News
Landmark ‘twin’ congress in August in Colombo
View(s):The value of research in ‘resource poor settings’ in low- and middle-income countries and how mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships can add to international collaborative research, will be the highlights of a landmark joint congress to be hosted in Sri Lanka next month.
This event – the 20th Congress of the International Society of Twin Studies (ISTS) and the 8th World Congress on Twin Pregnancy– expected to draw over 200 delegates from over 65 ‘twin registries’ around the world, is scheduled to be held from August 10 to 12 in Colombo.
A section of the audience at the Twin Talent Contest held in Sri Lanka recently.
It is hosted by the Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care (IRD -www.ird.lk) in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Twin Registry (SLTR), under the leadership of Prof. Athula Sumathipala, who holds dual responsibilities as ISTS Secretary General and IRD Director.
Prof Athula Sumathipala. Pic by M A Pushpa Kumara
Key global and local organizations including the International Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (ICOMBO); the Journal of Twin and Genetic Research; the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (SLCOG); the Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecology; the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians; the Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka; and the Health Ministry are supporting the congress.
The academic partners are United Kingdom’s King’s College London; Keele University; University of Liverpool and University of Bristol.
Founded 25 years ago as a partnership between King’s College London and the IRD, the SLTR is the first and largest functional twin registry in South Asia and a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) setting. It includes over 10,000 twin pairs in its population-based cohort; more than 7,000 twin pairs in its volunteer cohort; and over 1,000 pairs in its under-18-year cohort.
“The registry has supported global research collaborations focusing on mental disorders, physical disorders, co-morbidities including metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure and nutrition, while attracting competitive international grants from the Wellcome Trust and the UK’s Medical Research Council,” said Prof. Sumathipala.
Other countries such as Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Guinea, Hungary and Israel also have Twin Registries and Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and America have Twin Secretariats.
Pointing out that the scientific value of twin studies is vast, Prof. Sumathipala explained that twins offer a naturally occurring experimental design that enables researchers to disentangle the effects of nature (genetics) and nurture (environment). From an epidemiological perspective, comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins allows researchers to assess the role of genetic influence in disease patterns and health outcomes.
Monozygotic or identical twins, develop from a single fertilised egg that splits into two embryos while dizygotic or fraternal twins, result from the fertilisation of two separate eggs by two different sperm, leading to two embryos.
Referring to clinical and public health issues, Prof. Sumathipala said that twin pregnancies are associated with higher rates of premature birth, low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation and neonatal complications. Twins account for a disproportionate percentage of neonatal mortality and long-term disability. As such, research into twin health plays a critical role in shaping perinatal care policies.
(KH)
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