Apollo London closed members meetings are regular informal discussion evenings that revolve around a topic of interest from Apollo members. During these meetings, 1 or more invited experts will be on hand to present their view and guide discussion. The theme in question will always be related to the field of translational medicine and may contain an element of controversy to promote exchange of different points of view. If these discussions overrun, they may be continued in an off-campus bar to further encourage networking and exchange between the participants. Participation to these discussion evenings will be made accessible to everyone. We believe that diversity in the background of all participants is the key to good quality discussions and exchange.

We kick started our Apollo London closed meetings with a discussion about the report by Sir David Cooksey on UK Health Research Funding which came out in 2006. In 2017, an update by Nigel Hawkes claimed that the drug industry has broken promises to health research. Within this meeting, Apollo London members aimed to identify where Translational medicine in the UK has failed and where we, as the next generation of translational researchers, could bridge the gaps.

Supported brilliantly with expert opinions from Richard Downes, the GOSH BRC Business and Innovation Manager, as well as Dan Fullen and Martin Anyim from the UCL Translational Research Office, Apollo London members discussed the obstacles that need to be overcome between research and pharma to aid translational medicine. We also discussed the role of the Cooksey report in all of our research careers, and scratched the surface on regulation and patenting in biotech and healthcare.