In mid-January 2022, a scientific symposium entitled “Trends in interdisciplinary biosciences” took place at the Grandhotel Praha in Tatranská Lomnica. This symposium focused on the presentation of the results of three biomedical projects CasProt, BioPickmol and OPENMED funded by the European Commission’s H2020 program and the European Structural and Investment Funds.
The main organizer of the symposium and coordinator of these biomedical projects was Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. Projects, (1) CasProt (Fostering high scientific quality in protein research in Eastern Slovakia); (2) the OPENMED project (Open Scientific Community for Modern Interdisciplinary Research in Medicine); and (3) the BioPickmol project (Development of nanosensor photonic systems for rapid virus detection using methods of controlled evolution of protein platforms: SARS-CoV-2 case), are implemented in collaboration with major domestic and European universities and research institutes: The University of Zurich, Technical University of Munich, Technical University of Košice, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Institute of Neurobiology, Biomedical Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, as well as partners from the industrial sector (SAFTRA Photonics, Ltd.; JUHAPHARM, Ltd.; MM Medical, Ltd., AUSYS, Ltd). “This is an important connection and mutual cooperation of the academic environment with the private sector, which can result in long-term cooperation, and thus contribute to the sustainable development of research activities in the region of eastern Slovakia with an overlap in application practice,” said the project leader, Assoc. Prof. Daniel Jancura, PhD.
During the symposium, the speakers presented the results and outputs of individual projects obtained, specifically in the areas of personalized medicine, regenerative medicine and cell therapy, nanomedicine and targeted therapy, in vitro protein evolution and technology transfer. The general public had the opportunity to watch individual lectures via live stream and, if interested, to contribute to the discussion with their questions. The main goal of the presented biomedical projects, which focus on long-term problems and challenges resonating in society, as well as the current pandemic situation, is to help in the treatment of serious diseases of civilization and thus contribute to creating conditions to improve the lifestyle and overall health of society.
Thanks to these projects, Slovak science can move forward and make significant progress together with the private industry creating suitable conditions for full participation in the European research and scientific application area.
