Project

The main aim of UdA in this project is to support biomedical research in the field of telemedicine and further investigate the correlation between the environment and chronic diseases. More in detail, the main objective of this Spoke is to customize prevention, prediction, diagnosis, and treatments as much as possible by strengthening the "one-Health" concept based on the link between health and environment, and on the patient-centredness and personalized/precision medicine using digital tools and telemedicine to improve the management of patients at a distance. A paradigm shift is proposed in our conceptualization of chronic non-transmissible diseases. To resolve the current therapeutic impasse, we argue that the reductionist approach that has dominated the handling of these conditions should be abandoned. With the present proposal, we encourage a better understanding of individual-specific disease trajectories set in motion by the converging failure of health-controlling systems and networks of any given patient. Moreover, the observation and measurement of environmental factors will be integrated, including climate change parameters, and the behavioral conditions not only at the medical level.

The main research activities of the project are the following:

  1. Biomarkers and diagnostic imaging to predict the onset of oncological, cardiovascular, dysmetabolic, neurological or age-related diseases through a transdisciplinary approach across basic science, translational and clinical research, technology transfer with all public and private stakeholders and with the integration of knowledge of biomedical, engineering, physical-environmental, economic and social sciences.
  2. A multidisciplinary approach for telemedicine through the creation of a remote monitoring platform for patients with acute or chronic diseases including the acquisition of vital parameters, environmental and behavioral features, including physical activity habits. All parameters will be acquired continuously and for a wide audience of subjects generating big data managed by a centralized software system and supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This will allow point-of-care testing and treatment through the use of extended reality.
  3. Personalised regenerative therapy of cells and tissues that uses new technologies (such as nanomedicine, advanced biomaterials, robotic, organoids and lab-on-chip) for cell isolation and manipulation with the aim of validating new solutions and treatments in the medical and dentistry field to reduce pre-clinical experimentation on animals. The research lines include the use of human stem cells from the periodontal ligament, adipose tissue and fetal-annexes, as well as induced pluripotent stem cells from patients in combination with nanomedicine, medical devices and/or biomaterials for tissue regeneration and toxicological modelling of environmental pollutants (“One health” approach)

Expected impact of the project:

Reduction of the hospital admissions, with savings for health funds, but also indirectly in terms of new patents for new software, new sensors and new techniques in remote care that will strengthen the position of the PMI and large enterprises involved in the project. Improvement of quality of life of patients, also in relation to progressive aging of the population and access to assistance in remote areas; reduction of therapies, costs for medicines. Reduction of young graduates who emigrated to find employment; increase in the employment rate; helping the creation of job opportunities.