Conference highlights

• Dates: Thursday 18th & Friday 19th June, 2026.

• Venue: Friends House, London, UK. Additional information on transportation, accommodations nearby, and other logistics is available here.

• Format: This year’s conference will continue to be available both in-person and online to accommodate global participation.

Registration

Registration is free of charge for:

• Academic researchers
• Clinicians and healthcare professionals
• Students and trainees
• Families and patient advocates

We are committed to keeping this meeting accessible to the community.
Industry attendees: A registration fee applies for participants from industry. Please contact us for details.

Registration opens 2nd March. 

Program

• Coming soon! 

Opportunities for early-career researchers

Early-career researchers play a vital role in driving the future of CLCN4 research, and we are committed to giving them a platform to share their work.

Poster Session 
This session provides PhD students and postdoctoral researchers a platform to present their research in a visually engaging format. It offers a fantastic opportunity for detailed discussions, networking, and feedback from peers and established scientists in an informal setting.

Lightning Talk Session 
Open exclusively to PhD students and postdocs, this session invites participants to deliver rapid-fire presentations. Each speaker will have five minutes to summarize their research findings and demonstrate their impact on the field.

Early-career researchers interested in participating in either session are encouraged to submit their abstracts for consideration. The deadline for abstract submission is 1st May. Please send your abstract (approximately 250 words) to rebeca.rf@cureclcn4.org. Please make sure to indicate whether you would like to present a poster or give a shor talk. 

Conference description

CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental condition (CLCN4-NDC) is a rare X-linked genetic disorder that leads to intellectual disability and other problems such as epilepsy, behavioural disorders, movement disorders and microcephaly. CLCN4-NDC is caused by mutations in the CLCN4 gene, which encodes the ClC-4 protein, a 2Cl-/H+ ion exchanger expressed in intracellular compartments in a wide variety of tissues, but prominently in the brain and skeletal muscle. The extent and severity of CLCN4-related condition, is very variable, depending on the type of gene change, the sex of the affected individual, the pathophysiological impact of the genetic change and, as yet, incompletely understood factors. Overall, there is currently little understanding of the basic biology of CIC-4 and no appropriate therapeutic options.

When Cure CLCN4 held its first scientific meeting, the research community was small, and many fundamental questions about disease mechanisms, clinical variability, and therapeutic possibilities remained unanswered.
Since then, both the family and scientific communities have grown significantly.

Over the past five years, important foundations have been established, including:

• The generation of animal models to better understand ClC-4 function in vivo

• The development of cellular models, including patient-derived iPSC lines
• Expansion of international patient registry participation

• The launch of Cure CLCN4’s first research grant

• Increasing collaboration between laboratories working on ion channels, neurodevelopment, and translational approaches

What began as a small gathering of researchers has evolved into a growing, international scientific network working across basic biology, disease modelling, clinical research, and therapeutic development. Now in its fifth year, the Cure CLCN4 Scientific Conference reflects this progress. The meeting provides a focused, collaborative environment where new data are shared, partnerships are formed, and research priorities are aligned, all with the shared goal of accelerating progress toward meaningful treatments for families living with CLCN4.