The call for the establishment of Regional Centers for Digital Medicine (RCDM) has been resolved. The Medical Research Agency selected 18 entities that will implement projects supporting the digitalization of clinical research. Nearly PLN 60 million will be allocated to consortia that include the Biobank Research Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT, led by Dr. Patrycja Gazińska. For the Biobank, the two awarded grants mean the development of infrastructure as well as the acceleration of scientific activity within the newly established Center, along with a strategic shift toward translational medicine.
The Medical Research Agency (MRA) is a state institution responsible for the development of research in the fields of medical and health sciences. Its mission is to create innovative digital health infrastructure that contributes to improving the delivery of patient care across the European Union.
The establishment of RCDMs is intended to support safer data analysis, clinical research, and hospital care in the area of digital solutions, as well as retrospective data analysis.
Strength in Consortium Cooperation
The Łukasiewicz – PORT Biobank has received grants for projects that announce an expansion of its activities to include cooperation within clinical research. An invaluable benefit of participation in these projects will also be extensive and close cooperation with consortium leaders—key regional clinical institutions:
The 4th Military Clinical Hospital with Polyclinic SP ZOZ in Wrocław, with which the Biobank will implement the project entitled: Establishment and development of an integrated system for the analysis and management of structured clinical and multi-omics data based on artificial intelligence in civilization diseases.
The University Clinical Hospital in Opole. Project title: University Center for Digital Medicine and Precision Medicine specializing in comprehensive phenotyping of civilization diseases.
– The close cooperation with clinical institutions that we are now beginning will be a milestone in the development of the Biobank Research Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT. The shift toward translational medicine, which by definition transforms scientific theories into real clinical practice, will allow for a better understanding of a patient’s disease and, ultimately, the identification of effective solutions to their problems. That is why I highly value this cooperation and the opportunities offered by the RCDMs – explains Dr. Patrycja Gazińska.
Within the consortia, the Biobank will cooperate not only with hospitals but also with other renowned scientific and research institutions: Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław, the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences – Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center, as well as the University of Opole.
In addition to clinical research, the foundation of cooperation between consortium members will be comprehensive data analysis using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Detailed information about the call is available on the Medical Research Agency website.
