Conferences and Research Meetings
BEAT-PCD Conferences and Research Meetings are held annually to bring together the international PCD community and showcase the latest advances in research and clinical care. Covering topics from basic science and diagnostics to clinical management, epidemiology, and patient-centred research, these meetings provide an important forum for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and driving progress in the field. Browse the archive below to explore previous meetings, access programmes and recordings, and discover how the global PCD community continues to work together to improve the lives of people living with PCD.
Global PCD Conference (2026 - )
This international event focuses on the science and clinical care of PCD, providing a unique platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. The conference brings together researchers, clinicians, patients, and advocacy groups from around the world to advance discovery, foster collaboration, and drive innovation in PCD care and research. The event is proudly co-organized by BEAT-PCD, in partnership with the North American PCD Foundation and European partner ERN-LUNG, ensuring a truly global perspective and collaborative approach to advancing the field.
Global PCD Conference 2027
Save the date!
The second Global PCD Conference jointly organized by BEAT-PCD, PCD Foundation and ERN-Lung will be held in Lisbon (Portugal) on October 6-10th 2027!
More info to come on our dedicated event page
Global PCD Conference 2026
The inaugural Global PCD Conference 2026 was held a the Sheraton Montreal Center in Montreal (Canada) between August 19th and August 22nd. This 4 days conference brought together almost 400 attendees including almost a hundred patients and carers from 25 countries. The conference was organized jointly by BEAT-PCD, PCD Foundation and ERN-Lung.
Replay - The conference was not recorded however an highlights session will be held on September 15th.
Program - The program can be found here
PCD Annual Research Meetings (2022 - 2026)
The PCD Annual Research Meeting convened researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals dedicated to Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Organized by BEAT-PCD and ERN-Lung, this meeting provided a valuable forum for sharing the latest advancements in PCD research, encompassing both fundamental science and clinical practice.
PCD Annual Research Meeting 2025
The PCD Annual Research Meeting 2025 was held in person at the Amsterdam UMC – VUmc (Vrije Universiteit Medical Center) in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) on September 26th, ahead of the ERS International Congress. The one-day event was organized in collaboration with ERN-LUNG.
Replay - The replay of the whole day can be found on Lena Events website
Program - The program can be found here
PCD Annual Research Meeting 2024
The PCD Annual Research Meeting 2024 was held in person at the Allgemeines Krankenhaus (AKH) der Stadt Wien in Vienna (Austria) on September 6th, ahead of the ERS International Congress. The one-day event was organized in collaboration with ERN-LUNG.
Program - The program can be found here
PCD Annual Research Meeting 2023
The PCD Annual Research Meeting 2023 was held in person at the University of Milano in Milan (Italy) on September 8th, ahead of the ERS International Congress. The one-day event was organized in collaboration with ERN-LUNG.
Program - The program can be found here
PCD Annual Research Meeting 2022
The PCD Annual Research Meeting 2022 was held in person at Vall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari in Barcelona (Spain) on September 3rd, ahead of the ERS International Congress. The one-day event included the BEAT-PCD Training School and the PCD Research Meeting, organized in collaboration with ERN-LUNG.
BEAT-PCD Annual Meetings (2015 - 2021)
BEAT-PCD Annual Meeting 2021
The 2nd annual meeting of the BEAT-PCD CRC was held online on Thursday, September 9th as a satellite meeting to the virtual 2021 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress. There was a total of 205 attendees from around the world, ranging from clinicians and scientists to patients and industry representatives, all with an interest in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). During the course of the meeting, attendees were updated on BEAT-PCD project activities and had the opportunity to hear and and discuss novel research output from distinguished researchers. The meeting included sessions on PCD genetics and molecular therapies and ongoing collaborating cohort studies as well as a session with PCD highlights from the ERS.
BEAT-PCD Annual Meeting 2020
The inaugural meeting of the BEAT-PCD CRC was held online on Thursday, September 10th as a satellite meeting to the virtual 2020 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress. There were >200 attendees from around the world and from a range of professions, all with an interest in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). The BEAT-PCD Clinical research collaboration is sponsored by the European Respiratory Society and was formed in April 2020 as an extension of previous successful PCD collaborations such as the BEAT-PCD cost action and BEST Cilia FP7. During the meeting, attendees, had the opportunity to learn more about the objectives, structure and expected output of BEAT-PCD. The attendees had an opportunity to hear and discuss highlights from the ERS congress and attend key-note talks on EMBARC-CRC and ERN-LUNG activities. The meeting was attended by patient representatives from around Europe and the concluding session of the meeting was dedicated to patient-led research.
BEAT-PCD Conference & Training School 2019
The BEAT-PCD Conference & Training School were held from 26 to 29 March 2019 in Poznań (Poland), hosted by the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The event gathered 146 participants from 27 countries, including clinicians, scientists, physicians, and specialists dedicated to studying and managing PCD. The conference featured plenary lectures, oral presentations, training workshops, clinical case presentations, and a poster session, covering a broad spectrum of topics such as PCD diagnostics, genetics, clinical management, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic approaches. The Training School offered hands-on learning opportunities for young researchers and clinicians, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between basic scientists and healthcare professionals. The event also provided a platform to summarize the achievements of the BEAT-PCD project, highlight its main results and publications, and present preliminary findings on the potential application of new therapies for PCD patients.
BEAT-PCD Conference & Training School 2018
The BEAT-PCD Conference & Training School took place in Lisbon (Portugal), between 6th and 9th of February 2018. 122 experts from 20 countries met during the 4-day conference to discuss the latest developments in PCD research and clinical care. Participants enjoyed a mixture of plenary sessions, oral presentations, poster discussions and expert-led workshops, intercalated with opportunities to network with professionals from different backgrounds and countries during coffee breaks, lunch and the conference dinner.
The training school held the 1st early-career researcher (ECR) networking forum on Wednesday, 7th February. 44 ECRs met to discuss the various opportunities available through BEAT-PCD, including joining the newsletter and conference proceedings writing teams, assisting on organising the next conference and applying for short-term scientific missions.
BEAT-PCD Conference & Training School 2017
The joint Conference & Training School was attended by more than 120 attendees from 20 different countries who networked and shared their research over a 4 day meeting. The meeting took place in Valencia (Spain). This meeting was highly interactive, including state of the art lectures, poster sessions, short oral presentations, workshops, small group discussions and interactive plenary sessions. It was an opportunity to increase the knowledge in the PCD field, to establish new collaborations and studies, as well as to learn from people who had undertaken Short Term Scientific missions.
Program
The program can be found here
BEAT-PCD Training School & Young Researchers Meeting in PCD 2016
The Training School mission was to deliver teaching and intensive training and practical skills on novel and emerging aspects of basic and clinical science relevant to BEAT-PCD’s objectives. The meeting took place at the Hopital Trousseau in Paris (France). A combination of lectures and workshops were held to familiarise and expose young researchers to expertise through an interactive approach, building on the programme developed at the Young Researchers Meeting in Bern in 2015. This second meeting brought together experts in the field to lead the programme alongside emerging young researchers gaining experience by chairing and organising sessions and workshops relevant to their areas of interest. It was also an opportunity for early stage researchers who had attended short term scientific missions to present their experiences and what they learned.
Highlights of ERS Congress 2016
BEAT-PCD meeting
BEAT-PCD held a meeting at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London (UK) on 3rd September, attended by more than 100 people working in PCD. Four state-of-the-art presentations on two selected topics were followed by a series of short presentations and discussions on collaborative projects led by BEAT-PCD members. The 2016 ERS Congress displayed the breadth and depth of PCD research: 7 oral presentations and over 30 posters emphasised the high volume of quality work by BEAT-PCD members. In Addition, PCD was featured at one of the ERS symposiums, which outlined the latest developments in PCD research, with a particular focus on the recently published ERS PCD task force recommendations for diagnostic testing (see below).
ERS Task Force for Diagnosis of PCD
The ERS guidelines for the diagnosis of PCD were presented at a symposium at ERS Congress in London (UK). Patient representative, Fiona Copeland explained the importance of an accurate diagnosis from the patients’ perspective and described the barriers to obtaining a diagnosis for this rare ‘orphan’ lung disease. Claudia Kuehni discussed the clinical features that should prompt referral for diagnostic testing and provided evidence that diagnosis is often missed or delayed. Heymut Orman explained the genetic basis of PCD. Jane Lucas presented Task Force’s recommendations for the commonly used screening and diagnostic tests: nasal nitric oxide, high-speed video microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, genotyping and immunofluorescence staining of ciliary proteins.
Highlights of ERS Congress 2015
Joint meeting of BEAT-PCD and BESTCILIA
Eighty-two delegates with an interest in PCD met in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) at the ERS Congres 2015. The meeting included state-of-the-art talks and discussion about research coordinated through the two projects. The speakers and delegates were from diverse backgrounds bringing together the expertise needed to develop clinical and research agendas to impact patients; pulmonologists, ENT, diagnostic scientists, geneticists, basic scientists, patient representatives, social scientists.
BEAT-PCD Conference 2015
The Inaugural Conference of BEAT-PCD was held at Chilworth Manor near Southampton (UK) in December 2015. The conference attracted 96 scientists, clinicians, allied health professionals, industrial partners and patient representatives from 20 countries. The BEAT-PCD Inaugural Conference successfully brought together clinical PCD specialists (paediatricians and adult pulmonologists, ENT, physiotherapists, specialist nurses) and scientists from varied backgrounds (genetics, imaging, cell biology, microbiology, bioinformatics). The multidisciplinary conference provided an interactive platform for research groups to exchange ideas through a programme of lectures, poster presentations, breakout sessions and workshops.
BEAT-PCD Young Researchers Meeting in PCD 2015
The first Young Researchers Meeting in PCD took place at the Univeristy of Bern in Bern (Switzerland) on 12-13th of March 2015. This 2-day meeting gathered over 40 attendees, including 15 presenters from multidisciplinary backgrounds, including epidemiologists, clinicians, basic scientists, diagnosticians, engineers, allied health professionals and social scientists.