Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of various types of cancer; however, the use of this drug is associated with some side effects, such as the risk of developing deafness and tinnitus. The follow-up of these adverse effects involves repeated trips by patients to specialized referral centers, as it requires the use of specific audiological equipment not available in primary care. This difficulty of access to specialized medical services represents an inequality in the level of care between people living in regions with a high population density versus regions with few services, such as rural areas.
Dreamgenics is a member of a consortium formed by eight public and private entities from France, Spain and Portugal that has received funding from the Interreg Sudoe 2021-2027 program to carry out the project entitled "Home monitoring & determination of risk profiles for cisplatin-induced hearing disorders", during the next three years, and which will be led by the ENT department of the University Hospital Center of Montpellier. The other two participating Spanish centers are the HM Hospitales Research Foundation and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute. Dreamgenics' role in the consortium will be to act as a central laboratory, performing whole exome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis for each participating patient. A total of 750 patients are expected to be recruited between the four recruiting centers within two years.
This is the second European project funded by the Interreg Sudoe program in which Dreamgenics participates, after the one developed between 2018 and 2021 for the early diagnosis of childhood hearing loss. For our CEO, Carlos Martínez, "participating in international research projects is a great opportunity to establish new links with other top-level entities that are aligned with some of our objectives, as is the development of Personalized Medicine. In this case, we are pleased to see that the CHU of Montpellier has trusted us again for this new project".
The Interreg Sudoe program
Interreg Sudoe is a European Union funding program to support regional development and cohesion in the regions of southwest Europe, which was created with the aim of addressing the common challenges faced by the Sudoe regions, such as adaptation to climate change, social cohesion and territorial balance. For the period 2021-2027, the Sudoe program has a budget of 125 million euros and projects are co-financed up to 75% through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
