This week REMEDi4ALL is in Barcelona for RExPO25, the annual conference of our sister project REPO4EU, bringing together the community for a packed programme on innovation in drug repurposing and systems medicine.
The event opened with words from REPO4EU coordinators alongside Project Officer Monica Ensini, before diving into early-stage repurposing discoveries with potential to advance towards clinical trials across multiple disease areas.
In the afternoon, REMEDi4ALL hosted a dedicated session to share project progress and updates for the drug repurposing community:
- Patient engagement in action: Rick Thompson (Beacon for Rare Diseases) highlighted the role of patient champions, showcasing the contribution of Alan Finglas in our demonstrator project on Multisulfatase Deficiency (MSD). His work has been pivotal in unlocking data to support regulatory discussions on repurposing of Tazarotene.
- Capacity building: Megan Burley (Beacon for Rare Diseases) presented the REMEDi4ALL training portfolio, from our bespoke Digital Academy and interactive Route to Repurposing to in-person bootcamps for patients, academics and early-career researchers.
- Support for drug repurposing projects: Alicia Soler (EATRIS) reported the success of our concierge service, which has already responded to more than 250 requests. Alicia also announced the launch of the Project Partnering Portal, offering new opportunities for collaboration.
- Context and challenges: Martin de Kort (EATRIS) placed REMEDi4ALL within the broader repurposing ecosystem and reflected on the barriers still facing medicines repurposing in Europe and beyond.
The session concluded with a panel discussion emphasising the central role of collaboration, and particularly of patients, in advancing effective repurposing.
We thank our colleagues at REPO4EU for the invitation and look forward to continuing this productive collaboration to strengthen the drug repurposing ecosystem across Europe and beyond!
