Europe took stock of 10 years of personalized medicine in Prague
At the end of November, more than a hundred experts from across Europe gathered in Prague for the first joint conference of the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine (EP PerMed) and the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine (ICPerMed). The opening speech was given byČR Slabý, Chair AZV ČR , who also represented the Czech Republic in the discussion on the future direction of personalized medicine in Europe.
The meeting commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and the Council Conclusions, which have contributed significantly to the development of personalized medicine as one of the key directions of modern healthcare. The program focused on taking stock of the past decade, presenting the main achievements of the SRIA strategy, and sharing specific examples of international cooperation. The spotlight was also on topics related to the implementation of personalized medicine in clinical practice, the use of health data, and the ethical and legislative aspects that accompany this field.
The Czech Republic was represented at the conference byČR Slabý, Chair AZV ČR , Head of the Center for Precision Medicine at Brno University Hospital and Head of the Institute of Biology at Masaryk University, together with Pavel Doleček, member of the Presidium of the Technology Agency ČR. In their contributions and panel discussions, both provided European partners with an insight into the development of science and research in ČR the current priorities related to the development of personalized medicine.
Immediately after the Prague conference, representatives of foreign centers of precision medicine, EP/IC PerMed, and the European Commission traveled to Brno, where they visitedthe Center for Precision Medicine at Brno University Hospital. During the two-day program, they learned about its operations, research activities, and long-term strategy, and appreciated its close links with the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, CEITEC MU, and the CREATIC Center of Excellence.
The program also included presentations of specific research projects. Jaroslav Štěrba, headof the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Masaryk University and Brno University Hospitaland scientific directorof the National Cancer Institute, presented a personalized treatment program for pediatric oncology patients. Regina Demlová, Director ofthe newly establishedCREATIC Center of Excellence, presented the link between research and clinical care and outlined the focus and goals of the new center. Aleš Hampl, Headof the Institute of Histology and Embryology at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, then presented research activities in the field of tissue engineering.
Foreign experts shared their experiences and examples of good practice and discussed ways to further strengthen European cooperation. The meeting culminated in a guided tour of the laboratories at the Institute of Pathology of Brno University Hospital andthe Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) at Masaryk University, where the two-day meeting took place.
