Madrid, 16th February 2017– Maximizing the potential offered by big amounts of information within the healthcare sector, while fostering the evolution of healthcare systems towards value and healthcare outcomes based models. The latter are the two main objectives of the IMI Big Data for Better Outcomes (BD4BO), of which Farmaindustria is a member alongside pharmaceutical companies, patients’ associations and public institutions.

This program is already being developed in four specific diseases (Alzheimers hematological malignancy, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular diseases), in which research teams participating are able to use Big Data to integrate information which allow to meet the most pressing needs arising from these conditions, developing more efficient treatments while facilitating decision making processes.

The Spanish Trade Association, specifically, is involved in the Support and Coordination Actions (CSA in its English Acronyms) of this project, which is in charge of coordinating the development of these four programs, supporting research teams, guaranteeing the quality of their results and disseminating the results.

Harmony Project

These projects in the field of innovation in Big Data will be leading the topics in the X upcoming Biomedical Research Platforms Conference, organized by Farmaindustria in Madrid on March 7th and 8th, in cooperation with Fenin, Asebio, and Nanomed, where registration is still open using this link. Jesús Mª Hernández, research and hematologist in the Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, will explain on the morning of the 7th, the main aspects of the Harmony Project, the initiative tackling hematologic malignancies included in the IMI Big Data for Better Outcomes (BD4BO), which Farmaindustria supports through CSA. Within the context of Harmony, researchers are will attempt to create a European map of these tumors, which rank in fifth position in terms of frequency, and third in death rates.

In addition, on Tuesday evening, Ferrán Sanz, Director of the research program in biomedical IT at the Research Institute of the Hospital del Mar (IMIM) in Barcelona, and co-chair of the Platform For Innovative Medicines, will moderate a round table entitled “Massive data analysis and reuse of data in biomedical research: specific experiences”, in which representatives from the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), Galicia’s Health Service, Madrid’s Hospital de la Princesa, alongside the pharmaceutical companies Lilly and Siemens, who will offer information about different initiatives in this field.

The Platforms Conference will also deal with other matters of interest in the field of biomedical research, such as the assessment of the first year and the validity of the review of the first year of enforcement of the Clinical Trials Royal Decree and the readiness of Spain with regards to the new European Regulation in this field, the latest results of the Farma-Biotech program, or the creation of new research networks for public-private cooperation.

The meeting will be held at the Avenida de América Hotel, in Madrid, on March 7th and 8th. The draft program and the registration form for the Conference are available both on Farmaindustria’s website and on the Spanish Technology Platform for Innovative Medicines website.