Polish Genomics Day is behind us!

On May 23rd, an inaugural meeting was held as part of Polish Genomics Day, initiated by Łukasiewicz – PORT. The main goal was to start work on a roadmap for Polish genomics and to discuss Poland’s entry into European genomic initiatives such as 1+MG.

The invited guests, including international speakers, were welcomed on behalf of Dr. hab. Alicja Bachmatiuk, Director of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, by Dr. Michał Malewicz (Director of the Life Science and Biotechnology Center at Łukasiewicz – PORT, head of the National Leading Center for Biobanking).

During the meeting, the following key issues were discussed:

  • The current technological status and development directions of genomics (and related fields such as biobanking) in the EU and Poland,
  • EU programs and genomic policy in Europe,
  • The development of genomics in Poland in the coming years,
  • Joint development of a roadmap for genomics in Poland for the next 10 years.

Łukasiewicz – PORT is the seat of the National Leading Center for Biobanking (KOW), which supports biobanking processes in the country. KOW leads the BBMRI.pl consortium, operating within the pan-European biobank network – BBMRI-ERIC. The field of genomics, which involves analyzing genetic differences in human populations, is closely related both in terms of content and technology to biobanking. For this reason, Łukasiewicz – PORT has undertaken the coordination of genomic activities in the country. Both biobanking and genomics are essential tools for the development of personalized medicine. Although there is much discussion in our country about the need to develop this aspect of medicine, in practice, over the last five years, Poland has not succeeded in joining major European programs such as the 1+Million Genomes initiative (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/pl/news/1million-genomes-initiative-new-roadmap-adopted-scale-and-sustainability-phase). Due to Poland’s absence in these programs, the development and coordination of genomics in the country are significantly hindered. At the meeting, a national genomics working group was established, which will begin work on the Polish genomics roadmap in June 2024 and prepare Poland’s entry into major European genomic initiatives.

Declaration
(173.37 KB , pdf)

Participants adopted a joint declaration, the full text of which can be found here: Representatives from the following institutions participated in the meeting:

  • Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and Charité Digital Health Center,
  • Institute of the Polish Mother’s Health Center in Łódź,
  • Łukasiewicz Research Network PORT – Polish Center for Technology Development in Wrocław,
  • Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań,
  • Piastów Śląskich Medical University in Wrocław,
  • Wroclaw Medical University,
  • Karol Marcinkowski Medical University in Poznań,
  • Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw,
  • University of Łódź,
  • IQVIA,
  • University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden,
  • Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc,
  • Karol Marcinkowski Medical University in Poznań,
  • BioForum Biotech Companies Association,
  • Vaxican Sp. z o.o.,
  • Institute of Civil Affairs,
  • Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
  • CruxBio/GordionBio,
  • Medical University of Białystok,
  • Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań,
  • Genomics Research and Development Institute – Romania,
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific,
  • GENXONE,
  • Jerzy Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków,
  • Institute of Mother and Child Warsaw,
  • University of Oxford,
  • European Commission in Luxembourg,
  • Warsaw University of Technology,
  • THETA Statistical Genetics Group.

The inaugural meeting of Polish Genomics Day was an important step towards creating a roadmap for the development of genomics in Poland and joining European genomic initiatives. The newly established genomics working group is set to start its work in June 2024, aiming to integrate Polish efforts with major European programs and accelerate the development of personalized medicine in the country.