Sofia is hosting the First Balkan Conference on Personalized Medicine, organized by the Bulgarian Alliance for Precision and Personalized Medicine (BAPPM). It marks the beginning of the construction of a Balkan network for personalized medicine. In the process of creating the network, BAPPM will play a leading role, supported by the European Alliance for Personalized Medicine (EAPM). This was announced at a press conference today on the occasion of the two-day forum by EAPM executive director Denis Horgan. The goal of the network will be for specialists from all countries of the Balkans to exchange good practices and experience in the field of personalized medicine and to work together to integrate innovations in the healthcare systems of the region.

"The European Alliance for Personalized Medicine is extremely happy to support the Bulgarian Alliance for Personalized and Precision Medicine, as well as to introduce the network, provide support and help shape the Balkan Network", said Horgan.

Horgan presented the trends, challenges and opportunities for the development of personalized medicine in Europe, noting that with the upcoming presidency of the European Union (EU), our country has the opportunity to work for the integration of innovations in the healthcare system. In this regard, BAPPM will work with its partners in Romania and Austria, who are taking over the presidency of the EU after Bulgaria. A key moment in their common activity will be the issue of early diagnosis of oncological diseases and, in particular, screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer.

“In the field of personalized medicine, there is a lot of development, a lot of innovation, a lot of development. Big changes are coming in medicine. The big question is how to bring these innovations into healthcare," commented Horgan.

The first Balkan conference on personalized medicine is organized by BAPPM and will be held on 26-27.10.2017 at the Best Western Expo Hotel (Tsarigradsko shose Blvd. No. 149). The official opening of the event will be on October 27 at 09:00 a.m. The partners of the forum are the European Alliance for Personalized Medicine (EAPM), the Center for Innovation in Medicine, the Romanian Alliance for Personalized Medicine, the Bulgarian Medical Union, the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union and the Medical University – Pleven. The conference will be the first scientific and practical forum of its kind in the Balkan region for the presentation of scientific developments and projects, new products, approaches, methodologies and concepts in the field of precision and personalized medicine - diagnostics and therapy.

During the forum, the latest trends in the development of personalized medicine in Europe and the Balkan region will be discussed, with a focus on Bulgaria and Romania, the challenges to its application in clinical practice and proposed solutions to overcome them. The latest achievements in therapeutic areas already established in the application of precision diagnostics and personalized medicine, such as oncology and hematology, will also be presented, but the door will also be opened to lesser-known areas such as allergology and psychiatry. Along with established specialists, young scientists will also present their developments in the poster session of the conference, which is a very optimistic sign for the continuity and motivation of young specialists.

Source- RedMedia