In the field of personalised medicine, international cooperation has tradition. PM dedicated European projects (also called “ICPerMed Family” projects) have initiated collaboration on international level with Latin-American Countries (EULAC PerMed), China (SINO-EU PerMed, IC2PerMed) and Africa (EU-Africa PerMed). EP PerMed will build upon these established links in order to continue the fruitful collaboration.
Cooperation with Africa
The 4-year EU-Africa PerMed project started on 1 February 2021 with the overall aim of integrating African countries into ICPerMed activities, thus contributing to a successful implementation of Personalised Medicine (PM) in the global context. It fosters joint projects and programmes between Europe and Africaregarding personalised medicine, as well as strengthening bilateral EU-AU science, technology and innovation relations in the area of health.
EU-Africa PerMed is working towards fostering a stronger global collaboration in PM through the umbrella of ICPerMed, and by this, to better tackle global health challenges such as infectious diseases and future pandemics as well as the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Dakar Declaration on Europe- Africa collaboration in Personalised Medicine
The project has launched the Dakar Declaration on Europe- Africa collaboration in Personalised Medicine. This declaration emphasizes the critical role of Personalised Medicine in improving healthcare outcomes for various diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases, diabetes, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health. The declaration highlights the importance of supporting research, fostering regional collaborations, and promoting technological innovations. It underscores the necessity for active communication and capacity building to ensure the effective implementation of Personalised Medicine, benefiting both European and African populations through enhanced prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.
Cooperation with China
Sino-EU PerMed
The Sino-EU PerMed project started in January 2020. The project received a two million euro grant from the European Framework Programme Horizon 2020 and aimed to foster cooperation between Europe and China in the field of personalised medicine.
The project consortium consisted of six research and research management organisations in Europe and China, namely the German Aerospace Center – Project Management Agency (coordinator), Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Innovation Fund Denmark, Health Research Board Ireland, Jiangsu International Technology Transfer Center and Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health.
The European partners were actively involved in ICPerMed, related initiatives and activities as well as EP PerMed. Therefore, one of the objectives of this project was to promote cooperation between Chinese health organisations and ICPerMed and to identify areas of mutual interest.
One aspect of the Sino-EU PerMed project was to analyse publications and patents related to personalised medicine in Europe and China. This analysis led to the development of an interactive database. In addition, two policy briefs were produced based on discussions with our task forces, workshops and delegation visits. One of these briefs focuses on science and technology cooperation, while the other focuses on ethical, legal and societal aspects of personalised medicine cooperation between Europe and China.
Ethical, Legal, and Social Aspects (ELSA)
The cooperation between Europe and China in personalised medicine has the potential to significantly advance patient care and healthcare outcomes. However, several ethical, legal, and social challenges must be addressed to ensure the responsible and ethical implementation of personalised medicine practices.
This policy brief provides an overview of the key ethical, legal, and social aspects that need to be considered in the cooperation between Europe and China in personalised medicine. It also gives recommendations to ensure that personalised medicine benefits patients, healthcare providers, and society as a whole.
science & Technology
In recent years, both Europe and China have made significant investments in personalised medicine research and development, making them key players in driving innovation in this field.
This policy brief explores the potential for cooperation between Europe and China in advancing personalised medicine. It examines the current state of personalised medicine R&D in both regions, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. In addition, the brief outlines the benefits of increased collaboration between Europe and China in personalised medicine. It also identifies key challenges and barriers to collaboration.
Finally, the policy brief provides recommendations for policy makers and researchers on how to enhance cooperation between Europe and China in the field of personalised medicine.
IC2PerMed
The ‘Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine (IC2PerMed)‘ project (January 2020 – December 2023) aimed to support EU-China collaboration over the developments of personalised medicine research, innovations and policies through ICPerMed, providing people with access to personalised, smart and inclusive healthcare solutions in the near future.
Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbian region
The EULAC PerMed project (January 2019 – December 2022) aimed to integrate countries from the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region in ICPerMed and the ERA ERAPerMed, as a means to widen the international scope of PM R&I related policies, increasing and encouraging a worldwide implementation of personalised medicine approaches across the whole healthcare value chain.
Clinical Trials Regulatory and Funding Information
One of the activities of the EU-LAC PerMed project was the Virtual Helpdesk for clinical trials regulatory and funding information. It aimed to provide information on regulatory and funding agencies regarding clinical trials in Latin America and Europe, and to facilitate the establishment of partnerships in clinical trials on personalised medicine across countries and regions.