The María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, true to its commitment to excellence, scientific research and the promotion of knowledge, has entered into a new agreement with the Institute of Oncology and Molecular Medicine of Asturias (IMOMA), with the aim of promoting the translation of Precision Medicine into clinical practice. This revolutionary way of understanding medicine, which is based on the spectacular progress made in recent years in the field of genetics, is the greatest exponent of personalised, predictive and preventive medicine, and its ultimate goal is to promote the health of individuals and populations. This agreement has been signed by the President of the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, Fernando Masaveu and the Managing Director of IMOMA, Oliver Frey.
This new agreement, which will have a 3-year duration, gives continuity to seven years of successful collaboration between both institutions, during which they have published over thirty scientific and medical articles in the most prestigious journals and they have launched three pioneering diagnostic services, both on a national and international level, based on new generation genome sequencing: ONCOgenics (personalisation of cancer treatment and diagnosis of family predisposition to cancer), OTOgenics (genetic diagnosis of deafness) and OPHTHALMOgenics (genetic diagnosis of blindness).
The development phase of these innovative services, financed by the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, has made it possible to uncover the genetic cause of blindness and/or deafness in dozens of individuals, along with identifying the molecular alteration responsible for the diagnosis of several cases of cancer in multiple families. This information has made it possible for such patients and their families, referred from various regional and national hospitals, to understand the reasons behind their illness, to prevent the development of complications associated to said illness and to access pioneering prevention and treatment measures, adapted to their unique needs. As a result of this research, IMOMA has become a national leader in clinical genomics.
Within the context of the new agreement, the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation and IMOMA continue to invest in the development of Precision Medicine, translating the most recent scientific and technological advances into medical practice. The objectives of the new agreement are as follows: (1) the discovery of new genetic causes for blindness and deafness; (2) to improve the so-called liquid biopsy to personalise cancer treatment and monitoring of the response based on the patient’s blood; and (3) to ensure better knowledge of the effects of radiotherapy treatment on a genomic level.
About IMOMA
The Institute of Oncology and Molecular Medicine of Asturias (IMOMA) was formed in spring 2008, as a private initiative between the Masaveu Corporation, Cajastur and Medicina Asturiana to fight against cancer, in order to provide patients with this illness with the best available tools to prevent and combat it.
Its activities are based on three cornerstones: coordinated, updated and personalised patient care; integrating breakthroughs in molecular biology in clinical protocols; and commitment to next generation radiotherapy.
