Professor Jan-Ingvar Jönsson of the Swedish Research Council and Chairman of NOS-M, says: “There is a need for a joint Nordic funding initiative for research in personalised medicine. The focus should be on the utilisation of health data from registers and biobanks or other health data resources, including omics data in research. These areas in which the Nordic countries are strong but where mutual efforts would be beneficial,” and adds:
“There is also a need for joint Nordic efforts and competence networks in rare diseases and cancer. NOS-M could play an important role in funding strategic Nordic network activities in such areas.”
Nordic potential in personalised medicine
In the NOS-M white paper from 2014, personalised medicine was identified as one of the areas where cooperation can enable the Nordic countries to become leaders. The theme was explored further in a workshop organised by NOS-M in Stockholm in November 2016. Some of the findings from the workshop were that personalised medicine may lead to major improvements in health care, but policy directives need to be aligned at a Nordic level.
The workshop in Stockholm was followed up by a mapping exercise focusing on personalised medicine strategies and initiatives within the Nordic countries as well as some of the major international initiatives.
Read the full report on Personalised Medicine from the NOS-M Committee here.
