WORLDSymposium^™ Call for Abstracts Now Open

Plan Ahead

Disclosure Requirements

• ALL individuals listed as an author or co-author will be required to submit THEIR OWN disclosure prior to the submission of the scientific abstract.
• Each listed author must complete THEIR OWN DISCLOSURE; NO ONE ELSE may submit the disclosure on behalf of another individual.
• Abstracts cannot be submitted until all disclosures for all authors are finalized.
• Once an author finalizes their own disclosure, the same disclosure will be applied to ALL abstracts on which the individual is a listed author.
• More details are available on the Disclosure Submissions page.

Rapid Fire Session

Have a big idea, a controversial topic, or a provocative case?

• Get expert feedback from an international audience while competing for prizes and recognition.
• Submit Abstracts for the fast-paced and energetic Rapid-Fire Abstract Session!
• 12 abstracts will be selected from both early and late-breaking submissions.
• Final deadline to submit an abstract: December 1, 2025.

About this EXCITING session:

• Rapid-Fire Competition will be Friday, February 6, 2026 from 13:30-15:40.
• To be considered for the Rapid-Fire session, the first author must “opt-in” when submitting the abstract for either the October 1 or the December 1, 2025 deadline.
• Please select “Yes” to this question at the time of abstract submission: In addition to being considered for a Platform or Poster Presentation, would you like your abstract to be considered for the New Rapid Fire Abstract Competition, which will be Friday, February 6, 2026, from 13:30-15:40 PST?
• Format will be a 5-minute, 5-slide presentation, followed by 5 minutes of live audience Q&A.
• If there are no audience questions, the session moderators will move to the next speaker.
• Speakers will compete for 3 complimentary full registrations to WORLDSymposium 2027.
• The audience will vote for their favorites in the following categories:  Most Inspiring Presentation, Most Debated Presentation, and Most Thought-Provoking Presentation 
• You must plan to attend and present at the LIVE, in-person meeting to be a part of the Rapid Fire Session.

Embargo Policy

Click here to read the full embargo policy.

Contemporary Forum

Non-CE platform sessions

• All authors will be asked to verify whether the first author is employed by industry (a commercial interest organization, such as a device or pharmaceutical company).  An “Industry” organization does not include an academic, government, or non-profit organization.
• Abstracts for CME and Non-CME should be submitted for one of the 3 primary categories above (Basic, Translational, or Clinical), and will be reviewed for consideration for platform or poster presentation. All abstracts will be considered for publication.
• Once selected for platform presentation, abstracts submitted by first authors who are employed by industry will be moved to the Contemporary Forum Session.
• Due to the shorter schedule this year, a limited number of Contemporary Forum abstracts will be selected for platform presentation.
• This is a Non-CE platform session created specifically for first authors employed by industry. Contemporary Forum presentations will be held to the same ACCME Standards as all other presentations.

Abstract Requirements

Abstract Length

Abstracts must be submitted and presented in ENGLISH, no more than 300 words, and may not contain images or figures. (Author names and the title of the abstract should not be included in the abstract body.)

Number of Authors

Abstract submissions may include no more than 25 authors. NO exceptions.

Disclosure Requirements

Prior to the submission of the scientific abstract, ALL individuals listed as an author or co-author will be required to have submitted THEIR OWN disclosure.

All author and co-author contact information and disclosure information must be completed at the time of abstract submission. An abstract is only considered complete when a green checkbox appears, stating that the abstract submission is complete. At that time, abstract submitters can request a confirmation email to be sent to all authors.

First Authors

Only the first author will be provided communications from WORLDSymposium. The first author will be the designated presenter for the accepted abstract. Once submitted, abstracts may be edited or deleted until the deadline of October 1, 2025, at 17:00 CDT; after the deadline, all submissions are considered final and may not be edited or withdrawn.

It is the policy of WORLDSymposium to publish all abstracts with the list of authors exactly as the abstract was submitted to WORLDSymposium. The first author of the submitted abstract will be listed as the presenting author on the Preliminary Program, Agenda, and/or Poster List. First authors cannot be changed once the listings are published or posted.

Abstract Selection

Abstracts will be selected based on scientific merit, originality and relevance to lysosomal diseases. Selection occurs through an independent peer review process. Final placement in an oral platform or poster session is subject to the Program Committee’s discretion.

All submitted abstracts are reviewed and scored by an independent panel of reviewers, which changes every year. This Committee will review the quality of each of the abstracts, considering the following elements based on applicability to the individual abstract: 

• Scientific Merit – Direction toward the development of a new or improved research or clinical advancement.
• Originality – Builds on existing research or demonstrates new knowledge.  
• Organization – Well organized, easy to follow and understand.
• Presentation – Clear, concise, and shows understanding of the subject matter.
• Technical quality – The idea must stand up to scrutiny. Facts and data have scientific backing.

Submitted abstracts must be ready for publication, provide results and not announcements. Abstracts stating that “Findings will be discussed…” or similar will score poorly based on the above criteria. 

Once all abstracts are scored during this competitive process, the top ranked abstracts for each category, (Basic, Translational, Clinical and Contemporary Forum), are then selected for platform presentation.

Hybrid Format

WORLDSymposium 2026 will be held as a Hybrid symposium, offering both Live, In-Person presentations, and Virtual presentations. A Live (In-Person) presentation means you will attend WORLDSymposium 2026 in San Diego, CA, USA. A Virtual presentation will either be a livestream presentation via telecommunications, or a pre-recorded video presentation. (The final determination regarding Virtual presentation formats will be provided at the time of presentation acceptance). Preference will be given to abstracts which can be presented LIVE, In Person.

Abstract Assignments

All abstracts submitted prior to the October 1, 2025, deadline will be reviewed by the WORLDSymposium Program Committee for platform or poster presentations. The first author of the submitted abstract will be notified of acceptance for platform or poster presentation by November 3, 2025. Information will also be posted here on the website as soon as it is available.

Thank you to the 2026 Program and Planning Committee for their expertise, hard work, and dedication.

Meeting Registration

Note: All authors and presenters are responsible for the costs of WORLDSymposium registration fees, all hotel and travel costs, and any other related expenses. WORLDSymposium is unable to cover any expenses for platform or poster presenters. 

Abstracts submitted for publication only, with no intention of presenting, will be deleted. Abstracts must be submitted with the intention that they will be presented if selected.

Submission Instructions

Detailed instructions on submitting an abstract can be found here.

Technical Support

For technical support with the abstract submission system, please contact OASIS: 217-398-1792 (Monday through Friday 09:00 – 15:00 Central Time). For questions regarding deadlines, topics, or other non-technical questions, please contact Amber Brown at amber@worldsymposia.org

Abstract submitters may log back in and edit or withdraw the abstract submission anytime prior to October 1, 2025, at 17:00 CDT.

When will abstracts for WORLDSymposium 2026 be published or be made available to the public?

WORLDSymposium does not publish the full-text of the abstracts online; the full-text is available only from Elsevier for accepted abstracts submitted to WORLDSymposium prior to October 1, 2025, to be published in the February 2026 “Lysosomes Issue” of Molecular Genetics and Metabolism (MGM). WORLDSymposium has no control over the Elsevier publication release dates. Registered attendees will receive an electronic copy of the program and full-text abstracts ​beginning on Monday, February 2, 2026. The program and abstracts become copyrighted and are only available to non-registrants through Elsevier.

It is the policy of WORLDSymposium to publish all abstracts with the list of authors exactly as the abstract was submitted to WORLDSymposium. The first author of the submitted abstract will be listed as the Platform Speaker (presenting author) on the Preliminary Program, Agenda, and Poster List.

More questions?

Read more Frequently Asked Questions here.