A Welcome from the National Director….

We welcome you warmly and enthusiastically to the 2022 KidGen Kidney Genetics Symposium “Co-designing precision nephrology for tomorrow”. Whether you are joining us in person in beautiful Sydney, Australia, or virtually, it is my pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the KidGen Collaborative.

It is hard to believe now just how much has changed in so many different ways since our last Symposium in 2018. Needless to say, the Local Organising Committee led by Dr Hugh McCarthy, Dr Noa Amir, Trudie Harris and Dr Alasdair Wood have crafted a fantastic program that promises to update and provide new opportunities to engage as we look to the future of kidney genetics and genomics. Once again we have combined forces with the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology and are operating as an official Auxiliary Event in their Annual Scientific Meeting program. This gives access to an outstanding physical location in addition to a hybrid attendance option, in addition to an amazing series of invited speakers.

 I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank the many partners, collaborators and sponsors of the KidGen Collaborative. Within the past few years we have been able to substantially deliver upon many of the initial goals and aspirations when our collaborative formed in 2015. We now look towards the future as we report upon the HIDDEN flagship, complete the CEDAR program, and move forwards with the MRFF-GHFM KidGen National Kidney Genomics Program. It is a remarkable time to reflect upon and review where we have come to and where we now aim towards in the future.

On behalf of KidGen and the Local Organising Committee I also wish to gratefully acknowledge and thank the sponsors for the 2022 KidGen Kidney Genetics Symposium without whom the event would not be possible:

• Platinum: Alexion

• Gold: Natera & Sanofi

• Silver: Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Centogene, Australian Genomics, Otsuka, Boehringer-Ingelheim & Novo-Nordisk

• Student/Genetic Counsellor Sponsors: Invitae & Vifor

 In closing, we invite you to thoroughly enjoy the 2022 KidGen Kidney Genetics Symposium. We welcome your engagement both on the day and also afterwards in the form of new and renewed partnerships, collaborations and friendships which will deliver upon Co-designing precision nephrology for tomorrow.”