Last week, GENEGUT and UCC Futures – Future Medicines hosted the third event in the GENEGUT Seminar Series, featuring an inspiring talk by Prof. Garret FitzGerald, McNeil Professor in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania. The online seminar, titled “Opportunities and Challenges: Building Capacity in Translational Science,” attracted more than 70 attendees, including researchers, clinicians, students and members of the wider public.
The event was open broadly, drawing strong external participation from across Europe and beyond, and we received excellent feedback from attendees who appreciated the clarity, depth and relevance of Prof. FitzGerald’s insights.
Highlights from the seminar
Prof. FitzGerald shared a thought-provoking overview of the evolving translational science ecosystem, focusing on opportunities to strengthen capacity, collaborative structures and institutional support. Drawing on examples from his leadership of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) at the University of Pennsylvania, he illustrated how purpose-built environments, integrating wet and dry labs, education, cores and administrative infrastructure, can accelerate innovation and enable researchers to connect mechanistic insights with human biology.
ITMAT now comprises more than 2,500 members and provides nearly 170,000 square feet of research and training space designed to reduce barriers between early-stage discovery and clinical translation.
Prof. FitzGerald further reflected on the importance of nurturing researchers who work at the interface between model systems and human studies, and highlighted strategies for fostering integration across disciplines, institutions and career stages. His talk resonated strongly with GENEGUT’s mission to connect advanced preclinical tools such as intestinal organoids, ex vivo systems and computational modelling with translational pathways for future RNA-based therapies.
We are grateful to Prof. FitzGerald for his exceptional talk and to all participants for joining us and helping to make the seminar a success.
Join our future GENEGUT seminars
The GENEGUT Seminar Series continues throughout the year, bringing leading voices in RNA therapeutics, drug delivery, organoid science and translational research. If you would like to receive updates and invitations, follow GENEGUT on LinkedIn.
We look forward to welcoming you to our next seminar!