From October 4 to 6, the XI St. Petersburg International Health Forum -2023 took place in St. Petersburg.
The round table “Moving towards personalized medicine — myth or reality” was organized as a part of the Forum by the Almazov National Medical Research Centre with the assistance of the Russian Academy of Science Council on Personalized Medicine. The event was chaired by the Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine, Director General of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre, Professor Evgeny Shlyakhto.
The concept of personalized medicine needs significant changes in the infrastructure of biomedical science and emphasizes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach aimed at more effective use of knowledge in genomics, innovative bioinformatics and advanced nanotechnologies in clinical practice, i.e., the rapid transfer of fundamental studies to practical healthcare.
To implement the concept, it is necessary to expand the instrumental base of the research institutions, develop a network of biobanks and collective use centers, databases and libraries, and broad international integration. It is also important to change the essence and structure of personnel training in personalized medicine technologies.
Personalized healthcare is declared as one of the strategic priorities of the Russian Federation until 2030 by the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development.
During the round table, the experts discussed Russian healthcare system and its consideration to personalized technologies, personalized medicine as an increase in cost or savings; the ways how artificial intelligence can help; what specialists need to be trained, etc.
Opening the event, Professor Shlyakhto spoke about the relevance of the transfer to personalized medicine. “Personalized medicine is a model, and it should be considered precisely as a model involving a full understanding of patient’s genetics, phenotype and using all technologies to individualize the treatment taking into account genetic and epigenetic factors. Precision medicine is a specific implementation of this model at the level of a group of patients or even an individual patient also based on personal data. Therefore, as part of the discussion, we should not reduce personalized medicine to an individualized approach, where there is no special genetics and speak the same language,” the academician said.
The first expert Dmitry Sychev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy Chairman of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine, Rector of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Professional Education described the modern medicine readiness for personalized technologies implementation.
Professor Alexandra Konradi, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Secretary of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine, Deputy Director General for Research of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre made a presentation on the topic “Is the professional community ready? Society. Survey data. Barriers.”
Director of the Institute of Perinatology and Pediatrics of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre Tatyana Pervunina continued the discussion with the issues of personalized medicine in perinatology and genetic screening among pregnant women.
Igor Kogan, Сorresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine, Director of the Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology shared his opinion on reproductive health and demographic crisis and possibilities of personalized approach.
The main problem of the PM transfer (including the use of genetic technologies) is public awareness, the second is the education of physicians and research areas and topics development, without this the development of personalized medicine is impossible,” Igor Yuryevich noted during his speech.
Continuing the event course, Boris Alekseev, Deputy Director for Research of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology spoke about problems in targeted prescription of drugs. Deputy Director for Organizational and Methodological Work Yuri Komarov performed the presentation on the availability of personalized medicine technologies.
One of the rapidly developing areas of PM is neurology; the corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Member of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine Marine Tanashyan continued the topic and presented the data on the most actual frontiers in neurology and prevention issues in vascular neurology.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine, Director of the Bakulev National Medical Research Centre for Cardiovascular Surgery, professor Elena Golukhova covered the issues in personalized cardiology and cardiac surgery.
“Personalized medical production is extremely important, but I suppose that modern technologies for monitoring and support of the postoperative period, machine learning and AI for early prevention of complications are very relevant for solving issues in cardiac surgery as well; remote technologies for rehabilitation after heart surgery; home monitoring of implanted pacemakers helps in complex,” Elena Zelikovna explained to the experts.
Corresponding Member of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine Yuri Lopatin continued the round table with the topic discussion in achievements of personalized technologies in oncology.
Deputy Director for IT and Project Management of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre Dmitry Kurapeev presented about the artificial intelligence in personalized medicine; Member of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine Simon Matskeplishvili continued the topic of information technology.
Deputy Director of BARS Group Elvira Gilmanova spoke about BioDataBanks — as the basis of personalized medicine of future.
Director of the Institute of Medical Education of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre Elena Parmon spoke about education in personalized medicine.
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology Natalya Mokrysheva presented the Centre as a provider of medical innovations.
In conclusion, the Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Almazov National Medical Research Centre Anna Kostareva summed up the discussion and presented new gene therapy tactics in personalized medicine.