Aneta Bal, Urszula Zawadzka, and Katarzyna Urbańska from the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw, visited Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu in Finland as part of the ERN-ITHACA network actions.

The visit included learning of molecular genetic methods in a number of laboratories and departments, such as NordLab, Clinical Genetics Department, and the Laboratory of Cancer Genetics and Tumor Biology at University of Oulu. They also got familiar with the services provided by the Transgenic and Tissue Phenotyping core facility in the Biocenter of Oulu.

ERN-ITHACA is a patient-centred network that meets the needs for highly specialised, multidisciplinary healthcare for patients with rare malformation syndromes and rare intellectual. They also assist patients with other neurodevelopmental disorders of genetic, genomic/chromosomal or environmental origin, both diagnosed and undiagnosed. The network today consists in 70 full Member HCPs from 25 Member States. Through sharing expertise, experience and resources, ERN-ITHACA aims to further patient care, research, and access to information about rare congenital malformations and intellectual disability.