Redox Medicine 2024 Conclusion: Reflections on the Present, Future, and Challenges of Redox Medicine
Dr. Martin Feelisch from the University of Southampton and member of the Redox Medicine Society scientific board, delivered the concluding remarks at Redox Medicine 2024. After thanking the organizers for putting together a fabulous program, featuring two outstanding keynote speakers who set the tone at each day of the conference, Martin reflected on the excitement about ‘Redox Medicine’ and briefly summarized his impressions having spoken to many participants and presenters throughout the meeting.
The biochemistry and pharmacology of the emerging ‘Redox Medicine’ field is rather different from that of most other classical discovery & development areas because the molecular entities involved almost always engage simultaneously with a variety of biological targets. Unsurprisingly, the resultant complexity of interactions often exceeds expectations, making it difficult to predict mode of action and overall response. While this is characteristic of the phenomenon of emergence in complex systems, it is posing a not-insignificant challenge to drug development and definition of target engagement at the cellular and whole organism level. Martin provided examples of how these considerations are relevant to developmental biology, cancer, and chronic diseases settings, how they relate to routine procedures (e.g. the delivery of supplementary oxygen) in medicine and experimental observations presented at the meeting, and emphasized the significance of biomarkers and other new tools to guide the drug development process. In concluding, he outlined areas that require further investigation to improve predictability and quantification.
As we look to the future, there is great anticipation for the advancements and discoveries that will be showcased at Redox Medicine 2025. Stay tuned for more updates and join us next year to continue exploring the exciting field of redox medicine.
