Lecture by Professor Martin Birchall

We were delighted to be joined by Professor Martin Birchall who gave us an overview of his career in translational research in the field of surgery.

Workshop with Vicki Seyfert-Margolis

We were delighted to be joined by the former lead FDA representative on President Obama’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, Dr Vicki Seyfert-Margolis. She put us through our paces in a workshop that asked us to identify the barriers for communication of science to i) other researchers and ii) patients. As a result, the 5 groups generated the following clear problem statements:

• Research by nature requires focus – researchers are not incented to think beyond their own expertise
• Conflict of interest between competition and open science
• Pressure for funding leads to exaggerated claims by researchers leads to greater patient expectations
• Lacking communication between researchers/clinicians leads to misleading/unrealistic patient expectations
• Research is not really focussed on patients’ priorities

These problem statements highlight the importance of collaboration in academia; a sector that has been built on fostering competition, where success is measured in papers and grant money. At the other end of the translational process, patients are often losing out, feeling like they’re promised too much or like their best interests are not at heart. We rounded up the workshop with a discussion about how we can demonstrate success by fostering team work and collaboration. This final point highlights the importance of networks, such as Apollo London, which represents a forum for the next generation of researchers to communicate challenges and pave the way for developing solutions in the translational research field.

The official Apollo launch on 26th October 2018

We had an incredible launch for Apollo London, featuring Eureka Alumni Dr Cynthia Yu Wai Man and Dr Francesco Saverio Tedesco. We also fortunate enough to be joined by Apollo Utrecht members, who relayed their passion for Apollo International and joined us for our panel session. Saverio presented our keynote lecture presenting his translational research on therapies for muscular dystrophies. He wonderfully captured his translational journey, from his first publication in Science Translational Medicine as a PhD student in 2011 to his current work at UCL where he is translating early success in mouse models into therapies for patients.

Join us for our introductory event on 13th September 2018!

Learn about Apollo London, translational medicine and how to become a part of the Apollo team. Share a drink and meet EUREKA alumni, as well as new Apollo members.

This full day event provided an introduction to translational research for students, early and mid-career researchers from both clinical and academic backgrounds. It was the first joint GOSH, Moorfields and UCLH BRC educational event.

Using examples of the challenges and successes of translational research from across the NIHR BRCs this event encouraged critical thinking, and enhanced collaboration across the spectrum of translational research. It aimed to provide researchers with knowledge and networks to accelerate their research for the benefits of patients.

Throughout the day there were talks and workshop style events to highlight challenges and opportunities in translational research, as well as time for networking and introductions to support services in translational research available through the UCL BRCs, as well as nationally and internationally. A highlight of the day was Professor Berent Prakken’s inspirational keynote talk on the skills, environment and training needed to nurture translational researchers.

Concluding our 2017 summer school, we hosted an Apollo day. Professor Berent Prakken, course leader and a member of our Advisory Board got us sharp and thinking about ourselves, by starting off asking us ‘who we are’. After deep thoughts, Vicki Seyfert-Margolis from MyOwnMed organised a workshop on how to use data to make create a better healthcare system. Following this, a group of Apollo students is collaborating with her to build an app for students and academics all over the world.