Registration and Welcome Coffee

Plenary One – Innovative changes to drive patient impact

Change is essential to accelerate repurposing success and deliver more medicines to patients. Here, we highlight the need for change, and the impact that innovative thinking from patient groups, funders, and regulators is already having in the drug repurposing space.

Welcome

EATRIS Don Lo Don is the Director for Medicines Development at EATRIS and Scientific Lead of the REMEDi4ALL European Platform for Medicines Repurposing. Don previously headed therapeutic development at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the US National Institutes of Health following a 30-year career in academia, biotech, non-disease research foundations and patient care organisations. EATRIS Anton Ussi Anton Ussi has been the EATRIS Operations & Finance Director since 2015. Joining EATRIS in 2010, he was co-responsible for the operational design and statutory incorporation of the infrastructure. With a background in mechanical engineering in the automotive industry, small business administration, and later in technology transfer focused on molecular imaging, Ussi specialises in public private collaboration and deployment of infrastructure for translational research in medicine.

Morning Coffee Break

Plenary Two – Creating repurposing ecosystems

While isolated repurposing projects can drive small scale success, synergies are vital to exchange knowledge, scale impact, and generate systemic change. Here, we explore different repurposing ecosystems, both nationaland condition-focussed, and their key drivers for success.

Lunch Break

RARE I - When is repurposing right for rare diseases?

Repurposing is not right for every rare disease. This session will explore why and when repurposing is chosen relative to other therapeutic approaches, circumstances that make it a viable strategy, and how decisions are made in practice. Speakers will set the scene for how repurposing fits into the broader rare disease landscape, highlighting key considerations for deciding which diseases and patient groups are most suited.

DISCOVERY I - Artificial Intelligence in drug repurposing

With a wealth of new AI companies and platforms appearing every year, the potential of AI to uncover new therapeutic opportunities has never been greater. But what is the best approach to deploy this technology and ensure that this vast computational power can be directed to meet some of the most pressing unmet medical needs worldwide? This session will explore different approaches to AI in the repurposing space and assess their potential for patient impact.

Afternoon Coffee Break

RARE II - New approaches to drive repurposing research in rare diseases

Novel strategies are needed to accelerate repurposing research in rare diseases. This session will showcase emerging approaches from industry, regulatory, clinical, and patient groups to drive forward repurposing research. Our speakers will explore how collaboration and innovation can make repurposing more effective and patient-relevant, and ensure repurposing research can break through translational barriers and deliver patient access.

DISCOVERY II - Building a discovery pipeline – combining methodologies to find the best repurposing routes

While AI has huge potential, it relies on processing good data, based on a diverse range of scientific methods. Furthermore, hypotheses must be tested and validated to ensure that only ideas with a real chance of patient impact move towards the clinic. This session will explore how lab-based science is driving forward repurposing opportunities.

Poster Session and Networking

Registration and Welcome Coffee

COMMUNITY I - The community in action

Here we explore the example of the national repurposing network being developed in the Netherlands, before highlighting the work of REMEDi4ALL’s own ecosystem through our delegate-proposed lightning talk session.

INDUSTRY I - Building a repurposing business model to attract investment

Finding an effective business model for a repurposed asset is a persistently cited barrier – but what options are available to a company in this space, and what can be done to increase the appeal of commercial repurposing?

Morning Coffee Break

COMMUNITY II - Improving skills and creating collaborations

Partnerships which bring together diverse skills and perspectives are vital to deliver a repurposed drug from concept to market. In this session we will highlight public private-partnerships as a model in the repurposing ecosystem, before exploring the opportunities, successes and challenges of upskilling people to deliver more successful repurposing studies.

INDUSTRY II - Bringing repurposed drugs to market

Despite the perception, there are many successful cases of repurposing in the commercial space. Here we will examine both success stories and initiatives designed to make repurposing more attractive and effective for the pharmaceutical industry.

Lunch Break

Patient Engagement Panel – Having a drug isn't enough

Even when repurposed treatments exist, patients often face barriers that prevent access or meaningful benefit. This panel, led by patient advocates and representatives, will showcase how patient communities are actively addressing these inequalities, highlighting their influence in shaping research priorities, driving access initiatives, and ensuring treatments meet real patient needs. It will demonstrate why patient insight and leadership are essential to turning scientific advances into tangible improvements for rare disease communities.

Afternoon Coffee Break

Closing Plenary – The future of drug repurposing

With legislative changes on the horizon affecting Europe’s approach to repurposing regulation, combined with the growing interest in repurposing science, we can be sure that the repurposing of tomorrow will differ from today. Here we explore the future of repurposing, the projects that bring us hope in the near future, and the challenges that still need to be addressed.