International Symposium on Epigenetic Inheritance 2026

This inaugural symposium, supported by the LSU Provost’s Fund, establishes a North American sister meeting to the biennial series founded in 2017 by Isabelle Mansuy at ETH Zurich. Held in alternating years, the Baton Rouge meeting is designed to complement the Zurich symposium and strengthen continuity across the international epigenetic inheritance community.

The Baton Rouge symposium builds directly on this foundation, with the objective of increasing the frequency and accessibility of scientific exchange in North America while maintaining strong transatlantic integration. Beyond presenting new data, the meeting aims to refine theoretical frameworks, consolidate core mechanistic concepts, and accelerate maturation of the field.

The program will integrate molecular, cellular, behavioral, and evolutionary perspectives on how environmental exposures and life experiences shape phenotypes across generations.

Key themes include:

• Germline mechanisms of epigenetic transmission
• RNA-mediated and chromatin-based inheritance pathways
• Parental diet, metabolism, and behavioral reprogramming in offspring
• Developmental plasticity and multi-generational stability
• Evolutionary consequences of non-genetic inheritance
• Epigenetic variation in human health and disease

This structure positions the LSU symposium as a sustained institutional platform for advancing rigor, conceptual clarity, and global collaboration in transgenerational biology.

LSU Vet Med is hosting the 2026 Epigenetic Inheritance Symposium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from July 15-17.