From left to right: DEBRA UK Vice President Graeme Souness, DEBRA UK CEO Tony Byrne, DEBRA UK member and Ambassador, Lucy Beall Lott and DEBRA UK Director of Research, Dr Sagair Hussain.

Yesterday (Tuesday 23rd April), DEBRA UK member and Ambassador, Lucy Beall Lott, Vice President, Graeme Souness, CEO, Tony Byrne, and Director of Research, Dr Sagair Hussain, held a panel discussion at the LifeArc Translational Science Summit at the Business Design Centre in London.

The objective of the event, which was attended by over 900 people, including clinicians and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry and other charities, was to highlight and encourage discussion on how translational science can bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications, essentially how the observations and insight gained from the laboratory or clinic can lead to actual interventions that could improve health outcomes for individuals living with a medical condition.

For the team from DEBRA UK this was another good opportunity to raise awareness of EB and the realities of living with the condition. In the 40-minute session the team also spoke about what DEBRA UK does to support the EB community both today and tomorrow, and of the important role that our members play in shaping the services that we offer, and the research we commission.

Commenting on the day, Tony Byrne said:

We are very grateful to the team at LifeArc for the opportunity to attend and speak at yesterday’s LifeArc Translational Science Summit. We were delighted with the reception we received, and it was clear that many people in the audience were moved by our session particularly when Lucy shared some of the challenges that EB creates in her life. The subsequent discussions will only help increase awareness of EB to a wider audience and we look forward to continuing the discussion on how we can transform and improve quality of life for the EB community in the UK.