2023 Tuberculosis Drug Discovery and Development Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

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ABSTRACT This application seeks support for the 2023 Tuberculosis (TB) Drug Discovery & Development Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) to be held in at the Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel in Castelldefels, Spain from July 22-23 and July 23 – 28, 2023. This will be the eleventh GRC on TB Drug discovery (with the first being held in 2001 and thereafter on a biennial basis) and the fifth GRS associated with this GRC. For more than 20 years this conference series has held a unique place in the global portfolio of TB research conferences. For many years it has been oversubscribed, been rated above average by more than 70% of attendees and received a high-performance rating in the GRC Evaluation. Among the factors that makes this conference series stand out are its rigorous focus on TB drug development, the emphasis on presentation of unpublished data (enabled by the strictly enforced rules against recording or photographing of presentations), the disclosure of novel hit and lead compounds, the large fraction of attendees from the pharmaceutical industry, and the well-attended networking sessions. The overall theme for this GRC is “Leads, technologies and clinical trials for new TB drug regimens”. The conference will discuss and disclose recently developed lead molecules as well as new technologies and approaches to clinical trials, debate how recent insight into TB biology and performance of clinical drug combinations may facilitate identifying leads and improving regimens, review how new technologies and trial innovations can identify improved drug regimens, and discuss how to capitalize on successes in other disease areas. The focus of this conference is thus quite different from the most recent conference in this series, which centered around treatment shortening and was held in 2019. The GRC and associated GRS foster an environment wherein which researchers are encouraged to share cutting edge unpublished data and exchange ideas between both established and young investigators and trainees hereby promoting career development for all attendees. The GRC will include a “Power Hour”, an optional gathering for all meeting participants to address the challenges underrepresented minorities and women face in science and to support their professional growth. Both the GRC and the GRS programs will reflect the diversity of the scientists in the field with an aim of strong representation of women, underrepresented minorities, and international scientists. GRCs are unique in facilitating multiple opportunities for informal interactions between researchers from different sectors, geographies, and career stages, often resulting in exchanges leading to new collaborations. In this pandemic era, such opportunities have become rare and thus even more important to driving forward innovation in research.