A Skolkovo Resident Is Helping Research on Patients with Covid-19 and Diseases of the Hemic System
The company, Enrollme.ru, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation Biomedical Technologies Cluster, is providing its own digital platform to conduct observational research on patients with diseases of the hemic system and the new coronavirus infection Covid-19.
Photo: Sk.ru.
The National Medical Research Center of Hematology (NMRCH) of the Ministry of Health of Russia, together with several regional hematology clinics, is conducting observational research on CHRONOS19. Taking part in implementing the project is the Foundation for Cancer Research Support (RakFond) and Enrollme, a Skolkovo resident. Enrollme’s remote control digital platform for clinical and observational research connects doctors from different Russian cities into a single research network. Over the course of a year, the work will be conducted right in the “red zone” in electronic format without the risk of spreading the infection.
Several recent studies have found that the presence of cancer worsens the prognosis for those ill with the Covid-19 coronavirus infection. Patients with diseases of the hemic system could have a higher risk of becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and suffering a more severe form of the disease as a consequence of the nature of the underlying disease and its treatment, which often suppresses the immune system. However, information on the course of Covid-19 in those suffering from hematological diseases is currently limited.
The main goal of the CHRONOS19 research is to define the characteristics of the course of the new coronavirus Covid-19 infection on patients with different hematological diseases. Specialists hope that the obtained results will allow for the improvement of treatment for this category of patients in the near future.
“This research unites the efforts of hematologists in several regions of Russia aimed at helping patients with diseases of the hemic system during the pandemic. It is necessary for us to learn to understand the characteristics of the new infection in hematology patients, so that our patients receive more effective treatment in the future and we would be tactically prepared in the advent of a similar pandemic.”
Valerii Savchenko, director of the NMRCH.
“During the pandemic, it is very important not just to learn to control the infection, but also not to overlook the development of the underlying disease in hematology patients. It is therefore of great importance to obtain objective data on the course of the disease in particularly vulnerable groups of patients in order to determine how to manage these patients. The research results offer a basis for improving treatment results on patients with diseases of the hemic system and the coronavirus infection.”
Kristina Zakurdaeva, founder of the RakFond.
“It is obvious that the new coronavirus infection, Covid-19, will remain with us forever. Therefore, researchers all over the world today are making their best efforts to study and analyze the disease in all patient groups. The research results are much needed by those that are courageously fighting other serious illnesses. We recognize the importance of this work and are happy to provide our technological solutions for its fulfilment.”
Mikhail Getman, founder and CEO of Enrollme.ru.
“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, risks that were hitherto unresearched have appeared in patients with hematological diseases. Therefore, studying the characteristics of the course of the underlying disease under these new circumstances is one of the most important tasks for scientists. The electronic platform from the Skolkovo resident, Enrollme.ru, has proven itself well and provides the possibility to conduct research entirely remotely, eliminating the risks of infection for the participants in the study.”
Larisa Kravchenko, project manager of the Skolkovo Foundation Biomedical Technologies Cluster.
The study begins in June 2020 and will continue for about a year. Approximately 200 patients with diseases of the blood system and who are infected with the SARS0-CoV-2 virus will partake in it. In order to join the research, send an email to dr.gavrilina@mail.ru (Olga Alexandrovna Gavrilina).
The National Medical Research Center of Hematology (NMRCH) - the largest scientific, clinical and educational center for hematology in the Russian Federation, and an organization for strategic development of healthcare in the fields of hematology, transfusiology and oncology. Scientific and clinical divisions of the center conduct research on both a national and global level in the fields of fundamental and applied hematology, biology, molecular genetics, transplantation and transfusion immunology, biochemistry, mathematical modeling, pharmacology, bioinformatics and biostatistics. Every year, the center treats over 5000 patients with hemoblastosis and other diseases of the hemic system and performs over 1500 surgeries of which over 200 were bone marrow and kidney transplants. See website: https://blood.ru
Enrollme.ru - a Russian technology company and Skolkovo project participant that developed a digital platform to organize remote clinical and observational research in the field of life sciences. The Enrollme.ru technology utilizes Russian software code exclusively and provides a high level of data protection, allowing for the conduct of large-scale research throughout Russia, including during a pandemic. See website: https://enrollme.ru
RakFond - a public organization founded with the goal of financing scientific research activities in developing new methods and means of preventative treatment, diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases, and assisting the development and improvement of science and research activities at research institutes, science centers, medical and preventative treatment facilities for cancer or individual specialists in the field of oncology. The foundation was created in 2017 and carries out its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation. See website: https://www.rakfond.org
The Skolkovo Foundation - a non-profit organization that was founded in September 2010 at the initiative of the president of the Russian Federation. The aim of the Foundation is to create an ecosystem that is favorable to the development of entrepreneurship and research in the following fields: energy efficiency and energy conservation, nuclear, space, biomedical and strategic computer technologies and software. The management of the Skolkovo Innovation Center is entrusted to the Foundation, the activities of which are regulated by a special law that affords special economic conditions to startups, of which there are now over 2400, that have undergone external technological evaluation. In 2019, the revenue of Skolkovo company-participants amounted to 111.6 billion rubles, and the cumulative revenue over 10 years amounted to 412.7 billion rubles. Over 35,000 people work at the startups and over 2900 developments and technological solutions have been patented. An important part of the Skolkovo ecosystem is the research university, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, which was founded and operates with the support of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Skolkovo Innovation Center infrastructure was completed at the expense of the federal budget resulting in the construction of the technopark, university, high school, and road and engineering infrastructure. Over 750,000 square meters of facilities have been put into operation. See website: https://sk.ru/fund-skolkovo/about-skolkovo/