International experts will meet in Riga to promote precision medicine

The two-day event will include in-depth discussions aimed at developing international cooperation in the field of biomedicine, which would contribute to Latvia's economic transformation. Latvia is positioning itself as a country with a mission and a place to develop solutions to global challenges. Precision medicine is a new approach to the treatment and prevention of diseases that takes individuals’ genetic diversity, environment, and lifestyle into account. During the forum, leading experts will discuss the following topics with Latvian experts and representatives of patient organisations:

• cancer genetics and precision oncology,
• functional precision medicine,
• paediatric oncology,
• newborn screenings,
• pharmacogenetics,
• artificial intelligence and big data in precision medicine,
• patient involvement,
• integrating biomedical strategies into precision medicine and improving diagnostics,
• national genomics infrastructure in Scandinavia and the Baltics,
• supply of specialists in medicine in Latvia,
• using health data to advance precision medicine and clinical treatment.

Representatives of the medical technology industry are also invited to attend the forum to showcase the latest innovations in medicine and big data. Healthcare companies are welcome to register for a free place in the exhibition hall.

‘I invite medical start-ups to take this opportunity to present their products to the audience of professionals gathered at the forum. We are among the world leaders in precision medicine and we are able to compete internationally in this field. Besides, there is government support available through the commercialisation of research and other programmes, and this support is already tangible,’ said Kaspars Rožkalns, Director of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.

The forum aims to achieve more effective, science-based treatment methods for children and adults and ensure access to health services (e.g., using the latest medical technologies). This requires collaboration between physicians, researchers, hospital management, patient organisations, healthcare institutions, government officials, health companies, global corporations, and the world's leading hospitals.

The forum is organised by Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), the Children's Hospital Foundation, the Latvian Children's Oncology Foundation, the Children's Clinical University Hospital, the Ministry of Economics, the Ministry of Health, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, and patient organisations – the Latvian Alliance for Rare Diseases, the Latvian Association of Oncology Patient Organisations OncoAlliance, Alliance for Men's Health, and other organisations, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia, the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital. The forum is supported by Novartis, EUSA Pharma, Illumina and Roche.

Registration is free of charge. Physicians, geneticists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, scientists, general practitioners, healthcare support and administrative staff, data scientists, residents, students, patients as well as representatives of government institutions, diplomats, and NGOs are welcome to attend the event on-site. Representatives of patient organisations are also particularly invited.

For more information about the forum programme and speakers, please visit www.pmnetforum.com, as well as Facebook: PMNET - Precision Medicine Networking Forum and LinkedIn: Precision Medicine Networking Forum using hashtags #MissionLatvia #PMNETforum #PMNETforum2023 #PrecisionMedicineNetwork