“Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine”: The Coordination and Support Action to Foster Collaboration in Personalized Medicine Development between Europe and China

Abstract

“Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine” (IC2PerMed) is a coordination and support action funded within the Horizon 2020 work program. Following the guidance of the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine (ICPerMed), the project’s overarching aim is to align the European Union and China’s research agendas in the field of personalized medicine (PM) to enable a swift development of PM approaches in the EU with strong leverage upon EU-Chinese collaboration. Living in the CO­VID-19 era, we are witnessing how the challenges imposed by the pandemic all around the globe have been acting as a catalyst for collaborations and knowledge sharing among national health systems worldwide. Given the strong interest on behalf of both Europe and China in the advancement of PM approaches, now more than ever, a cross-border collaboration between the 2 powers can accelerate the effective translation of such innovation to healthcare systems, advance research, and ensure that such change follows the directions toward the path of sustainability. IC2PerMed developments will be led by European and Chinese experts equally assembled into 3 Working Groups: (1) people and organization, (2) innovation and market, and (3) research and clinical studies in PM. This complex and dynamic network of actions thrives on dialog, cooperation, and alignment of research at national and global levels; work in the direction taken by IC2PerMed shall pave the way toward the realization of PM’s full potential, prevent it from becoming a burden for healthcare systems, and, rather, prove that it provides an essential and irreplaceable contribution to their effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.

Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine: a position paper on innovation and digitalization in Personalized Medicine

“…The choice of subjects addressed in the workshops is derived from an examination of the primary priorities outlined in the 'ICPerMed Vision for 2030,' in conjunction with the most significant findings from a comprehensive mapping exercise pertaining to PM policies and initiatives in both Europe and China. The extensive details of the mapping outcomes can be found in the project public deliverables, which are accessible on the IC2PerMed website, and related scientific papers [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]. This manuscript presets the outcomes of one specific workshop, which delved into the essential guiding inquiries pertaining to the utilization of Big Data and ICT solutions for PM and the facilitation of innovation within the market to advance PM in both the European Union (EU) and China.…”

“…The Consortium aims at developing financing initiatives and support measures, including the launch and funding of the initiative "Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine" (IC2PerMed). IC2PerMed is seeking to address all the above-mentioned issues by enabling the development of a shared strategy for PM research, innovation, development, and application between the EU and China [ 6 , 7 ]. These efforts were coupled with the growing attention paid by China to digital health and innovation.…”

Using ncRNAs as Tools in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment—The Way towards Personalized Medicine to Improve Patients’ Health

“…Such dynamics may entail considerable benefits for healthcare spending as well, since less money would be wasted on trials and ineffective treatments. For 2022, the EU plans to take further steps to harness the potential of new developing technologies such as AI, big data, and genomics through a European Cancer Imaging Initiative aimed at fostering the application of new computer-aided tools in order to improve the field of personalized medicine and provide innovative solutions [ 339 , 340 ]. In addition, the new Partnership on Personalized Medicine is scheduled to be launched in 2023 through funding provided by Horizon Europe, the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation, which can tap into a budget of €95.5 billion.…”

A survey of experts on personalized medicine landscape in European Union and China

“…With PM already being placed on the highest political agendas both in the EU and China, great potential lies in the harmonization and standardization of cross-border data sharing and transfer processes, hence collaborations are an important part of the response to the urgent need for international cooperation in PM development, implementation and promotion. In this regard, the EC has funded the project “Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine” (IC2PerMed), which aims to provide key solutions for enabling the convergence towards a common approach towards PM’s uptake [ 10 ]. Within this project, we conducted an online expert survey aimed at identifying policies, programs, initiatives and stakeholders, linked to the development and implementation of PM in the EU and China, and ease opportunities for Sino-European research collaborations.…”