Kazakhstani researchers, Oxford to start joint Global Healthspan Extension Initiative project

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Today, National Laboratory Astana at Nazarbayev University hosted the III International Scientific Conference "Personalized Medicine and Global Health." Well-known researchers of leading universities and centers of near and far abroad, representatives of the state and commercial organizations of education and public health of Kazakhstan attended this year's conference, Kazinform has learnt from the press service of the National Laboratory Astana at Nazarbayev University. 

Among guests and speakers of the conference were Richard Barker, professor and founder of the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovations (CASMI) of the University of Oxford, Avi Roy, president of the British Foundation for Biogerontology Research (BGRF), Valery Benberin, Head of the Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan, Ilya Stambler, representative of the International Association for Aging (IAD, Israel), Almaz Sharman, President of the Academy of Preventive Medicine, Adesida Ilesanni, provost, Nazarbayev University and others.

The purpose of the conference was to develop the international cooperation in the joint innovative research and breakthrough scientific developments in the field of advanced multi-mode biomedicine technologies and to discuss the prospects for creating innovative products based on them to preserve and improve the health of the population of Kazakhstan. Participants discussed the possibilities and problems of genomics in general, bioinformatics and the application of new technologies in practice.

According to Zhaxybay Zhumadilov, Director General, National Laboratory Astana, personalized medicine in general will improve medical care, increase its safety and profitability.

"Personalized medicine is based on the peculiarities of the genetic profile of a particular patient and allows to predict the occurrence of diseases, conducting timely prevention and assuming the active solidary participation of the patient. When a team of specialists, including doctors, bioinformatics, IT specialists, biologists, geneticists, use information about the human genome, molecular markers of specific diseases when targeting therapy, the effect of treatment increases dramatic. We very much hope that the implementation of such approaches in the long term will contribute to significant cost savings, but at the first stage of the introduction of personalized medicine, the health care costs will significantly increase due to the introduction of new high cellular and gene technologies, which is the main barrier for its full implementation," noted Zhaxybay Zhumadilov.

Within the framework of the conference Richard Barker, Avi Roy, Ilya Stambler and NLA scientists held an official press briefing, where they told about joint participation in the Global Healthspan Extension Initiative project that aims to strengthen the foundations for quality longevity. This project is aimed at the implementation of innovative technologies to expand the boundaries of healthy productive longevity of the population.

To date, the Global Healthspan Extension Initiative has already attracted interest from a number of biotechnology companies from the U.S, the UK, Norway, Sweden, France and Germany, which are considering prospects for cooperation in the field of research on quality longevity.