Dr Richard Wall, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), shares his reflections on attending the Gordon Research Conference on Tuberculosis Drug Discovery, held near Barcelona, Spain, from 20–24 July 2025, with support from the AMR Centre. 

The Gordon Research Conference on Tuberculosis Drug Discovery convened a leading and diverse group of researchers, clinicians, and industry scientists committed to advancing treatments for tuberculosis. 

At the conference, Dr Wall presented collaborative work across three posters—including one based on a recent Nature publication—highlighting a novel class of inhibitors targeting purine metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, along with mechanism-of-action validation and de-risking. 

His poster, titled “Identification and validation of PurF, a novel target for tuberculosis drug discovery,” focused specifically on the target validation work, much of which was carried out at LSHTM by the TB Drug Discovery Group. The posters attracted considerable interest and generated many thoughtful discussions throughout the week 

As his first tuberculosis-specific meeting, the GRC proved invaluable: sessions ranged from early-stage screening and chemical biology to promising leads nearing pre-clinical development. Several presentations clearly illustrated the trajectory from academic discovery to therapeutic candidate—insights Dr Wall found particularly helpful as he considers positioning his own research. 

The conference also came at a timely stage in his professional journey, as he embarks on creating fellowship and grant proposals. 

He said:  “More than the scientific talks, the opportunity to connect directly with prominent figures in the TB drug discovery community stood out—these new relationships hold promise for future collaborations and expanding his professional profile. 

“The GRC was an inspiring experience that not only showcased the progress being made in TB drug discovery, but also helped me to think more strategically about how to position my own research. I came away with new ideas, valuable feedback, and connections that I hope will develop into future collaborations.”