On November 25, the International Advisory Board of the World-Class Research Centre for Personalized Medicine held its fifth online meeting.
The meeting commenced with an opening address by Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of Almazov Centre and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Shlyakhto delivered a welcoming speech and provided an overview of the achievements and key successes of the WCRC for Personalized Medicine for 2024. He also emphasized the importance of the results achieved for the advancement of science in Russia and globally.
The meeting featured four 2024 performance reports for each of the WCRC areas:
I – Population genetics and polygenic non-communicable diseases
• Alina Babenko, Head of Research Department of Genetic Risks and Personalized Prevention
II – Unknown, rare and genetically determined diseases
• Elena Vasichkina, Head of Research Centre of Unknown, Rare and Genetically Determined Diseases
III – Oncology
• Konstantin Samochernykh, Head of Research Centre of Personalized Oncology
IV – Infectious diseases, microbial and antimicrobial therapy
• Alexander Suvorov, Head of Research Department of Microbial Therapy
The speakers presented the key successes within each research area, showcased the key targets that have been achieved in 2024 and gave an overview of major publications.
Following the presentations, a discussion of the Advisory Board members, chaired by Professor Vladimir Chekhonin, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, provided an opportunity for foreign colleagues to ask questions and express their appreciation for the exceptional research expertise demonstrated by the scientists at the WCRC for Personalized Medicine.
Professor Giuseppe Faggian, Director of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Verona Medical School, Italy, extended his appreciation to the Centre's experts for their valuable contributions to the project and thanked foreign colleagues for their participation.
Professor Fausto Pinto, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, emphasized the remarkable achievements of the WCRC for Personalized Medicine. He also highlighted the value of international collaboration in developing scientific infrastructure for the prevention of polygenic diseases and the significance of a scientific approach in this endeavor.
Professor Marina Konopleva of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA, asked about the potential for implementing the WCRC results in clinical practice and exploring opportunities for cooperation with pharmaceutical companies and business to support the successful launch of products on the market.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the members of the Advisory Board reflected on the significance of the research and findings presented, introduced their colleagues to the publications for 2024, and collectively recognized the exceptional quality of the WCRC project and its alignment with global scientific standards.