Showcasing UCL science at the International Drug Repurposing Conference in Barcelona

Photo 1: UCL Delegation at the international drug repurposing conference, #iDR24, co-organized by REMEDi4ALL, Beacon, and MeRIT in Barcelona. From the left: Dr Melissa Rayner, Dr Pilar Acedo, Dr Umberto Villani, Dr Stephen Hobbiger, Dr Asha Recino, Prof. Oscar Della Pasqua, Dr Jane Kinghorn, Dr Guillem Modol Caballero and Dr Azadeh Rezaei.

On March 6 and 7, the UCL Translational Research Office led a UCL academic delegation to join the first international drug repurposing conference, #iDR24, co-organized by REMEDi4ALL, Beacon, and MeRIT in Barcelona.

In this global event, key opinion leaders from both the research and patient communities, funders, regulators, and representatives from the private sector participated to collectively advance innovative drug repurposing in Europe and beyond. The event presented a unique opportunity for UCL scientists to exchange knowledge with experts from around the world, gain valuable insights into successful drug repurposing projects and discuss the challenges and opportunities in this field.

Prof. Oscar Della Pasqua, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Chair of UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks – Repurposing TIN, shared his insights at the conference during a panel discussion on the rare disease pathway.

Five UCL early career researchers (ECRs) were invited to attend the event, among whom, Dr. Pilar Acedo and Dr. Umberto Villani were selected to showcase their research for poster presentations, attracting much attention from the participants.

The outstanding showcase by Dr. Umberto Villani’s poster on 'Dose rationale for Tebipenem in paediatric typhoid fever’ garnered first place in the poster competition during the conference and was invited to deliver a lightning talk at the plenary session on the final day.

The invited ECRs are all awardees of the Pilot Data Scheme, a funding scheme initiated by the UCL Translational Research office and Therapeutic Innovation Networks (TINs) to support ECRs in generating pilot data to facilitate early translation in therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics. Participation in the international conference for exposure and knowledge exchange is part of TRO’s initiative to nurture UCL talents to advance in therapeutic innovations.

By contributing UCL’s science at the international conference, it demonstrated UCL’s research excellence as a leader in the UK’s research power. Meanwhile, through the discussion of challenges faced by a diverse group of experts and possible solutions, the UCL delegation is confident in leveraging these collective insights to develop a supportive framework for other UCL researchers to advance in drug repurposing therapeutic innovations.

Feedback from the participating ECRs:
"The recent drug repurposing conference was truly inspiring! The buzz around the potential of drug repurposing to change lives was simply contagious! A special thank you to UCL TRO for making our participation possible and for their constant support throughout the event. The huge gap between the 12,000 diseases and only 3,000 existing drugs really puts the importance of drug repurposing into perspective. It was amazing to connect with so many brilliant people working in the field and find the right experts for our projects.", Dr Azadeh Rezaei.

 "The Remedi4ALL has been an excellent meeting. As an academic researcher I have now a better understanding of the repurposing drug path from a clinical point of view, and realised the existing challenges in the field. It was very exciting to see numerous examples of successful clinical trials for repurposed drugs, and how this can accelerate finding treatments for diseases with none available and where there are many unmet medical needs." Dr Guillem Modol Caballero.

“Remedi4all provided a great platform for all stakeholders to share their efforts in bringing repurposed drugs to the clinic. Witnessing the collaborative work and associated success of repurposed drugs reaching patients was truly inspiring and I am excited to see the future impact UCL will have in this space.”, Dr Melissa Rayner.

"Attendance to the conference was a unique opportunity to showcase my research, receive feedback and network. I algo engaged with speakers, funders and regulators, while acquiring new knowledge to advance my repurposing projects.", Dr Pilar Acedo.

"It has been mind-blowing and inspiring to learn how patient associations can have a profound impact on the progression of drug repurposing projects, especially in rare diseases!", Dr Umberto Villani.

UCL delegation:

• Prof. Oscar Della Pasqua, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Chair of UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks – Repurposing TIN
• Dr Stephen Hobbiger, Experts in Residence, UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks – Repurposing TIN
• Dr Jane Kinghorn, Director of Translational Research Office
• Dr Asha Recino, Research Networks and Partnerships Manager - Repurposing TIN, Translational Research Office
• Dr Pilar Acedo, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health
• Dr Guillem Modol Caballero, Research Fellow, Lab for Molecular Cell Bio MRC-UCL
• Dr Melissa Rayner, Lecturer of Pharmacology
• Dr Azadeh Rezaei, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Department of Surgical Biotechnology
• Dr Umberto Villani, Post Doctoral Researcher and Visiting Fellow at UCL, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Group

Photo 2: Prof. Oscar Della Pasqua, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Chair of UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks – Repurposing TIN, shared his insights at the conference during a panel discussion on the rare disease pathway.

Photo 3a and b: UCL early career researchers (ECRs) were invited to attend the event and showcase their research for poster presentations, attracting much attention from the participants. In photo 3a, from the left: Dr Umberto Villani, Dr Pilar Acedo, Dr Azadeh Rezaei, Dr Melissa Rayner and Dr Guillem Modol Caballero.

Photo 4a & b: The outstanding showcase by Dr. Umberto Villani’s poster on 'Dose rationale for Tebipenem in paediatric typhoid fever’ garnered first place in the poster competition during the conference.

Learn more:

• Blog post: Early Career Researcher Interview with Dr Umberto Villani: Repurposing of tebipenem for paediatric typhoid fever, Repurposing TIN
• UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks - Repurposing TIN

• Interested to stay informed of upcoming news, events and funding calls?

• Subscribe to our newsletter and you would automatically become a member of UCL TINs (Therapeutic Innovation Networks) and be the first to receive our event invitations

• Follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter) and stay tuned to our news and updates.