Addressing the challenges facing women’s health

In May, we raised the importance of bringing scientists together to explore women’s health, in a concerted effort to close knowledge gaps across health and disease research and practice, and strive for improved health outcomes for women, globally.

In part two of this feature, members of our scientific programming committee and invited speakers for our forthcoming Women’s Health: Genes, Data and Advancing Approaches conference, share their professional insights into the challenges surrounding women’s health, and the opportunities for research and innovation to address these. They also share advice aimed at early career researchers and those interested in using genomics approaches, to improve women’s health.

In these short videos, our contributors, working across different disciplines, delve into topics ranging from the value of genetic studies and increased population data, to the transformative impact new and emerging technologies offer. They highlight areas where innovation and discovery can bridge existing knowledge gaps, through increased funding and research – placing emphasis on where urgent support is needed from government bodies and policymakers.

Understanding the sex-specific differences related to the leading causes of illness such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, provides an evidence-base for the development of improved strategies for disease prevention, management, and treatments for 50% of our global population. 

The emergence of many new genomics technologies (such as single cell genomics and organoid modelling) are already enabling greater insights into the impact of disease on female tissues and organs, through more acute cellular studies. However, leveraging scalability relies on identifying and addressing the specific obstacles that continue to threaten the advancement of sex-specific research and therapeutic development.

A Nature article: ‘Women’s health research lacks funding – these charts show how’, published in 2023 by Kerri Smith, illustrates the significant underfunding of research into diseases that disproportionately affect women, compared to those that predominantly impact men. This disparity exists despite the fact that many of these diseases in women place a greater burden on health and society.

In the video below video exploring the barriers to improving women’s health, it’s evident that this lack of funding is central to many of the issues preventing better health research outputs for women.

Hear from Professor Anna Murray, University of Exeter, UK; Professor Deborah Lawlor, University of Bristol, UK; Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Karolinska Institute, Sweden; and Dr Roser Vento-Tormo, Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK, as they present the main challenges facing researchers in the field today.

Increased funding will undoubtedly draw more scientists to the field, expanding the research community and increasing the number of published papers.

These insights reinforce the urgency for creating spaces for scientists to come together and share their existing research and knowledge of new technologies, as well as build relationships, and lobby decision makers. This activity is crucial for encouraging funding into this space.

There are many new and emerging tools and techniques strengthening studies into women’s health and disease; enabling potential for improved disease prediction, as well as the development of targeted therapies.  

However, for these powerful technologies to support tangible improvements, capacity to apply them effectively to research focused on sex-specific studies is needed. 

Here, Professor Anna Murray, University of Exeter, UK and Dr Roser Vento-Tormo, Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK, share their knowledge of how whole genome sequencing (WCS) and single cell transcriptomics are transforming many disciplines. 

It’s only through sharing and collaboration that these technologies can bridge gaps in women’s health.

As a global leader in genomics-focused learning and training, Connecting Science provides an open and inclusive platform for world-leading researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to gather in person, exchange knowledge, and form partnerships aimed at advancing research capacity in this field.

Our Women’s Health: Genes, Data, and Advancing Approaches conference, taking place from 27–29 January 2025, will address the research challenges mentioned above. This event will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills, and expertise to enhance our understanding of disease impacts across the lifespan of women.

If you are interested in participating at this conference, discover more about the forthcoming highlights in our video below.

We are keen to encourage researchers and clinicians at all careers stages, providing bursary and carer’s grant support to ensure no voices are left outside of the room because of funding barriers. 

The many gaps in knowledge across all aspects of women’s health, presenting immense and exciting opportunities for discovery research. Information about financial support can be found on the Women’s Health conference page. 

You can now register for an in-person place to this brand new conference on our website. Opportunities to present your research are also available, so we urge anyone interested in giving a short talk or poster presentation to register and submit an abstract before 26 November 2024.

Click here to find out more about the conference and how to obtain financial assistance to attend.