After cardiovascular diseases, cancer is the second leading cause of death and morbidity in European countries and is one of the most significant health challenges worldwide. An EU-funded project is developing new tools for diagnosing cancer and for understanding the role of proteins in this and other major diseases.

The European Commission's Scientific Panel for Health (SPH) is a science-led expert group based on the provisions of the Horizon 2020 Specific Programme, which is tasked with helping to achieve better health and wellbeing for all.

The Panel’s main roles are to provide foresight and overall vision and strategy, as well as, to identify bottlenecks to innovation and propose solutions in the area of health and biomedical research.

Based on interactions with stakeholders during conferences and workshops, the Scientific Panel for Health set out a vision for the future of health and biomedical research in two consensus documents: ‘Better Research for Better Health’ in 2016, and a proposal ‘Building the Future of Health Research’ in 2018.

Both documents are available through the SPH website.

From further stakeholders’ consultation important topics were identified that will be the focus of the next forum to be organized with the European Commission on May 6, 2019 in Brussels: ‘Enabling health equality in Europe – the role of health research’.

The forum explores the current situation, barriers in participation and engagement with health research, and ways forward.

The SPH wishes to build an ambitious future for health research in Europe.

The forum with the European Commission is an opportunity to participate in the debate to which you are warmly invited.

For more information, please contact the SPH secretariat at SPH@p-95.com

An EU-funded project is developing software, based on artificial intelligence, that enables robots to more effectively interact with autistic children in human-led therapy sessions, helping to improve their social and communication skills.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is directly linked to sanitary conditions and the population’s general state of health: the better the sanitation, the lower the problem of AMR.

European science is missing out on talent as leadership positions remain predominantly occupied by men. To challenge this gender imbalance, an EU-funded project is helping research institutes support female staff in their research career and encouraging work-life balance.

An EU and industry-funded project has developed new patient-centred tools and approaches to help people with chronic obstructive respiratory disease (CODP) get more personalised treatments - a means to boost their activity levels, health and well-being.

This year’s event is entitled "Forward as one: Healthcare Innovation and the need for policymaker engagement", and will be held in association with the Romanian Presidency of the European Union, which runs until the end of June.

More than ever before, in this crucially important year, the EAPM Conference will allow for a bridge to national representatives is order to further build on the developments that the Alliance has helped to architect in various policy areas.

It is the ideal one-stop shop, as stakeholders from every discipline and every Member State come together to forge the way ahead.

Key topics to be discussed in Brussels will include:

• Personalised Medicine and the Innovation Agenda: An Integrated Approach • Technology Developments • Hematology • Personalised Treatments and Personalised Prevention • Pharmaceutical/Diagnostics • The Regulatory Framework (Part I) • Pharmaceutical/Diagnostics • The Regulatory Framework (Part II) • Political Will and Institutional Support

Long-term vision, high-level endorsement and participation, and tailored forms of international scientific collaboration are key to overcoming widespread fragmentation and improving service quality 'and' health outcomes in Latin America. This is the overriding conclusion of an international research team backed by the European Union.

Peptidomimetics are small molecules that mimic short natural proteins - peptides - and produce the same effects as their natural counterparts. An EU-funded project is developing peptidomimetics that can alternate between biologically active and inactive forms when exposed to light. The technique could lead to new light-controlled drugs which can be turned off and on when needed to treat cancers and other diseases.

An EU-funded project has developed new approaches to tackling chronic inflammatory diseases. These will be used to create precise and individualised treatment options, potentially leading to faster diagnosis, more effective treatments and even cures.

EU-funded researchers have demonstrated huge potential for treating aggressive brain cancer using actively personalised immunotherapy in a first first-stage clinical trial to test the vaccine's safety.

EU-funded researchers are close to developing a cure for Crigler-Najjar syndrome, an extremely rare, life-threatening liver disease. The groundbreaking research, currently being validated in clinical trials, could also pave the way for the treatment of other genetic disorders.

EU-funded researchers are developing pioneering tools and techniques that will enable scientists to view chromosomes in unprecedented detail, greatly advancing research into life-saving treatments for cancer and cures for many genetic disorders.

Cell-replacement therapies, including stem cell transplant, give hope to patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. An EU-funded project aims to improve the outcome of such therapies, using magnetic manipulation of cells at the site of transplantation.

Clean water is a human right and a major contributor to sustainable development. But large parts of Africa still have very poor access to it. That needs to change and an EU-backed international consortium is working on clean water technology programmes targeting sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable, locally-adapted solutions to this complex challenge are the key.

A number of cutting-edge neuroscience methods have tremendous potential to help patients suffering from disorders of the nervous system. An EU-funded project is working to facilitate collaborative research, with the aim of better understanding cognitive impairments and improving patient outcomes.

An EU-funded project is building on the development of an upper-limb prosthesis controlled by the nervous system, which restores amputees' natural sensations and intuitive limb control. The aim is to create and market a similar solution for people who have lost lower limbs.

An EU-funded project to develop a super-resolution microscope platform capable of visualising DNA, mRNA and proteins in living cells could advance regenerative medicine, potentially leading to breakthroughs in replacing or restoring diseased or malfunctioning human cells, tissues or organs.

Vojtěch Adam is a recognized scientist in the field chemistry and biochemistry and he is an expert in the application of advanced materials in the biology. He particularly deals with metallothioneins, proteins with the ability to bind metals, with unique structure rich in cysteines.

He and his research team believe that these proteins are one of the key factors in preventing the emergence of resistance to cancer treatment with metal-based medicines. Confirmation of this fact could contribute to the more effective treatment of cancer in the future.

Prof Adam is the Vice-rector of the Mendel University in Brno and researcher at the CEITEC Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic. He holds ERC Starting Grant "Towards the Understanding a Metal-Tumour-Metabolismna" since 1 January 2018.

Science Café is a forum for discussion of current work and interesting scientific issues. It aims to be informal and accessible. Anyone can participate; speaker is there to be questioned and to talk about his work.

With the support of Russia's Almazov Medical Research Centre, the EU-funded SyStemAge project studied the molecular mechanisms of ageing in adult stem cells, the results of which indicate that the intervention of metabolic pathways could correct age-related alterations and diseases.