From the 14th to 16th December, the University of Bath, the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust Foundation (RUH) and the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) hosted a successful third annual, Skin@Bath Network Symposium at the Guildhall in Bath.
Over one hundred and seventy people attended the event from thirteen countries with fifty five talks and twenty six posters presented in two days by national and international clinicians, healthcare professional and scientists as well as early career researchers, medical trainees and postgraduate students.
The event, https://skinatbath.org brought together leading scientists in skin research to discuss breakthroughs on skin disorders, skin cancer and sun damage. The breakthrough research studies related to the mechanisms underlying skin pathologies and novel approaches to their therapies. Also, new disease therapies and managements were shared by speakers on chronic inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, eczema, systemic lupus erythematosus. Several important talks were given on skin cancer biomarkers and therapies as well as on melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Finally, several cutting-edge research studies were shared at the conference on skin photodamage, photosensitivity and photoaging caused by the sun.
With support from the Faculty of Science and the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases, (BIRD), this year the conference team were able to launch the Dr Nick Hall Memorial Bursary to provide travel bursaries to a number of early-career researchers, medical trainees and postgraduate students. Dr Nick Hall, is fondly remembered as a distinguished academic reader and a director of studies at the former Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology of the University of Bath.
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The Symposium sponsors included Pfizer, Sanofi, Abbvie and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson as well as Faculty of Science and the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases, BIRD. Support in kind was also received from members of the Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Therapeutic Innovation.
Dr Charareh Pourzand, Reader in Skin Photobiology and Pharmaceutics from the University of Bath’s Department of Life Sciences, and joint organiser of the event, said: “We are delighted that the symposium was such a success once again this year. The event fostered strong collaborations with top clinical and non-clinical researchers in academia and healthcare from around the world. It was also a great forum for experts sharing information, stimulating novel research ideas and translating this into state-of-the-art therapies. Our main emphasis is on meeting the current needs of patients as there are a lot of disorders that are not addressed or curable at present. We want to change that.”
Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) puts patients at the centre of their work, recognising and encouraging the importance of patient voices in research and the development of treatment and other therapy options available to patients. BIRD also encourages and funds research projects between the University of Bath and the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD), Bath and educates healthcare professionals in aspects of rheumatic disease and engages with patients to deepen their understanding and encourage them to get involved in research.
To find out more about the Skin Conference visit https://skinatbath.org or to learn more on BIRD visit www.birdbath.org.uk