bridge Series: From Bench to Bedside" that will explore detailed case studies. In all, 30 invited talks, 26 abstract-based communications, 7 industry-sponsored presentations, and more than 70 e-posters are planned for this exceptional event.

Join us live for the most complete access and to find out who is named the best early career investigator for 2026!

A multidisciplinary expert panel convened to evaluate the role of race-based adjustments in prenatal screening for fetal trisomies and open neural tube defects in the forthcoming "Use of Race in Prenatal Screening" evidence-based guideline.

The College of American Pathologists in collaboration with the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis, and the Society of Black Pathology developed five draft statements, including three conditional recommendations and two good practice statements now available for review.

All stakeholders—including pathologists, clinical chemists and biochemists, genetic counselors, geneticists, obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine physicians, and hospital or laboratory managers—are encouraged to provide feedback for consideration. Submit any comments by 9 July 2026.

March 2026 Journal Club:

Genome-Wide Cell-Free DNA Analysis for Aneuploidy Detection in Miscarriages: Test Performance Meta-Analysis

Kirsten Niles, MD, PhD

On 25 March 2026, ISPD members had the opportunity to join the ISPD Journal Club reviewing the publication, Genome-Wide Cell-Free DNA Analysis for Aneuploidy Detection in Miscarriages: Test Performance Meta-Analysis, by Pauta et al, presented by senior author Dr. Antoni Borrell.

The impact of pregnancy loss prior to 22 weeks gestation is profound on those it affects. Understanding the etiology of the pregnancy loss can provide information that can modify care of future pregnancies but also can help reduce the psychological consequences of loss for the family.

ISPD Members may participate in Journal Club discussions. Log in using ISPD member credentials to view Journal Club Recordings.

The Journal Club and the Virtual Education Series are supported in part by the ISPD Education Fund, funded through individual donations and by the Corporate Council.

Volume 46 | Issue 7 | June 2026

Read June Issue

Volume 46 | Issue 5-6 | May 2026

Special Issue: Fetal sequencing: What have we learnt and where are we going

Read the Special Issue

Volume 46 | Issue 4 | April 2026

Read April Issue

ISPD members have complimentary online access to all Prenatal Diagnosis articles via the ISPD website.