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The China-Europe PerMed project was launched in 2020 to promote cooperation between Europe and China in the field of personalized medicine. As the project is coming to an end, Euractiv interviewed Gianni D’Errico, Director of Project Management Office, Tuscany Life Sciencesdiscussing lessons learned and the way forward.
Euractiv: The Sino-European PerMed project was launched in January 2020 and will end in June 2024. What is the purpose of the project? What goals does it want to achieve? What are the expected results?
Gianni D’Errico: The Sino-European PLMed project aims to promote cooperation between Europe and China in the field of personalized medicine. The project is funded by the Horizon 2020 program and was launched in January 2020.
It has established a unique bi-regional alliance of 6 partners from government, funding and research organizations, supported by key stakeholders as co-partners, to promote collaboration in personalised medicine between Europe and China.
The project is part of the European Commission’s larger efforts to strengthen international cooperation and promote personalized medicine. It aims to involve China in the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine (ICPerMed), an initiative driven by EU Member States, and promote the implementation of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Personalized Medicine.
The main outcomes of the project can be summarized as: a clearer picture of the landscape of personalized medicine research and innovation in China; a better understanding of the main opportunities and barriers in the collaborative development and implementation of personalized medicine; and connections with key stakeholders and initiation of scientific, technical and policy dialogues with them.
In terms of achievements, we specifically mentioned the establishment of personalized medicine patent databases, scientific publications and preprints globally and between China and Europe, which can be accessed free of charge on our Sino-European PerMed website. Project Homepageand the release of two policy documents to further advance personalized medicine.
Euractiv: Personalized medicine is not a new concept, but it has come a long way in recent years thanks to new technologies, research and innovation. How do you think personalized medicine will develop in the next 10 years? How will European citizens benefit directly from it?
Gianni D’Errico: The term “personalized medicine” first appeared in published work in 1999, and since then it has become an umbrella term, often used synonymously with genomic medicine or precision medicine. Since then, it has attracted public and private investments, advanced discoveries, and made more evident its potential benefits to patients, citizens, and society at large.
In the past 20 years, scientific and financial efforts have focused mainly on basic and translational research.
However, over the past five years we have seen a growing interest in the implementation of personalized medicine in healthcare, and I expect this trend to increase dramatically in the coming years.
An important aspect is to establish public-private partnerships to reduce investment risks and create innovative start-ups to bring personalized medicine closer to patients and citizens.
European Activities: Why did you choose China as a partner country for this project? What have you learned from your Chinese counterparts that will be beneficial to Europe’s future?
Gianni D’Errico: Since 2005, China has become the world’s second-largest investor in research and development. In 2016, China announced the launch of its “Precision Medicine” initiative, a 15-year, $9.2 billion plan to revolutionize China’s healthcare system and ensure that China continues to be a leader in personalized medicine.
China’s personalized medicine strategy focuses primarily on genome sequencing approaches and cloud-based genomics.
China’s growing focus on personalized medicine is evidenced by the $312 million U.S. investment in molecular diagnostics between 2000 and 2017, making this sector the fourth largest of all biotech investments in China, with the majority of that related to diagnostic testing services.
The importance of China to the EU and ICPerMed is clear, as is the need to analyse the current level of collaboration and explore ways to strengthen cooperation with Chinese institutions.
China-EU cooperation is another area that can accelerate the improvement of government healthcare quality and promote well-being.
Euractiv: The project is taking place at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between the EU and China. Has this affected your collaboration, or your attempts to strengthen cooperation with your Chinese partners?
Gianni D’Errico: In addition to existing geopolitical tensions, we also had to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the project. In particular, early in the project, we had to work hard to connect with personalized medicine stakeholders in China.
Nevertheless, the project has allowed the resumption of dialogue between European and Chinese scientific communities in the field of personalized medicine, especially in recent years.
These dialogues are important for ensuring equal collaboration, discussing existing regulatory frameworks that hinder collaboration, and developing policy recommendations together with researchers in science and technology and experts in ethics, law and society.
The recommendations have been published in two policy briefs, available on the project website Despite geopolitical tensions, constructive engagement at the scientific level has been fruitful.
Euractiv: The regulatory frameworks in the EU and China can differ significantly, data privacy being one example. Will this be an obstacle to cooperation?
Gianni D’Errico: Indeed, a fundamental barrier (but not the only one) currently holding back collaboration on personalized medicine is existing data protection regulations in the EU and China, and the way these regulations are developed and administered.
For example, in China, health-related data is considered a national priority, while in Europe, health-related data belongs to individuals.
In Europe, the general principles of the General Data Protection Regulation apply together with the forthcoming European Health Data Space Regulation.
In China, over the past few years, a number of laws and regulations have been introduced to regulate data use, building a comprehensive and complex framework. The Data Security Law focuses on national security, public interests and basic data.
The Cybersecurity Law focuses on the security of information infrastructure and facilities, while the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, which came into effect on November 1, 2021, adds another layer of general data regulation.
All in all, these regulations make cooperation between China and Europe difficult.
Euractiv: When a project like this ends, the risk is that the work cannot continue. How confident are you that this project will be a catalyst for long-term cooperation between the EU and China in the field of personalized medicine?
Gianni D’Errico: In parallel with the Central European Personalized Medicine Project, we have also launched the European Partnership for Personalized Medicine (EP PerMed), which brings together 59 partners and will invest nearly 400 million euros in the field of personalized medicine in the coming years.
One of the pillars of the European PerMed project is international cooperation, which includes the results of the Central European PerMed project and will continue.
We will maintain our relationships with Chinese stakeholders through this new initiative and hope to have Chinese policymakers or funding agencies join ICPerMed soon.
(Editing by Brian Maguire | Euractiv Promotional Lab ）
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