Contract Authority: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISDCI)
Project code: PN-IV-PCB-RO-MD-2024-0539
Acronym: MeMoMaR
Metabolic diseases are ranging from obesity, to rare inborn errors of metabolism, with others like cardiovascular diseases or cancer having characteristic abnormal metabolic patterns. The project will apply a NMR monitoring study for three metabolic conditions with high relevance for the Institute of Mother and Child from Chisinau: inborn errors of metabolism, obesity in childhood, and cervical cancer. Each of these diseases poses high challenges to our societies. Thus, advancing fast diagnosis and therapy assessment techniques is at forefront of current research worldwide. In terms of NMR spectroscopy, the Romanian group proposing the project is activating in the best-equipped laboratory in the country for solution-state NMR and medical diagnosis. The Moldavian team has advanced expertise in diagnosis and treatment of rare metabolic diseases, obese children and cervical cancer, with numerous enrolled patients. The proposed team include personnel belonging to the Reference Clinic for Inborn Errors of Metabolism, to the Coordination Center for Screening of Cervical Cancer, to the Reference Center in Colposcopy, as well as well-trained surgeons. The project is aiming to advance basic and applied knowledge in the targeted pathologies for better understanding the diseases and better monitoring the treatment efficacy. The main purpose is to disseminate fast the results as advanced research or case studies in order to speed up the benefits for the patients and society.
Cognitive and socio-economic impact
The project is advancing knowledge in medical diagnosis, a priority for any developed society. Current research is revealing new markers and highlight new aspects of the mechanisms of diseases. Earlier and more reliable diagnoses developed in the project are saving lives and ensure a better quality of life for patients.
The medical fields in which the project is working for improving diagnosis and monitoring tools are: metabolic rare diseases, children’s obesity and cervical cancer. All these fields are high priority medical areas in both Romania and Republic of Moldova, and worldwide.
Of particular cognitive and socio-economic importance is the advancement of knowledge in metabolic rare diseases. Thus, many of the metabolic disturbances that are detected soon after birth can be corrected by the administration throughout the life of the deficient metabolites, or on the contrary, by a diet that avoids those compounds which cannot be metabolized by the body of the patient. If the disorder is not detected at a very early age, obvious symptoms like mental and motor disability appear later, and in many cases, even death. Rare metabolic diseases are of increasing scientific and social worldwide concern as the societies evolve and they develop increasing concern and resources for the health and wellbeing of its members. In addition to health institutions, there is an ever-increased concern and pressure on governments from patients and families of patients through various types of NGOs like parents’ associations, charity foundations, etc to increase the investment in early diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. |
