Almazov Federal Heart, Blood and Endocrinology Centre
International Collaboration

     Almazov Federal Centre realizes cooperative scientific projects and educational programmes with such medical institutions as:

• Karolinska Institute (Sweden): carrying out cooperative work in the project dedicated to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction; specialists education in the field of oncohematology and cytogenetics; clinical specialists exchange in endovascular surgery and interventional cardiology profiles;
   
• Yale University (USA): collaboration in the field of specialist training in cardiovascular surgery and interventional surgery profiles;
   
• University of Strasbourg (France): educational and scientific collaboration with the aim of further development of heart and lung transplantation, large-scale implementationof organ transplantation into healthcare practice;
   
• German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIFE) (Germany): carrying out cooperative scientific work in the field of metabolic syndrome forecast and prevention methods in Germany and Russia within the framework of joint project «PREGERUS» - Prediction and Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome in Germany and Russia;
   
• Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (Greehey CCRI) (USA): carrying out cooperative scientific work in the field of molecular and physiology DNA damage markers study in cells of hemoblastosis patients;
   
• University of Heidelberg (Germany): carrying out joint research work in the field of chronic myelogenous leukemia treatment in the context of cooperative project “European Treatment and Outcome Study for CML”;
   
• University of Innsbruck (Austria): carrying out comparative study of hospital departments in St. Petersburg and Innsbruck for diagnosis, treatment and prevention modernization of nosocomial  mycotic infections;
   
• University of Ferrara (Italy); 
• University of Iowa (USA);
• University of Oslo (Norway);
• European Homograft Bank (Belgium):  collaboration in the filed of academic and cultural exchange, educational and research activity including organization of cooperative researches in hematology, cardiology, oncology and other fields; educational activity, nursing staff training; results publication of joint researches, advancement of cultural and social educational programmes, information exchange in educational field.

     Joint project SICA-HF holds a special place in Almazov Federal Centre international collaboration as it runs together with partners from Europe and Russia within the FTP “R&D in priority fields of the S&T complex of Russia 2007–2012”. The project is funded by the EC under the 7th Framework Programme. The project theme is: “Study of Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Diseases Related to Diabetes and Overweight”.

     In 2008 Almazov Federal Centre first among Russian medical institutions was awarded «ESH Hypertension Excellence Centre» status by European Society of Hypertension.

     In 2009 Almazov Federal Centre director, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Prof. Eugene V. Shlyakhto and Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics director, Dr. A.A. Kostareva were elected Fellows of European Society of Cardiology.

 

The Most Important Events of Almazov Federal Centre with
the Participation of Foreign Specialists in 2010:

     International collaboration is inconvincible without continuous experience exchange and carrying out of cooperative international events. Supporting this principle Almazov Federal Centreannually runs complex of events with foreign specialists’ participation like cooperative research laboratories, master-classes, workshops, conferences and symposiums.

     On 20-22 May 2010 on the basis of the Centre IV Annual All-Russian conference with international participation «High Technology Methods of Heart, Blood and Endocrinological Diseases Diagnostics and Treatment» was held with the emphasis on an international session “Currant Issues of Organ and Tissue Transplantation” where the leading professors from medical faculty and clinic of University of Strasbourg like G. Massard, E. Epailly, J.-P. Mazzucotelli, J.-C. Thiranos and specialists from other regions of the Russian Federation took part. Colleagues from Germany, Sweden, USA, Italy and Finland also participated in the work of the conference.

     Later on 31 May – 2 June 2010 another International conference "Premature birth" took place in Almazov Federal Centre. To discuss questions of obstetrics, gynecology, perinatology and neonatology the following specialists came: Frank Chervenak (USA), Kypros Nicolaides (England), Aris Antsaklis (Greece), Luis Cabero (Spain), Asim Kurjak (Croatia), Giovanni Monni (Italy), Manuel Carrapato (Portugal). Within the conference a teleconference with Great Britain was organized.

     On 3-4 June 2010 on the basis of Almazov Federal Centrea symposium «Highlights in Cardiology» was held with the participation of cardiology group from research institutions in Istanbul (Turkey) headed by the president of Turkish Society of Atherosclerosis Prof. Vedat Sansoy and Prof. Geray Kabakci. Symposium was held to introduce foreign colleagues with Almazov Federal Centre capabilities and develop international practical relations in the sphere of arterial hypertension, definition and assessment of vascular rigidity, sleep-disordered breathing.

     On 23 June 2010 a practical course “How to Run a Research Lab” took place in the Centre. Organizers and lectors of the course were the leading specialists from Karolinska Institute in the field of inner medicine, endocrinology and pediatrics – Prof. Olle Soder (Woman and Child Health Department head) and Prof. Ann-Сristin Eklof. The purpose of the course was to expand knowledge about the main organization and functioning principles of scientific laboratory as well as assessment principles of researches, sources and ways of financing, recruitment, organization of experimental work and work with animals

     Significant attention was paid to the Anniversary Conference with international participation «From Basic Research to Innovative Medical Technologies». The conference was held on 16-17September 2010 and was devoted to the 30^th jubilee of the Centre. By this time carrying out congresses and conferences became a fine tradition of the Centre and let strengthen international collaboration. Within the conference distinguished Russian scientists as well as the representatives of science of the USA (Michael Orlov, Brian Olshansky),  France (Ives Lambert), Austria (Hanspeter Fisher), Sweden (Gunnar Sjoberg, Goran Hansson), Norway (Jarle Vaage, Guro Valen), the Netherlands (Tamas Szili-Torok), Germany (Dierk Thomas, Alexander Berkowitsch, Thomas Meinertz), Check Republic (Richard Česka), Greece (Panagiotis Vardas), India (Pritiranjan Bhandari) and Japan (Aleksandr Savchenko) delivered interesting reports, presentations and researches.  

     In the context of the conference Russian-Swedish symposium “Modern Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome” was held under the chairmanship of Swedish colleagues – Prof. G. Hansson and Prof. J. Vaage. The symposium timed to coincide with 10-year collaboration between the Centre and Karolinska Institute.

     On 3-4 October 2010 in Almazov Federal Centre the 2^nd PGB meeting between SICA-HF  (Studies Investigating Comorbidities Aggravating Heart Failure) and 7th Framework Programme was held.

     Within the meeting IV International conference “Russia and EU: Collaboration in Healthcare” was held.The organizers were the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation, EC, faculty of basic medicine in Moscow State University and Almazov Federal Centre. Russian and European participants of SICA-HF presented the operational results on the conference.

     On 7 October 2010 in Almazov Federal Centre a lecture “Lipoprotein-associated Phospholipase A 2 (Lp-PLA 2) A Marker of Risk for Coronary Events and Strokes” was held by Prof. Anton Jansen (USA). The lecture was organized for young specialists and cardiologists. At the moment a question of cooperative scientific research realization in the stated sphere is under consideration.

      On 25-27 October 2010 the 2^nd Workshop Almazov Centre (St. Petersburg) – DIfE (Potsdam) «Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Cardiometabolic Phenotyping in Cohort Studies» was held between Almazov Federal Centre and German Institute of Human Nutrition. In the course of the meeting obesity and metabolic syndrome issues were discussed, including subjects of nutrition, physical activity and stress assessment were covered.Besides, German colleagues, participants from Orenburg, Penza, Kursk, and Kaliningrad took part in the workshop.The participants of the meeting shared practical skills and demonstrated research results in the sphere of endothelial function testing, large artery rigidity, sleep study and accelerometry.  

     Within the workshop a decision about further collaboration between Almazov Federal Centre and German Institute of Human Nutrition was made. It was agreed that further collaboration will be realized by means of cooperative scientific resource development in the spheres like metabolic and epidemiological studies as well as carrying out new integrated scientific projects.

     On 16 November 2010 a meeting “Therapy Problems of Acute Respiratory Failure” was held. One of the leading specialists in the respiratory medicine Prof. Burkhard Lachmann (Germany) gave a lecture “Manoeuver of Surgical Release of Alveolus in the Therapy of Acute Respiratory Failure”. During the last 20 years the main theme of Prof. Lachmann’s researches was a problem of VALI – ventilator-associated lung injury.

     On 29-30 November 2010 an International Russian-Czech Symposium with Master-class “Robot-assisted Prostatectomy” with da Vinci system usage was held. 4 operations were carried out by the group of Almazov Federal Centre surgeons guided by department head of robot-assisted endovideosurgery centre – Prof. Ian Shraml (Check Republic), urology department head doctor at Ústí-nad-Labem clinic and surgery block head at Robot-assisted endovideosurgery centre in Ústí-nad-Labem – Yitka Postlerova (Check Republic) and other specialists. Master-class was organized together with representatives of “Stargen” company (Czech strategic partner of American company “Intuitive Surgical”, producer of da Vinci robot).