The Coordinating Action Systems Medicine (CASyM) is funded under the FP7 program of the European Commission for a project duration of November 2012 – October 2016.
What are general and long term goals of the project?
CASyM will assess the basis for a European Systems Medicine paradigm and will assist the medical community in creating the foundation for a new perspective by focusing on an approach based on personalized, predictive, preventive and participatory (4P medicine).
Please state a few more specific objectives of the project.
- Engagement and integration of all relevant stakeholders (join CASyM)
- Identification of areas where a systems approach will address clinical questions and solve clinical problems
- Development of multidisciplinary training concepts for the next generation of medical doctors and scientists
- Assessment of methodological and technological challenges
- Strengthening innovation activities
- Analysis of instruments for the implementation of research programs
- Creating and shaping a sustainable European community of Systems Medicine
Describe the methodology, approach and technologies used.
Broad and cross-disciplinary consultation of experts from all relevant fields. Focused conferences and workshops with guided round table discussion anylysing state-of-the-art topics of Systems Medicine.
How is the project progressing, any results you wish to highlight?
After a two year cross-disciplinary consultation process CASyM published its European implementation strategy (roadmap) for Systems Medicine in November 2014. This roadmap is the result of a broad stakeholder consultation and reviewing process across many disciplines that included clinicians, scientists, funding bodies, Industry/SME as well as regulators and patient organizations with the aim to draft the first strategic implementation plan for a European Systems Medicine. The roadmap identifies four core priority actions and asserts that (i) investment in proof of concept and demonstrator projects is needed to help to precipitate a paradigm shift in the way medicine is practiced. This shift will be supported by (ii) a strong Systems Medicine community, (iii) new multidisciplinary training programmes and (iv) the development of new European-wide practices in clinical data access, sharing and standardisation. These actions are outlined along with ten cross-cutting key areas and specific recommendations over a period of two, five and ten years.
CASyM is not a standalone project and seeks to incorporate and complement the numerous systems initiatives across Europe. By definition, CASyM will be an open network, fostering integration, networking and open communication among all relevant stakeholders and communities. The development of this framework should overcome competitive barriers and produce a European road map for Systems Medicine as concerted project result. CASyM will be the European umbrella concept for Systems Medicine.
Contact
Marc Kirschner
Project Management Jülich (PtJ)
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
52425 Jülich, Germany
Phone: +49 2461 61 6863
E-mail:m.kirschner@fz-juelich.de