Drug repurposing was the central topic of discussion at the 1st Conference of the RePo-SUDOE Project, held at the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Portugal. This event brought together prominent international experts to discuss emerging trends, European initiatives, and success stories related to the rediscovery of drugs. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities presented by this field in the SUDOE region were explored.
A program focused on scientific innovation
Image: Polytechnic University of Guarda
The event began with an opening session, where the Vice President of the IPG and the coordinator of the RePo-SUDOE Project emphasized the importance of this forum for knowledge exchange and interregional collaboration.
In the Thematic Session on European Initiatives in Drug Repurposing, several speakers presented projects such as REPO4EU, by Harald Schmidt (Maastricht University, NL) and Ana Sofia Carvalho (University of Porto, PT), and REMEDi4All, by Alicia Soler (EATRIS, NL). Contributions from projects such as canSERV, presented by Enzo Medico (University of Turin, IT), and EUCAIM, by Luis Martín-Bonmatí (La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, ES) were also discussed.
In the afternoon, the Success Cases Session focused on innovations in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to drug repurposing. Key topics included knowledge graph applications and their impact on biopharmaceutical research, with presentations from Alejandro Rodríguez González (Polytechnic University of Madrid, ES), José A. Seoane (Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, ES), and Gayo Diallo (University of Bordeaux, FR).
Challenges and opportunities for SUDOE
The day concluded with a roundtable on the challenges and opportunities of drug repurposing in the SUDOE region. Moderated by Paula Coutinho (Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, PT), it featured the participation of Francisco George (Portuguese Society of Public Health, PT), Miguel Castelo Branco (Academic and Clinical Center of Beiras, PT), Jean Philippe-Borges (Cancéropôle Grand Sud-Ouest, FR), and Ana Catarina Pinto (Bluepharma Pharmaceutical Industry S.A., PT).
With this format, the 1st Conference of the RePo-SUDOE Project has established itself as a key platform to promote research and strengthen collaboration networks in the field of drug repurposing.