Continuing the tradition of previous TRHG special issues, this edition highlights the progress of twin registries worldwide. The past issues have showcased the developments in twin registries and studies across Europe, North and South America, Asia, Middle East, and Africa, and have attracted strong interest, with the 2019 issue cited over 940 times in Web of Science.

This special issue will focus on the integration of twin registries with national biobanks, population-based registries, and multi-cohort projects. It aims to highlight methodological and infrastructural advances that enhance the scale, impact, and interdisciplinary scope of twin research – particularly in the context of replication, meta-analyses, and cross-cohort collaboration.

We especially encourage contributions from large biobanks and national registers that can share insights into identifying and integrating data on twins and higher-order multiples – whether through data linkage, algorithmic detection, genetic similarity assessment, or novel methodological strategies.

 Key Topics:

1. Twin Registries and National Biobanks and Registries:

• Integration of twin registry data with national and population-based biobanks and registries
• Ethical, legal, and logistical considerations in linking with national biobanks and registries
• Standardizing access procedures and data management practices for data linkage
• Statistical methods for analyzing linked datasets

2. Twin Data in International Collaborative Infrastructures:

• Integration of multi-source data across cohorts with twin study designs

• Frameworks for international data sharing and cohort harmonization
• Contributions of twin cohorts to population-based studies
• Addressing ethical and legal considerations in multi-cohort collaborations

3. Mapping the Research Landscape:

• Bibliometric analyses of twin research across scientific domains
• Meta-analyses of twin registry characteristics and scientific contributions
• Data science approaches for evaluating the global impact of twin registries

Guest editorial team

Dorret I. Boomsma, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Veronika Odintsova, MD, PhD, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Yoon-Mi Hur, PhD, Professor, Kookmin University, South Korea

Dmitry Kuznetsov, PhD, Max Plank Institute, Germany

A manuscript can be submitted via the journal submission system Manuscript Central (ScholarOne) Submission Portal with the option for submitting materials to the special issue "Twin Registers in the Era of Biobanks". Ensure that your manuscript adheres to the TRHG author guidelines before submission.

Publication fee: AUD 100 per page for ISTS members; AUD 150 per page for non-members.

Submission deadline: September 1, 2025.

For questions or additional information, please contact Veronika Odintsova: v.v.odintsova@vu.nl.