Langland is based in the renowned BBC Television Centre, near the heart of the White City Innovation District. We’re in good company with neighbours such as Imperial College London, Novartis, Autolus, GammaDelta and Synthace to name a few.

For the past two years, right on our doorstep, members from the industry, academia and investors have come together for the annual Jawdrop Summit. Now in its third year, this event – organised by Upstream Nexus: a partnership between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Imperial College London – brings together world-leading experts to tackle some of the most significant issues in health and life sciences.

And this year, Langland were proud to be sponsoring the summit. Read on to discover our key takeaways from the panels and the inspirational approach to collaboration that underpins the ethos and activities in the White City Innovation District (WCID).‍

Bringing together different perspectives to tackle challenges in health

On 11^th February, a group of us attended the summit, for a full day of knowledge sharing, panel discussions and networking. Within a few moments of arriving, we met people from a diverse range of specialisms – scientists, students, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, leaders in pharma, NHS consultants, local government representatives, the list goes on.

This diversity extended into the keynotes, delivered by Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Professor Oscar Ces, Head of the Chemistry Department at Imperial College, as well as the panels which had speakers from a range of fields coming together to discuss how to tackle a variety of unique challenges.

Panel 1: Cracking the Code: Obesity, Nutrition and the Science of Personalised Health, illustrated a paradigm shift in how we understand and treat obesity, driven by the seismic impact of GLP1s, and influenced by insights from behavioural psychology, cultural attitudes, and the public health perspective.

Panel 2: Brainstorms & Beyond: New Frontiers in Dementia Research & Care highlighted significant advances in dementia therapeutics. Since dementia was identified as a national priority in the UK, the field has evolved significantly. Despite differing views on its mechanisms and the role of amyloid protein, experts agree the landscape will change rapidly, due to improved diagnostics, new treatments, innovative techniques, and a focus on screening and prevention, or most likely, a combination of all of these.

Finally, panel 3: Fundraising Perspectives from Investors & Startups highlighted the intricacies of healthcare entrepreneurship, with one speaker summing it up for the audience: 'Don't try to do it all on your own.'

By bringing together a diverse group of experts, Jawdrop illustrated that healthcare’s most complex challenges are multifaceted in nature. In doing so, it homed in on a pivotal truth: these challenges can’t be solved with a single viewpoint.

This notion was perfectly reinforced by a simple line from the summit’s opening keynote speech: 'Serendipity is the key to breakthrough thinking.'

The concept of ‘engineered serendipity’ stuck with us throughout the day as we considered the many chance encounters happening all around us that could lead to the next big breakthrough.

‍Engineering serendipity was the real value of Jawdrop

Though ‘engineering serendipity’ may seem like a contradictory phrase at first, it’s a powerful way to spark unique collaborations and facilitate chance encounters without taking away the spontaneity.

By putting a diverse group of people who share similar goals, visions and an attitude of openness to collaboration in a space where they can network naturally, unlikely connections begin to form. People who may otherwise never interact can strike up an unexpected conversation with someone from a completely different field. By building trust with one another, sharing resources, and working together, these surprising alliances can lead to breakthrough thinking.

At Langland, deliberately seeking out different perspectives to further our understanding runs deep into our agency model. Going out of our comfort zones to make that next chance encounter happen. Engaging with others who challenge our viewpoints and embracing healthy conflict to push ideas forward. Listening to and learning from people with different backgrounds so we can strengthen our ideas and act with empathy.

And just like at Jawdrop, we’re going to keep engineering serendipity in our daily lives to make new connections. As part of the White City Innovation District, we have a wealth of expertise close by, a diverse ecosystem of life science organisations who we can’t wait to learn more from and collaborate with so we can tackle the biggest issues in health together.

Because we know the best collaborative breakthroughs may begin with a shared vision, but it’s the diverse perspectives that continuously shape them throughout that make them truly successful.  

The White City Innovation District is where tomorrow is made. Want to know more? Head to the WCID website to explore upcoming events – you may even run into us there.

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