The Marche Biobank project co-financed by the Marche Region and by a partnership of Marche Universities and companies successfully celebrated one of the most significant moments recently: the inauguration of the Criobanca Marche Biobank during a major event held in Ancona at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Marche Polytechnic University. The Criobanca represents a fundamental milestone in the field of personalized medicine and collaborative research, opening up new perspectives for scientific progress in the region.
The world of regional research (made up of the three Universities UNIURB, UNIVPM and UNICAM) has in fact worked during the last three years together with the other partner companies (in addition to the lead company Diatheva, Angelini Pharma, Bimind, Diatech Pharmacogenetics, Pharmaprogress are also part of the partnership, Prosopika, Prosilas, Mivell, Recusol, Gluos as well as the Marche Cluster Foundation) to develop an integrated approach for the personalized therapy of rare diseases, tumors with a high medical need with particular reference to acute leukemia and disabling diseases with a high clinical impact, in order to offer patients and healthcare professionals appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The project has also developed nutraceutical approaches aimed at the prevention and management of two chronic diseases affecting an ever-increasing number of individuals: type II diabetes mellitus and osteopenia.
The event brought together a prestigious range of academics, healthcare experts, institutional representatives, patient association representatives and professionals, who participated in a series of interventions and debates aimed at promoting research, innovation and development sustainable in the context of personalized medicine. The regional councilor Francesco Baldelli and the regional councilor Goffredo Brandoni were present. The Regional Councilor for Health and Vice President of the Regional Council Filippo Saltamartini in his greeting underlined the importance of the union of universities, research centers and companies from the Marche region for our region. The Rector of UNIVPM, Gian Luca Gregori, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine of UNIVPM Mauro Silvestrini, and Seyed Khosrow Tayebaty of UNICAM brought their greetings.
Among the speeches of the day, was that of the Councilor for Productive Activities of the Marche Region, Andrea Maria Antonini. Councilor Antonini presented the regional strategy of smart specialization in the field of health products and services, underlining the importance of strengthening the research and innovation capacity in the region and of introducing advanced technologies in the health sector of the Marche region.
Councilor Antonini stated: “The Marche Region, at the instigation of President Acquaroli and the entire council, is strongly betting on this innovative and functional project. In this direction, the general strategy of the organization, which has been committed for some time to strengthening the capacity for research, innovation and optimization of services to citizens through advanced and increasingly intelligent technologies, fits in.
Of course, one of the objectives of this intervention lies precisely in promoting the transfer of technology from research centers directly to companies through virtuous and targeted collaborations with researchers: all by leveraging professional and highly qualified human capital. I therefore hope that the “BioBanca” platform will soon become an absolute point of reference, not only at a local level, but also and above all at a national and European level, thus supporting businesses, university research bodies and voluntary associations in the study of genetic, rare and oncological diseases”.
During the inauguration day, one of the speeches of particular importance was that of Prof. Mauro Magnani, Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Biomolecular Sciences of the University of Urbino and Coordinator of the investment programme.
Prof. Magnani presented the main results obtained from the Marche Biobank collaborative research platform, highlighting the crucial role that the Cryobank plays in patient care and in the development of the territory.
Prof. Magnani declared “Marche Biobank represents a project of extraordinary importance for the Marche Region, as it combines the efforts of research institutions, companies and healthcare professionals in the search for innovative solutions for patient care. The results obtained by the platform are already concrete and oriented towards improving the quality of life of patients, as well as promoting scientific and economic development in the Region”.
Prof. Magnani’s presentation confirmed the strategic importance of Marche Biobank in the panorama of personalized medicine, highlighting how the integration of data and biological samples collected makes it possible to develop therapeutic approaches tailored to patients, thus improving clinical results and quality of care.
Finally, the speech of Prof. Gianluca Moroncini, Professor of Internal Medicine of the Marche Polytechnic University and Director of the Medical Clinic of the Marche University Hospital, Vice President of the Executive Commission of the Marche Biobank project, who declared “the presence in the Marches of a certified Biobank included in the official European circuit of Biobanks raises the specific scientific weight of our Region bringing it to the level of the most developed Italian Regions, and improves the quality and competitiveness of biomedical research in the academic institutions of the Marches by attracting more public and private funding”.
The Criobanca Marche Biobank represents a valuable tool for the conservation and management of biological samples, which will be used to deepen knowledge in the field of personalized medicine, develop new treatments and innovative therapies, as well as foster collaboration at these three universities.
The added value of the Marche Biobank widespread laboratory, in fact, will be to connect the Repository of biological samples and the information system of the Biobank with any electronic medical record of the healthcare company.
The Biobank, which will become operational in the coming months, set up as a non-profit organization and oriented towards diseases, mainly of a rare genetic and oncohaematological nature, based on the University Campus of the Faculty of Medicine of the Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, will be included in a network of biobanks (BBMRI-Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research) in which the major national biobanks participate, in turn connected to networks of European biobanks through the European Consortium for Research Infrastructures BBMRI-ERIC (Biobanking And Biomolecular Resources Research and European Research Infrastructure Consortium) which represents a legal instrument to facilitate the creation and operation of European research infrastructures and between research institutions, companies and healthcare professionals.
The official inauguration of the Criobanca was celebrated with an exciting ceremony, during which the symbolic ribbon was cut, marking the beginning of a new era for medical research and collaboration in the Marche region.
The Marche Biobank collaborative research platform represents a milestone in the scientific landscape of the region, offering ample development opportunities for personalized medicine, drug discovery, advanced diagnostics and innovative therapeutic approaches.
