On December 15, the first China-Russia Medical Exchange Conference on Personalized Approach to COVID-19 Treatment was held online as part of the activities of the World-Class Scientific Centre for Personalized Medicine.
The conference was organized by Almazov Centre jointly with the Russian Federation’s Northwestern Federal District SCO Business Council Secretariat and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China).
The event started with welcome remarks by:
- Alexandra Konradi, Deputy Director General for Research, Almazov Centre
- Alexander Beda, Chief Representative of Russian Federation’s Northwestern Federal District SCO Business Council Secretariat
- Shu Xiaogang, Deputy Dean of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
The representatives of both countries spoke of the difficulties and challenges faced in 2020 both by the world as a whole and each country individually and expressed hope for an improvement of the global situation in the future. In their opening words, the speakers highlighted the importance of international scientific discussions and exchange of experience in the field of treatment and prevention of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
The conference featured presentations by the specialists of Almazov Centre, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Professor Hongzhou Lu, Party Secretary of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre and Assistant to the Director of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University presented the experience of combined treatment of COVID-19 with Chinese and Western medicine in Chinese cities. He cited an example of several hospitals, highlighting the importance of an optimal and timely combination of traditional Chinese medicine and modern European guidelines and emphasizing the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to the provision of medical care during an epidemic in general.
Professor Lei Zhao, Deputy Director of Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology gave a presentation on the history of treatment and preventive measures for infectious diseases citing the example of Ancient China and emphasizing the importance of personal hygiene, quarantine measures, disinfection of clothing and the use of vaccines in the control of viral diseases.
Igor Kudryavtsev, Senior Researcher of the Gene and Cell Engineering Group, Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Almazov Centre gave a presentation on the topic “Adaptive immunity in the new coronavirus infection: what we know and what could be unusual?” He spoke about the key features of the development of T-cell-mediated adaptive immunity to COVID-19, gene expression and polarization in various forms of COVID-19, as well as differences in the indices of T and B cells during different stages of infection.
In conclusion, Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Chief of the Diagnostic Centre, Almazov Centre, presented digital solutions and Decision Support System used at Almazov Centre for COVID-19 data analysis and treatment quality management. He highlighted the importance of introducing the most advanced data processing systems and analyzing the flow of patients not only for a new coronavirus infection but also for routine admission cases to optimize all processes of Almazov Centre as a world-class scientific centre.
In their closing remarks, the participants unanimously noted the contribution made by doctors from both countries to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed their hope for further discussions and mutually beneficial cooperation.