From 23 to 24 April 2026 The 12th Central German Laboratory Conference will take place in Weimar. The established training event is aimed at young scientists, doctors in training, medical-technical assistants and experienced colleagues from laboratory medicine and related disciplines. The scientific programme committee – with representatives of the University Hospitals of Jena, Leipzig, Dresden, Magdeburg and Halle – has once again put together a wide-ranging and highly topical programme that combines routine aspects, methodological innovations and interdisciplinary developments in research and patient care.

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Precision Medicine and Artificial Intelligence

The program starts at 11:00 a.m. with check-in. After an optional industry workshop, the welcome starts at 1:00 p.m ., followed by the scientific part from 1:15 p.m . onwards.

Session I: LC-MS/MS-based diagnostics as a building block of precision medicine
(Chair: Uta Ceglarek, Leipzig • Peter Mirtschink, Dresden)

• 1:15 p.m. – Apolipoprotein profiling from whole and dried blood for the monitoring of PCSK9 therapy (Julia Dittrich, Leipzig)
• 1:45 p.m. – Added value of second-tier analyses in newborn screening (Melanie Rödel, Dresden)
• 2:15 p.m. – Cobas pro i601: First experiences from a large-scale laboratory in routine operation (Maria Shipkova, Ingelheim)

Session II: Artificial Intelligence in Laboratory Medicine
(Chair: Jakob Adler, Berlin • Michael Kiehntopf, Jena)

• 3:15 p.m. – Introduction to Neural Networks and Challenges of Explainability (Johannes Böhm, Passau)
• 3:45 p.m. – AI-based medical devices and (in-house) IVD – challenges and opportunities (Sophie Bartsch, Konstanz)
• 4:15 p.m. – University Medical Implementation of an AI Platform for Research and Clinical Routine Care (Daniel Steinbach, Leipzig)

The first day will conclude at 5:15 p.m. with the keynote lecture “The Journey towards Data Visiting” by Anna Aschenbrenner (Bonn) chaired by Triantafyllos Chavakis (Dresden). From 6:00 p.m., the get-together invites you to professional and personal exchange.

Friday, April 24, 2026 – Coagulation, future and clinical challenges

The second day of the conference starts at 08:00 a.m . and offers a packed program with four sessions.

Session III: News from Coagulation/Hematology
(Chair: Oliver Tiebel, Dresden • Ingvild Birschmann, Bad Oeynhausen)

• 08:00 a.m. – Coagulation factor XIII: The last in line and essential – not only for coagulation (Ingvild Birschmann, Bad Oeynhausen)
• 08:30 – Antiphospholipid syndrome: Improving the clinical interpretation of autoantibody test results – reporting likelihood ratios (Lieve van Hoovels, Aalst, Belgium)
• 09:00 a.m. – Thrombocytopenia: Tracking down the causes of missing platelets according to guidelines (Thomas Stauch, Jena)
• 09:30 a.m. – Hemophilia: New therapeutic options – what do they bring to the coagulation laboratory? (Oliver Tiebel, Dresden)

Session IV: The Future of Laboratory Medicine
(Chair: Michael Kiehntopf, Jena • Katrin Borucki, Magdeburg)

• 10:30 a.m. – MTL with a Future: Why Leadership, Appreciation and Perspectives Are Decisive (Nadine Dicht, Munich)
• 11:00 a.m. – New Paths: Robotics in the Laboratory with Immunohematology (Britta Amodeo, Lüdenscheid)
• 11:30 a.m. – Precision, Prevention and Personalization – Shaping the Future of Laboratory Medicine (Oliver Frey, Berlin)

Session V: Liquid Profiling
(Chair: Stefan Holdenrieder, Munich • Berend Isermann, Leipzig)

• 1:30 p.m. – Opportunities and challenges for ctDNA diagnostics in blood plasma (Stefan Holdenrieder, Munich)
• 2:00 p.m. – Genome-wide Methylation Profiles of Cell-Free DNA – Liquid Profiling Beyond the Mutations: Methods, Evidence, Clinical Potential (Dirk Alexander Wittekind, Leipzig)
• 2:30 p.m. – AR-V7 detection in the blood as a predictor of treatment response in prostate cancer (Christof Winter, Munich)

Session VI: Sepsis deficits in current laboratory diagnostics
(Chair: Triantafyllos Chavakis, Dresden • Michael Bauer, Jena)

• 3:15 p.m. – Pneumogenic Sepsis – What do we need to know (Michael Bauer, Jena)
• 3:45 p.m. – The role of C-terminal AAT peptides in the compartmentalized host response of sepsis: Diagnostic problems and perspectives (Friedemann Börner, Jena)
• 4:15 p.m. – The compartmentalized host response in sepsis: Challenges for clinical research (Ignacio Rubio, Jena)

At 4:45 p.m., the conference will end with a farewell and outlook on the 13th Central German Laboratory Conference 2027.

Conclusion

The program of the 12th Central German Laboratory Conference is characterized by a successful mix of methodological innovations (LC-MS/MS, AI, liquid profiling, robotics), clinically relevant topics in hemostaseology and hematology as well as forward-looking discussions on personnel, leadership and sepsis diagnostics. Particularly noteworthy is the direct bridging between new therapy development and laboratory diagnostic consequences – exemplified in the lecture on hemophilia.

The conference offers an excellent platform for interdisciplinary exchange in Central German laboratory medicine and beyond.

Further information and registration:
Home | 12th Central German Laboratory Conference from 23–24 April 2026

Program Thursday:
Program Thursday – 12th Central German Laboratory Conference from April 23–24, 2026

Program Friday:
Program Friday – 12th Central German Laboratory Conference from April 23–24, 2026/

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Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.