2026 – Call For Abstracts – Amsterdam – 6th International Keloid Symposium, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 11

We are pleased to announce that abstract and proposal submissions are now being accepted for the 6th International Keloid Symposium, to be held at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, from June 11–13, 2026.

Researchers, clinicians, and professionals working in all aspects of Keloid Disorder are invited to submit their work for consideration in the scientific program.

Submission Guidelines:

Abstracts and proposals must be submitted in Microsoft Word format.
All images and tables must be embedded within the body of the document.
The word count should not exceed 800 words.

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the Symposium’s Scientific Committee. Authors will receive a formal decision within 8 weeks of submission.

Submission Deadline:

The deadline for guaranteed inclusion in the abstract book is May 10, 2026.

Submissions received after this date will still be considered for presentation, but may not be included in the printed or digital abstract book.

We look forward to your contributions and to welcoming you in Amsterdam for what promises to be a landmark event in the advancement of keloid research and treatment.

Please e-mail your submissions to abstracts@keloidsymposium.com.

All submissions must comply with the following guidelines:

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Format:

All abstracts must have the following headings. Click here to see a sample abstract.

Title:
AUTHORS:
AUTHORS’ AFFILIATIONS:
Background:
Methods:
Results:
Conclusion:

Click here to download the abstract template.

Abstract Submission Guidelines – Keloid Research Foundation

Contact Information

The first author (presenting author) must provide the following details:

Full name
Academic degree(s)
Institutional affiliation
Mailing address
Email address

All future correspondence regarding the status of the abstract will be directed to the first author. The contact information provided upon submission must belong to the first author.

Policies

By submitting an abstract, you confirm the following:

You agree to present the abstract if it is selected for presentation. This includes being present during the scheduled time of a poster session.
You verify that your clinical research was approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB), and, where applicable, that informed consent was obtained from all human subjects.
You assign copyright of the abstract to the Keloid Research Foundation (unless you are a U.S. federal employee).
All authors and contributors agree to comply with the KRF Confidentiality Policy.

Identification of Original Research

Indicate whether your abstract presents original research.
Original research refers to a systematic investigation conducted with the aim of expanding knowledge or understanding, including data analysis.
Please note:

Clinical trials qualify as original research.
Reviews, summaries, or literature overviews do not qualify as original research.

Identification of Clinical Trials

Specify whether your abstract reports on a clinical trial.
A clinical trial is defined as a research study in which one or more human participants are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (including placebo or other controls) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.

Funding Source

Indicate whether the research was funded by:

A government agency
A pharmaceutical or biotechnology company
A foundation
Another source

If funded by a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company, provide a contact person at that company.

IRB / Ethics Committee Approval

All studies involving human subjects must:

Comply with the policies of the appropriate IRB or equivalent institutional ethics body.
Conform to the ethical standards set forth in the most recent revision of the Declaration of Helsinki.

If your abstract is accepted, you must provide:

The name of the approving IRB
The date of IRB approval

Note: IRB approval must precede the conduct of the research. All accepted abstracts must include a disclosure statement that includes the name and approval date of the IRB.

Abstract Title

Your abstract title should objectively describe the study topic without including results or conclusions.
KRF reserves the right to revise titles that imply or state findings or conclusions.

Proper Terminology

Please avoid using the term “scar” in reference to the disease. Keloid Disorder is a distinct, chronic, and poorly understood genetic skin condition. Referring to keloids as scars is inaccurate and misleading.

Use the following terms:

“Keloid Disorder” to describe the disease entity
“Keloid Lesion” to describe the physical manifestations on the skin

Abstract Introduction Paragraph

Do not include general background information or definitions of keloids in the opening of your abstract. Attendees of the symposium are well-versed in the subject.

Avoid statements such as:

“Keloids are the result of an overgrowth of fibrous tissue…”
“Despite their benign nature, keloids remain one of the most difficult skin conditions to treat…”

Focus instead on your research objective, hypothesis, or study design.

Co-Author(s)

Provide the following for each co-author (up to a maximum of 10 authors per abstract):

Full name
Academic degree(s)
Institutional affiliation
Mailing address
Email address
Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Disclosure Declaration

KRF is committed to promoting transparency, scientific rigor, and the highest ethical standards.
All authors must disclose any financial relationships or potential conflicts of interest with for-profit healthcare companies. The first author is responsible for collecting and submitting disclosure information for all co-authors.

Restrictions for Presenting Authors

If the first author is employed by a company as defined by the CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies, an alternate presenter who does not have a relevant employment relationship must be named if the abstract is selected for presentation.

A Company is defined as “A for‐profit entity that develops, produces, markets, or distributes drugs, devices, services or therapies used to diagnose, treat, monitor, manage, and alleviate health conditions. This definition is not intended to include non‐profit entities, entities outside of the healthcare sector, or entities through which physicians provide clinical services directly to patients.”

Abstract Body/Table

The body of your abstract should describe the background, methods, results, and conclusions of your research. You may type your abstract directly into the text box, cut and paste from an existing document, or upload a text file of your abstract. Do not exceed 800 for the total of your abstract title, body including section titles, and table. One data table is permitted per abstract. Illustrations and figures are not permitted.

First Author Responsibilities

The First Author Must:

Agree to the Confidentiality Policy on behalf of all parties involved with the abstract and communicate this policy to all involved parties. The Confidentiality Policy applies to both standard and late-breaking data submission from the time of abstract submission.

Verify that, if necessary for the work reported, the clinical research represented in the abstract was approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board and that, if appropriate to the research, informed consent was obtained for all subjects.

Verify that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract and support its data.

Agree, on behalf of all coauthors, to transfer copyright to KRF.

Agree to present the abstract if it is selected for presentation at the KRF Annual Meeting. (This includes being present during the scheduled time of a poster session.)

Comply with KRF's conflict of interest management decisions, including the potential for slide review prior to presentation.

Ensure that all co-authors meet the definition of authorship as stated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Convey the Annual Meeting Abstract Policies to all co-authors and the sponsor(s) of the research.

Enter the name of the clinical trial registry and the trial registration number if the abstract reports on a registered clinical trial.

Trials In Progress Abstract Submissions

KRF recognizes the importance of bringing together researchers to discuss ongoing trials. Trials in Progress posters provide an opportunity for members of the research community to present ongoing trials, foster collaboration and discuss correlatives and novel trial designs.

All phases of clinical research (phases I to III, supportive care, nonpharmacologic interventions) may be considered for inclusion as a Trials in Progress submission. Since the trials submitted are ongoing and have not reached pre-specified endpoints for analysis, the inclusion of results would be improper and is strictly forbidden.