Reflections on Translation 2023

On March 2-3, we hosted our Translations 2023 conference at BMA House in London. The conference brought together people who are working on different aspects of dementia research, and focused on one of the biggest challenges: translating lab discoveries into experimental trials and on to therapies and new drugs quickly and on a large scale.

Discussions at Translation 2023

Over 160 people gathered to hear 18 talks on a variety of themes around the area of translation. They were drawn from industry, academia, government and the third sector There were discussions about new developments in big data, about the huge importance of biomarkers and opportunities in trials delivery – and didn't shy away from the challenges faced in creating a new landscape better able to be better and faster in achieving new disease-modifying treatments for dementia. Their engagement was lively in the room, but also online on social media using the Translation 2023 hashtag.

Dr Ivan Koychev, Senior Clinical Researcher and DPUK Research Volunteer Registry Lead, said of the conference, “The best part of Translation 2023 was seeing in person the extraordinary scope of collaborators that DPUK has brought together. Sessions on Trials Delivery and Biomarkers really point the way to the opportunity that scalable methods for phenotyping individuals hold for effective dementia trial delivery.”

Prof John Gallacher opening the conference

When asked how he found the conference, Dr Benjamin Tari, Postdoctoral Research Analyst at DPUK, said, “It was inspiring to have so many people who have already had such a large impact on the field discussing their work, and how they saw the future unfolding. The early career researchers lightning talks really complemented the keynote and main speakers, strengthening their visions of an ever-brightening future for dementia research. The mix of people from industry and academia gave great opportunities for collaboration through mingling and networking too. The friendly, collaborative, interpersonal, and interdisciplinary environment certainly reflected the conference’s themes of sharing knowledge to better dementia research and treatment outcomes.’

 After a successful conference, the DPUK team are excited to listen to feedback and build on this event to continue the conversation next year. If you attended the conference, please make sure to fill out the feedback form that was emailed to you.

A fantastic Day 2 at @DementiasUK #Translation2023 with inspiring talks on how #biomarkers and #bigdata can accelerate drug discovery for #dementia
Dr Ben Fell from @AkriviaHealth on how the use of AI-enriched EHR data can transform the future of dementia research! pic.twitter.com/kSKfh6cEKX

— Panagiota Kontari (@PKontari) March 3, 2023

Absolutely amazing conference for two days! Great talks, fantastic discussions, lots of learning and insights! @DementiasUK #Translation2023 pic.twitter.com/PV9e06fALV

— gaurav bhalerao (@gvbhalerao591) March 3, 2023