Patient-oriented session

The relevance of AARS biology to human health is increasing sharply. For example, an international patients’ association representing individuals and families affected by AARS-linked diseases has been established. There is a need for avenues that connect patients with basic scientists, clinicians, and the pharmaceutical companies. This FEBS Special Meeting is the best opportunity to fulfil this important social need. Through this session, we will stimulate cross-field interactions to inform patients, remind the researchers of the societal importance of their work and, most importantly, promote interactions among all stakeholders to encourage translational research.  

The program will begin with a keynote given by Prof. Rita Horvath followed by a series of scientific presentations. Speakers will be encouraged to make their presentations understandable to patients in the audience. The talks will be followed by a round table discussion chaired by a clinician, including participation from patients or their family members, basic researchers, and industry representatives. The aim is to discuss recent developments in AARS biomedicine, therapeutic avenues being explored, and the challenges faced by patients. The session will conclude with individual face-to-face interviews between the scientists and clinicians on one side, and industry and patient representatives on the other. These meetings will last a maximum of 10 minutes each and will be scheduled based on participants' requests. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate informal dialog among interested parties. 

Patients interested in learning more about the AARS meeting, or who are interested in participating in our patient panel or to speak to scientists at the conference should contact Ilka Heinemann (ilka.heinemann@uwo.ca).