Event recap: UK Pharmacogenetics & Stratified Medicine Network 11th Annual Open Meeting

Every year, the UK Pharmacogenetics & Stratified Medicine (UKPGx) Network has an open meeting, where a programme including experts from many different but complementary disciplines come together to present the latest developments in pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics and stratified (or personalised) medicine. This important area of science holds exciting future opportunities for patients, researchers and clinicians alike. I was proud to chair the 11^th Annual Open Meeting at the Royal College of Physicians, London, on 26 June 2024.


The meeting was an opportunity for delegates to hear about the latest in pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics and stratified (or personalised) medicine.

The UKPGx Network was set up in 2010 to develop research collaborations between academics, clinicians, industry colleagues, and the regulatory sector. In 2023, the BPS began supporting the maintenance and growth of the network, but the branding, purpose and objectives of the network remain the same. They are to:

• Serve as a vehicle to showcase advances in all aspects of personalised/precision medicine
• Foster the uptake and diffusion of precision medicine into clinical practice for patient benefit
• Enable networking and foster collaboration amongst the inter-disciplinary membership.

The annual meeting is one of the ways we work to achieve these objectives, and over the years, we have developed a large base of delegates who attend each year to network with others operating in the field, and to learn about the opportunities and challenges we are all facing.  The ultimate aim is to implement advances in this burgeoning field into clinical practice in a manner that is equitable and affordable, and most importantly impacts in a positive way on patient outcomes.  

This year’s programme encapsulated all areas of personalised medicine, and highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of our work. In our opening session, we welcomed Professor Dame Sue Hill (Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England), Professor Nick Wareham and Professor Raghib Ali, who explored genomic medicine in the NHS, cohort studies and precision public health research. I was particularly pleased to include an early career session in the programme, chaired by Vicky Chaplin, where we heard about the exciting research being undertaken by Dr Emma Magavern, Dr John McDermott and Dr Julia Carrasco Zanini Sanchez. It is always good to hear talks from individuals who will be future leaders in the field.


Professor Dame Sue Hill delivered an exciting talk about accelerating genomic medicine in the NHS.

In the afternoon, we went even deeper into the detail of personalised medicine; Professor Ann Daly chaired a session on Mendelian randomisation, with illuminating talks by Dr Verena Zuber, Professor Aroon Hingorani and Professor Michael Johnson. We closed with a session chaired by Dr Karen Spink exploring new technology platforms; Dr Greet De Baets’ talk on AI, followed by Professor Julian Knight’s talk on multi-omics, showed just some of the ways we can be forward-thinking as we continue to work together to promote precision medicine.

For this meeting, we extended the lunch break session to encourage more networking and opportunities to visit the exhibition stands. Our exhibitors showcased some of the innovative work happening to realise our ambitions of improving patient experiences through personalised medicine.  I would like to thank them for getting involved and for supporting the meeting. I would also like to thank all involved in organising the meeting, including the steering committee, the speakers, chairs and of course, the audience as well. 
If you missed this year’s event, you can register now to get early access to recordings of all talks from the day. These recordings will be made freely available on the UKPGx website from 5 October 2024. You can also watch recordings from all previous meetings for free now.


The extended break provided delegates with more time to speak with sponsors and colleagues.

If you are interested in pharmacogenomics and stratified medicine, don’t miss out – make sure you sign up to the network. It is free, and you will be the first to know the latest updates in the area, including when our next events will take place. We hope you will join us for a joint webinar with the Association of Physicians on 3 October 2024, and for the Symposium on “Pharmacogenomics of Adverse Drug Reactions” at the British Pharmacological Society Annual Meeting in Harrogate, 12 December​, where we will continue to advocate for further research and development in this important field.

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